We’ve been writing about Cree for a few years now. It is a definite leader in the LED market. Earlier this year, I got the chance to review a few Cree soft white LED bulbs. Because the bulbs don’t work in Europe, where I live, I decided to have my dad review them for me. I figured this was good for a couple of other reasons too: 1) my dad is an artist, and he has a very sensitive and critical eye; 2) he’s not a fan of CFLs (with which I don’t have any problem).
If you want to have a look at the details of each bulb from the backs of the packages, here you go:
Cree LED soft white 450 lumens / 40W equivalent
Cree LED soft white 800 lumens / 60W equivalent
Cree LED soft white 1100 lumens / 75W equivalent
The review regarding the light is actually really simple: the bulbs seems to produce more and better light than an incandescent bulb with the same lumens. Compared to 60-watt incandescent, the “40-watt equivalent” with the same lumens gives the same light quality (used over the stove in the kitchen).
So, the short and simple is, you get the same light for much, much less energy and (in the long term) much less money. There’s not much more to it than that.
My dad and I do have one other point, though. Before shipping these bulbs to him, I got the chance to open one and check it out. One great thing about these LED bulbs that I haven’t seen with any others (our home is full of LEDs) is that they have a somewhat sticky exterior. Not so sticky that it’s problematic, but sticky enough that it’s much easier to keep it in your hands without dropping it. I’m not sure if the material serves any other purpose, but my dad and I both really liked that quality from a user perspective.
Overall, I think these Cree bulbs are a great buy.
As I noted in May, you can get a Cree LED for as low as $6.97 at Home Depot. You can also get a Philips SlimStyle LED (which I am able to use here in Europe, and also works well) for as low as $1.97. For a 60W equivalent, it uses a little more energy than the Cree. When it comes down to it, though, I think the matter is mostly which style you prefer.
Let me know if you have any questions. And if you have any technical questions, I’m sure a Cree representative would be happy to chime in.
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