Lights of America Decor LED Accent - 1.5 Watt (40 Watt Replacement Bulbs) 3 Pack

by Lights of America

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 14 x 11 x 3 inches ; 1.4 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• ASIN: B001P6XLQI
• Average Customer Review: 2.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,914 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: January 7, 2009

Product Description

Lights of America Decor LED Accent - 1.5 Watt (40 Watt Replacement Bulbs) 3 Pack: Replaces 40 Watt Round Accent Downlights. Uses only 1.5 Watts (Replaces a 40 Watt Light Bulb). For Recessed, Track Lighting and Normal Lighting. Lasts 20 Times Longer Than 1,500 Hour Incandescent Bulbs. Made in the USA and Mercury Free.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars First attempt, but not there yet, June 3, 2009

By 

X_HOBBES (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lights of America Decor LED Accent - 1.5 Watt (40 Watt Replacement Bulbs) 3 Pack (Electronics)

PRO's:
- LED lights with a screw-in 120 V base
- Soft white light (not the intense white of typical LED's)
- Light spreads pretty well, considering it's LED's
- Fairly inexpensive for LED lights (about 2 years ago, similar bulbs cost about $120 each!)

CON's:
- Dim to half bright in about two months (~1000 hours)
- Equivalent to 25 Watt incandescent bulb (when new)
- Can't use in-line with power-drawing accessories (e.g. timers, motion sensors, etc.)

So, I have a HUGE fan of high-intensity LED lights since they first came out a few years ago. I had been searching for LED household light bulbs for a few years, since I think this is the way of future lighting. Just about 1-2 years ago, I found a similar LED bulb for a whopping $120! So, when I saw a 3 pack at Sams Club for just $15, I jumped at the deal.

When I first plugged it in, I was pleased by the light distribution and the soft color. The LED's are arranged in a cone shape, where each LED points outwards. So, instead of getting a spotlight effect, it distributed the light somewhat evenly. Also, instead of the typical stark white color LED's put out, it resembled the color of a clear incandescent bulb (~2800K).

I immediately noticed that it DOES NOT put out the equivalent of 40 watts of light. It more-closely resembles a 25 watt incandescent bulb.

The real issues are that the 30,000 hour life is misleading. An incandescent bulb gives you full light until it burns out. These LED lights give you bright light when they're brand new, but quickly fade to a dim light. I used these lights to illuminate part of my deck, and left them on all night. After just about two months (~1000 hours of use), the light is only about half as bright. I noticed this when I put the used bulbs in a chandelier with a new bulb -- the new bulb was MUCH brighter than the used bulbs. The used bulbs barely put out light when compared to the new bulb -- and they're just about 2 months old! It might actually last 30,000 hours, but you won't be able to see any light as you get closer.

Another problem is that since they only use about 1.5 watts each, they don't allow enough power to flow through them to power up in-line accessories such as timers or motion sensors. I put a digital timer on the switch for my deck and the backup battery quickly died since it wasn't getting enough AC power flowing through.

So, these lights are a great first attempt at LED household lighting, but the technology still needs to mature a bit more before we can use LED lights to replace incandescent or CFL's.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Burn Out Fast, February 6, 2010

By 

N7GTJ (AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lights of America Decor LED Accent - 1.5 Watt (40 Watt Replacement Bulbs) 3 Pack (Electronics)

I purchased 12 of these lights to replace my CFL lighting in ceiling fans. First thing I noticed is the very poor light output. My wife said she feels like she is in a cave, but for the low current draw we could live with it.
Unfortunately only after about 2 months 2 lights still work. What a waste of money. LEDs should operate for much longer than standard bulbs.
It will be a long time till I try them again.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good first effort, January 28, 2009

By 

Robert Obusek "Ulias Jones" (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lights of America Decor LED Accent - 1.5 Watt (40 Watt Replacement Bulbs) 3 Pack (Electronics)

These bulbs attracted me because of the extremely low power consumption and becuase LED lights will become more mainstream as time goes on. Here is my review as an early adopter.

They are decorative and more pleasant than the Compact Flourescent lights, especially in clear fixtures. However, they fall short in light output. Not even close to the 40W equivalent rating. More like 15W. I used them in a 3 light fixture to replace 3 standard 25W bulbs and there appears to be less overall light output. The low output compounds the "color" of the light. When bright, all lights look White. Being dimmer, these lights have a touch of green to them. Not unpleasant, but since most soft white bulbs are tinted a warm yellow, it is something that you are likely to notice.

If you have a light that is on all night or whenever you are out, this is a good call as the energy consumption is like a night light, yet the bulbs are much brighter and will work for years.