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[JoeGrilling]

I am always a little skeptical of reliability claims of new technology.  This comes from being an early adopter of most things that could be beneficial to me if the claims are true.  LED bulbs are one example.  The early bulbs sold at Costco and other places were horrible.  Manufacturers claimed the would last many lifetimes of incandescent bulbs.  My experience was a small fraction of the lifetime.  The bulbs sold within the last six years or so do live up to the claims.  It seems my experience with the bulbs sold at Costco maybe ten years ago was also experienced by many other customers.  A few months back they sent me a check refunding my purchases based on reliability issues with the bulbs.     

[Bentley]

Interesting!  A reason why I like the company, they seem to be accountable!

It seems my experience with the bulbs sold at Costco maybe ten years ago was also experienced by many other customers.  A few months back they sent me a check refunding my purchases based on reliability issues with the bulbs.   

[Ross77]

That’s because those Costco bulbs are junk. Feit is not a good brand. I’ve been using Phillips and Cree bulbs with no issues. Yes they cost more but they don’t fail.

[JoeGrilling]

That’s because those Costco bulbs are junk. Feit is not a good brand. I’ve been using Phillips and Cree bulbs with no issues. Yes they cost more but they don’t fail.

It wasn't Feit.  It was before they carried that brand.  I believe the company was Lights of America or something like that. 

Most LED bulbs you can get today are all pretty good.  I even have had good luck with Feit. 

Only time will tell how good the ceramic starters are or will be.  For now, I keep a spare regular starter in my box of BBQ parts.  There is no big incentive for me to cut over.  With LED lights, high electricity cost in Northern California was the incentive.     

[okie smokie]

That’s because those Costco bulbs are junk. Feit is not a good brand. I’ve been using Phillips and Cree bulbs with no issues. Yes they cost more but they don’t fail.

I have had two failures of the Cree bulbs from Home Depot.  They promptly replaced them but I was surprised about the failure.  The scary news is that my son had a brand x bulb that exploded in flame that would have burned his house down, had he not been there to carry the fixture out to the garage.
Big problem with the LED bulbs is that they all require a transformer in the base to reduce the voltage.  That is why the base is always a bit hot to touch.  Not near to the degree of an incandescent but still painful.  I imagine a cheap bulb has a cheap transformer, so the risk of failure and perhaps short circuit is higher.  Cree is a leader in design so failure was a surprise. 
I suspect that good transformers produce less heat (heavier construction and quality), so would be interesting to get some info on that from someone who has access to that knowledge.  Also, would be of interest to see how many fires have bee started by LED bulbs and whether it was an early problem or still exists.  ?

[okie smokie]

Just found out the following:

Now LED bulbs that are meant to be replacements for standard 120v incandescent bulbs are very similar to CCFL bulbs. They have AC rectifying section, most are half wave. Then they step it down, then use a current control section to provide the final step for the lighting. If it is a Fading led bulb, there would be more circuitry inside for that.

Bottom Line.  LED bulbs for 120v use require a rectifier (LED's use direct current) usually a half/wave will do.  They also require a step down transformer .
Soooo they are complicated.   Those parts produce heat,  the cheaper the parts, the more the heat, and the more likely to have a failure which occasionally may result in a fire risk.  Bottom second line:  Buy good quality.  I suspect you can find quality reviews on the web.

[litzerski]

Possible stupid question, but a LED itself IS a diode, which will transform alternating current into direct current.  So, would they actually need a rectifier?

[ICIdaho]

That’s because those Costco bulbs are junk. Feit is not a good brand. I’ve been using Phillips and Cree bulbs with no issues. Yes they cost more but they don’t fail.

I agree with Phillips, but I quit buying Cree. I was lucky to get 2 months out of them.  I was skeptical, so I always kept the receipts and took them back. Home Depot probably hated me.  Have had no problems since switching to Phillips.

[Bentley]

Have not had a lot of Phillips products, but the ones I have had have been quality.  We bought a Phillips Plasma TV for my uncles in 2005...at that time, it seems I had heard that the knock on plasma was the screen only lasted about 10 years...it is still going strong 14 years later.

Edit:  I just looked today, it is a Sylvania...par for the course!  I still like my Sonic Care and Phillips DVD player!

[okie smokie]

Possible stupid question, but a LED itself IS a diode, which will transform alternating current into direct current.  So, would they actually need a rectifier?

Here is what I found:
LEDs are sensitive to reverse polarity and DCC or AC power is not great to run LEDs on. The addition of a bridge rectifier keeps all voltage coming into the LED on the positive side, prolonging the life of the LED. ... The largest part of this circuit is the tiny bridge rectifier. 
Hope this helps.

[reubenray]

When we had our house built three years ago I bought LED bulbs for all of the lights from Lowes.  There were Lowes brand and within a year over half of them burnt out. 

[okie smokie]

When we had our house built three years ago I bought LED bulbs for all of the lights from Lowes.  There were Lowes brand and within a year over half of them burnt out.

Makes the claim "good for 13 years" a joke. 
I have had good luck with Phillips LED's.  Also GE. 

On another note: It is best to get the slightly more expensive "Soft White" LEDs.  Usually in the 2700 to 3500 color range.  The "daylight" or 5000 range bulbs are not only uncomfortable but may be harmful to your eyesight (retinal damage).  I have changed all of mine to "soft white" range. Unfortunately, the hotel and motel industry have replaced their lights with LED but with the "daylight" variety.  Makes the rooms uncomfortable to be in and to read by. Let me know if you disagree. 

[ICIdaho]

When we had our house built three years ago I bought LED bulbs for all of the lights from Lowes.  There were Lowes brand and within a year over half of them burnt out.

Makes the claim "good for 13 years" a joke. 
I have had good luck with Phillips LED's.  Also GE. 

On another note: It is best to get the slightly more expensive "Soft White" LEDs.  Usually in the 2700 to 3500 color range.  The "daylight" or 5000 range bulbs are not only uncomfortable but may be harmful to your eyesight (retinal damage).  I have changed all of mine to "soft white" range. Unfortunately, the hotel and motel industry have replaced their lights with LED but with the "daylight" variety.  Makes the rooms uncomfortable to be in and to read by. Let me know if you disagree. 

I use daylight outside and in the bathroom...my wife likes to see to put on makeup in the most unflattering light possible, that way she will look like a princess in soft white I guess!

[Canadian John]

  For the most part, Led bulbs just don't drop dead as incandescent bulbs do.  As time goes on the light output (lumens) decrease. It starts somewhere ~ way in the life cycle. Color temperature changes as

well..That translates to high hour LED bulbs generating a lower and different light... Heat, such as over the stove or an enclosed luminary does shorten LED bulb life. Heat to life ratio is exponential...

On a contrary note, they stop working ~ -40º...   LED bulbs have come a long way in recent years w/ costs way down and quality vastly improved.

[dk117]

When we had our house built three years ago I bought LED bulbs for all of the lights from Lowes.  There were Lowes brand and within a year over half of them burnt out.

Makes the claim "good for 13 years" a joke. 
I have had good luck with Phillips LED's.  Also GE. 

On another note: It is best to get the slightly more expensive "Soft White" LEDs.  Usually in the 2700 to 3500 color range.  The "daylight" or 5000 range bulbs are not only uncomfortable but may be harmful to your eyesight (retinal damage).  I have changed all of mine to "soft white" range. Unfortunately, the hotel and motel industry have replaced their lights with LED but with the "daylight" variety.  Makes the rooms uncomfortable to be in and to read by. Let me know if you disagree. 

I use daylight outside and in the bathroom...my wife likes to see to put on makeup in the most unflattering light possible, that way she will look like a princess in soft white I guess!

We live in the PNW, where this time of year it's dark from 4:45 in the afternoon until 7:45 in the morning.  We have daylight LED's throughout the house and love them.   I do believe it's personal preference.    Given our 24x7 dark/grey weather, daylight LED's make a positive difference for us. 

And yes, while I assume I'm saving the earth or my electricity bill or whatever, I change out light-bulbs just a often as I ever did.

DK