Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I started using LED bulbs since early 2010. Over the past 3.5 years, LED bulbs have made significant technical advances, and prices have fallen by a factor of 3 or 4. So by now LED lighting is an economical alternative to most incandescent or compact fluorescent light bulbs. Unfortunately, LED bulbs I have tested so far all have some limitations that prevent them from being used as universal replacement for incandescent bulb. Namely: - Many LED bulbs have highly directional light concentrated to the front of the bulb, whereas the light from an incandescent bulb is omni-directional. - Lesser-known LED bulb makers tend to exaggerate their `incandescent-equivalent' ratings. For example, a 40W incandescent bulb produces around 480 lumens of light. But most LED bulbs that claim to be `40W equivalent' only produce 300-400 lumens of light. - Older generation LED bulbs are usually quite bulky, so they may not fit in some light fixtures designed for common household A19 bulbs. - Most LED bulbs on the market are not compatible with TRIAC-dimmer switches designed for incandescent bulbs. If you accidentally put a non-dimmable LED bulb into a dimmer-controlled fixture, it will flicker or even become damaged. This product (FEIT Electric LED Light Bulb A19 7.5W) is the first one I found that solved all the limitations of my earlier generation LED bulbs: - It has an omni-directional, evenly distributed light output. - It produces 500 lumens of total light output, and is correctly marketed as a `40W-equivalent' bulb. - It has nearly identical shape and size as a traditional A19 incandescent bulb (see the size comparison picture I uploaded to `Customer Images' section) - It is compatible with ordinary TRIAC dimmer switches designed for incandescent bulbs, and offers better dynamic range that most 'dimmable' CFL or LED bulbs. I measured the power consumption of this Feit Omni-LED bulb, using my P3 International P4460 Kill A Watt EZ Electricity Usage Monitor. The power consumption reading toggles between 7W and 8W, which is consistent with the rating of `7.5W'. The power factor is very high at PF=0.97, which is an indication of good electrical design (cheaply-made LED bulbs usually have PF=0.7 or lower). I then tested this Feit 7.5W blub on a dimmer-controlled light fixture, together with a 60W incandescent bulb and two other LED bulbs I previously tested: Feit Electric 13.5 Watt LED Omni Bulb and Energetic Lighting ELE12D-AWF-VB LED 12-Watt A19 Dimmable Lamp. Both Feit bulbs are able to dim smoothly from full power down to minimum. The Energetic `tulip' bulb, on the other hand, went dark at lower power. See the pictures I uploaded to Customer Images for comparison. Note that the other two LED bulbs are both rated as `60W-equivalent' since they produce around 800 lumens of light output. Also the two Feit bulbs have color temperature of 3000K, whereas the Tulip bulb is warmer at 2700K, which is closer to that of an incandescent bulb. The only minor problem I found: When dimmed, the Feit A19 Omni bulb emits a faint buzzing sound when I listen to it closely. This seems to be a common problem with all LED bulbs I have tested. In fact, most other brands of LED bulbs are noisier than this one. In summary: I can recommend this Feit 7.5W Omni-LED bulb as a universal 40W-replacement for any household light fixtures.