Cree TW LED lights

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A few months ago I bought an off-the-shelf Philips LED bulb at Home Depot. While I was pleased with the brightness and energy savings, the light looked too artificial in all of the fixtures I tried it in. I had previously been using GE Reveal incandescent bulbs in all of my fixtures because of the more vibrant colors they produced (high color rendering index, or CRI).

I was still interested in the value proposition of LEDs, so I bought a Cree TW (TrueWhite) LED online for about $19. It's a 60W-equivalent; outside of California, they're only sold in 6-packs on Home Depot's website, or as single bulbs from a few online resellers.

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You can see from the photo that it has the same neodymium light-blue glass as a GE Reveal bulb. The LEDs are also different from the non-TW line. Unfortunately they have to overdrive these versus their standard 60W-equivalent LED, so they're not as efficient (but still better than an incandescent). The bulb does get pretty warm but has the integrated cooling fins as you can see in the photo above.

Detailed review is below, but if you want the tl;dr version:

Pros:
-doesn't look like an LED
-light-output works well for lamps with shades
-trusted name, made in USA

Cons:
-only available online
-only available in 40W- and 60W-equivalents
-double the price of a normal Cree





Here are the specs:

Wattage: Uses only 13.5 Watts (78% less energy)
Brightness: 800 Lumens
Lifetime: 25,000 Hrs rated lifetime
Lifetime Savings: $128 Lifetime Savings
Yearly Cost: $1.63 (Estimated)
Color Temp (Kelvins): 2,700K
Light Transition: Instant-on
Beam Spread: Omnidirectional
Contents: Mercury free
Dimmable: Dimmable
Certifications: UL Damp Rated
Base Type: E26 Medium Standard Screw-type
Height: 4.4 inches
Width: 2.4 inches
Diameter: 2.4 inches
Weight: 6.0 ounces

The CRI is 92-93, which blows away a normal LED/CFL's rating of 80. For reference, a GE Reveal incandescent is also right around 93.



When illuminated, the light quality and color are excellent. I placed it into a table lamp in my family room that is usually on for 4-6 hours a day. The Cree LEDs are particularly well-suited for lamps with shades because they throw most of their light to the sides and downward, and very little up top. This means the shade and the table below the lamp are well-illuminated and you don't end up with a bright spot on the ceiling above. Other A19-size LEDs throw their light differently, such as the GEs illuminating more uniformly up top.

I have tried the bulb in a few other fixtures: a large floorstanding lamp with a very light colored shade, a floorstanding Tiffany lamp, and even a glass-enclosed ceiling-mounted closet light. I would say that it works best in a lamp with a shade. I'm not sure if this would be a good choice for a bathroom, namely because women may not be used to the type of light it throws (might interfere with the application of makeup). When I had it in my closet, I did like how my clothes and shoes looked more vibrant and the colors were "correct".

Some side-by-side comparisons were also done with the Philips LED I had already bought (in the same fixtures). I always preferred the Cree. The only time I declared it a wash was in my Tiffany lamp, probably due to the bright coloring of the Tiffany glass and the fact that the Cree's upward light output wasn't as good. I'd have no reservations about using the Cree in that lamp, but the upward-firing Philips more effectively lights the room.

I'll probably order a 6-pack of these and replace other lights in my apartment as they burn out. I'm anxious to see if Cree expands the TW line to include sizes other than the A19/A21, and if they can get a 100W-equivalent for one of my bigger lamps. I may also order a Philips L-prize to see how it compares. It claims to offer the same 93 CRI and 800-900 lumens but only consumes 10W. They're discontinued now but can be found online.
 
I went by Lowes today with my father.
I like to go and look at all the developing LED technology, we just didn't have time to make it by both Lowes and Home Depot.

Anyways, I noticed that they just marked down a bunch of their 75 and 100 watt equivalent LED bulbs by $10 a bulb.
The $39 bulbs are now $29, the $29 bulbs are now $19.

Point being, this is still a developing technology. It will take quite some time to mature and the market come to bear on prices.

If you go to any of the big box stores, even Walmart has some, I highly recommend you shop sales.

I love the technology, but the prices are killer.

Also, I did recently buy eight 40 watt equivalent LED bulbs from IKEA for about $3.50 each on a New Year's Sale. I have them in ceiling fans in the Kitchen and Master Bedroom, very nice warm light.
It's a new technology, and companies are trying to figure out the market as we speak.
 
Originally Posted By: SuperDave456

I love the technology, but the prices are killer.



Look for the subsidized ones. I can get a 60W-equivalent LED for $8.97. A non-subsidized one costs about $14.
 
Originally Posted By: dparm
Originally Posted By: SuperDave456

I love the technology, but the prices are killer.

Look for the subsidized ones. I can get a 60W-equivalent LED for $8.97. A non-subsidized one costs about $14.

LED has higher CRI than CFL, but at less than 25 cents a bulb I think I hold off changing my CFL to LED.

Energy saving from CFL to LED is very small, something in the order of 10-20% or less, the up front cost of LED is too high and it will take a long long time to recover the cost.
 
Earlier this week I replaced the 6 standard Cree bulbs in our master bath-3 over each vanity mirror-with Cree TW series bulbs. My wife didn't care for the standard version for doing her morning routine, but these seem to work better for her.

These are also dimmable, but I noticed something a bit different. If the dimmer switch is in the lowest (dimmest) position when the lights are turned on Cree TW bulbs won't light, and turning the dimmer portion of the switch up won't light them. The dimmer has to be about half way up before they'll light when the switch is turned on.

The standard Cree bulbs don't have that issue, so there must be a higher minimum voltage to start the TW series bulbs. Once they are lit then the dimmer can be turned fully up and down without an issue and the TW bulbs dim and brighten as expected.

According to my wife the color of the Cree TW's is much nicer for doing morning prep work in the mirror, and if she's happy then I'm happy. I personally don't notice a difference, but then my morning routine isn't as "intensive" as hers.
 
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR

Energy saving from CFL to LED is very small, something in the order of 10-20% or less, the up front cost of LED is too high and it will take a long long time to recover the cost.


Try no savings. The LED specs he posted says 13.5 watts used; the going rate for a CFL is 13 watts (60 watt equivalent).
 
Originally Posted By: Nayov
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR

Energy saving from CFL to LED is very small, something in the order of 10-20% or less, the up front cost of LED is too high and it will take a long long time to recover the cost.


Try no savings. The LED specs he posted says 13.5 watts used; the going rate for a CFL is 13 watts (60 watt equivalent).


Practically speaking though, Ive found that, for example, an 800 lumen LED throws more useful light than an 800 lumen CFL.

Not sure why (optics, which tend to be designed into LEDs but not CFL spirals?)...
 
Yeah, the price point on LEDs seems to be "getting there". Cree has been doing a good job and I'll probably get LED bulbs to replace my CFLs on an as needed basis. I was never too fond of the mercury component of CFL ownership and the life expectancy of LEDs seals the deal (as long as they do actually last).
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Practically speaking though, Ive found that, for example, an 800 lumen LED throws more useful light than an 800 lumen CFL.

Not sure why (optics, which tend to be designed into LEDs but not CFL spirals?)...



It has to do with how they position the LEDs. Watch the below video where he actually measures and graphs it. It's one of the main reasons I chose the Cree -- it throws most of its light to the side and down, which is perfect for the lamps I own.
 
Can't understand why you would spend $19 on a bulb for apartment. Do you own this apartment or live there?
 
I think it's because LEDs are naturally directional, while CFLs are naturally omnidirectional, and often a lot of the light is wasted in the spiral or in the back of the fixture. Of course this depends on the application, but many times it is a big advantage.

I have a 7.5 watt, 430 lumen LED mounted in the ceiling fan in my kitchen. The base points straight up, so the LEDs point down, giving the entire kitchen a nice bright light with good color rendition. It is 40 watt equivalent but I think it does a better job than the CFL it replaced. I have other lights in the kitchen, over the sink, stove, etc. but they are rarely turned on anymore.

Another benefit of LEDs is not only their long life, but their seeming stability, while CFLs start getting dim and the familiar blackened tubes as they age.
 
I bought a Cree LED 6 watt, 450 lumens, 40 watt equivalent, at Home Depot last night for $9.97. I bought it to test it out in a bedroom side table lamp that is used primarily for reading. It replaced a 40w incandescent bulb that was probably a month or two old and I'd say the LED is about 25% brighter than the 40w incandescent, and the color is a dead ringer for that warm golden glow of an incandescent. As a test bulb, so far, so good, and now begins the longevity test.

I'm hoping that in a year or two the price on LEDs is down to something that is much more reasonable. $10 for a 40w equivalent is highway robbery, but if the life of LEDs proves to be just half of what they claim then $2.00 for a 100w equivalent would be acceptable. Time will tell.
 
Originally Posted By: Warstud
Can't understand why you would spend $19 on a bulb for apartment. Do you own this apartment or live there?


If you read my post, you'll see that I bought it for a lamp that gets 4-6 hours a use per day, minimum. I barely use the wall/ceiling fixtures so those have whatever the landlord put in them (CFL).
 
I've replaced a few standard fixtures with Sylvania LED's. The box claims 60w equivalent but who knows, they're plenty bright enough, close to a 100w IMO. The LED bulb itself says 10w.

My cost at Menards was 2 for $12.00 IIRC.
 
Originally Posted By: Warstud
Can't understand why you would spend $19 on a bulb for apartment. Do you own this apartment or live there?
I have switched to all LED lights where I live and I just rent. The landlord doesn't pay the hydro, I do, so it matters to ME. I'm sure thats why Dparm did it as well.
 
I like all the Cree LED bulbs I've used so far. I'll have to give the TW's a try, as I quite enjoy their 60w equivalent 5000k "daylight" bulb.
 
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