Rick Nelson

LED bulbs not quite ready for consumer lighting
May 6, 2008

Now that people are finally adopting compact fluorescent bulbs, is it time to throw them out and replace them with LEDs? As I commented in an earlier post, Paul Rako got a good discussion going on this topic in his Anablog, but as far as consumers go, LEDs don’t seem to be on the radar screen as a lighting option.

Until yesterday, that is, when Salon columnist Pablo Päster addressed the topic, comparing a 7-W LED with a 10-W CFL, each of which, he says, emits 500 lumens.

If you want technical details on the LED vs. CFL debate, go back and read Rako’s post, the response of a marketer at Cree, and the comments to both posts. But Päster at Salon provides a succinct summary that finds LEDs still wanting for consumer lighting applications. He presents a narrative that’s somewhat hard to follow, but here is the summary in tabular format:

The CFL edges out the LED in the financial calculation, but the LED is preferable, Päster says, if you want to minimize ladder time. In addition, he adds, LEDs have no mercury and can be RoHS-compliant. One thing he doesn’t comment on is that LED light output degrades over time, and consumers might find that unacceptable. He also doesn’t mention that the LED power supply may fail before the LED itself. And a drawback one of Päster's commenters points out is that the longer life a bulb theoretically has, the more likely it is to experience a catastrophic life-ending event (an encounter with a baseball, perhaps).

Ultimately, Päster punts and recommends that the consumer consult a lighting professional.

Update: I just read Rako's most recent post and am now convinced that the future of illumination lies in the gasoline-powered light bulb. :)

Posted by Rick Nelson on May 6, 2008 | Comments (2)