LED lighting goes mainstream! It's at Wal-Mart!

[TheMarkofPolo]

Good to hear such good conversations about LED lighting!

As mentioned before, the LED design is very durable, but the circuitry, soldering jobs usually fail first.

I've been experimenting with LEDs throughout my apartment since 2008. I currently use only LEDs and CFLs.

The lighting technology is getting much much better. I can't post links yet, but just see the difference in lumens between older and newer versions of the C. Crane GeoBulb. (303 for II soft to 460 for III soft) The cost is still somewhat prohibitive, and I don't expect a full ROI, but I feel like I'm 'investing' in this sound technology.

Pros in my mind:
Low wattage, of course
Mercury & Lead free
20-60K hour runtime
No warm up time
Cooler to the touch
Usually 1-3 year warranty

Cons
High failure rate on certain models
Very few porch/outdoor rated lights
Lack of omnidirectional lighting (getting better, though)
If a burglar ever visits me...and somehow knows the value of my light bulbs, I might be in trouble. ;-)

The bulbs I most like come from C. Crane--GeoBulb; EarthLED--Zetalux, designolux, evolux.
Light engine technology is much better than just panels of multiple LEDs, IMO.

[hondo434]

I have just finished changing out most bulbs in house to cfls' and am ordering some leds' from china. i am ordering one of each size shape and led count to see differences. I have replaced 2-40 watt and 1 -25 watt with in my refrigerator. Initally dropping down in lumens seems drastic, but after awhile you get used to it. They are 18 led with plastic dome for light dispersal. They have been in refrig section about a month and have'nt had an issue with cold. Today I put thr freezer led in, so we'll see how that goes. I ordered a 84 led to put in my wifes' reading lamp. It is a spot type which I think has a nice coverage about 1-2 ft. away. My wife likes the 72 led with plastic globe better, even though it is not as bright. these are the warm shade (Yellowish). She was reading last night and the bulb started to flash on and off rapidly. I removed the bulb and tried it another fixture. It turned on but a section of the leds were not lit maybe 25% around the outside. It may have been a heat issue or a soldering issue. I put a 74 led spot warm out in the security lamp over the front of the garage. That seems to give ample light from 9-10 ft to the driveway. I was surprized. I increased the run time to 10 minutes to give more illumination.
Over all so far I've only had the one issue, so i'm satisfied with results.
I talked with salesman at lowes, he said the leds they which run constantly will start to dim after about a year of usage. my understanding this happens to cfls also.