By Molly McLaughlin on February 13, 2012 in
Would you pay $30 or $40 for a light bulb? Probably not; after all, your standard incandescent light bulb might last only months or weeks -- or, if dropped, less than a day -- but it also costs just a few dollars. LED light bulbs, on the other hand, cost far more, but they can also last much longer. Three companies -- GE, Philips and Switch -- have created LED bulbs that are said to last between 15 and 22 years. But is that longer life span worth their higher price?
Shining a light on LED bulbs
Switch, a five-year-old lighting company, has created some rather cool-looking -- in 40, 60, 75 and 100-watt equivalents -- light bulbs that are shaped like an incandescent and fit into a standard "Edison" socket (the type used by just about every modern incandescent lamp or lighting fixture). Aside from the shape, though, they don't look anything like an incandescent -- they really don't look like a light bulb at all (pictured). Their design incorporates liquid cooling that prevents the light bulb from overheating (thus lengthening its life), though Wired says parts of the bulb were hot to the touch in their tests. This is what makes the bulb so long lasting -- the company says it'll last 20,000 hours. (That's about 13 years of use at 4 hours a day.) It's also part of what makes the bulb so heavy -- it weighs 10 ounces. (For reference, a 4-pack of GE incandescent bulbs weighs 0.8 ounces; the Apple iPhone 4S weighs 4.9 ounces.)
Switch is currently shipping its 60-watt and 75-watt equivalent bulbs only to hotels and other hospitality properties. Once they get enough feedback, they'll begin selling their bulbs directly to consumers, starting with its 60-watt-equivalent, which will go for about $30.
In its September issue, Wired editors evaluated 6 light bulbs (two incandescents, two compact fluorescents and two LEDs) including the Switch60 Warm White, which they say is "the clear winner in terms of aesthetics." Testers liked its warm light, though they mention its hefty weight as a drawback. Overall, it gets the same rating (8 out of 10) as the other LED bulb tested, the Philips Ambientled, which is available for purchase now.
The Philips Ambientled ($40), also a 60-watt-equivalent bulb, has a claimed life of 15 years, based on four hours of usage per day. The Wired test panel praises its brightness and color, calling it "a nearly incandescent soft white." Conveniently, the light is also dimmable -- something that can't be said of most compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs.
GE has also entered the LED market, but its 9-watt GE Energy Smart LED bulb ($30) is not included in the Wired tests. The 9-watt bulb is meant to replace a 40-watt incandescent light bulb, but it consumes much less energy. Like the Switch bulb, the GE bulb has a rather cool-looking design. The bulb itself is surrounded by what PC World jokingly calls "armor spikes" that help direct the light and prevent breakage. GE says the bulb will last about 22 years if use is limited to 3 hours a day.
If you're dubious about paying so much for a light bulb, you can try out compact fluorescents, which are much less expensive or even continue using incandescent light bulbs, at least for now while the politics surrounding them gets sorted out.