More LED bulb options

[IndyMike]

You are right about the price.  It was $788 with the 6% eevblog discount and free shipping.  Well worth it IMHO, but I'm an EE and plan to use it for other stuff.
 
As for the tool affliction, no comment  However, I will say that a majority of my tools I have (aside from the Rigol stuff) are worth more now than what I paid.  Tool prices only seem to go up with time, and I tend to only buy European or US made, and use coupons/sales/craigslist/ebay when I can.  I also do my own HVAC, electrical, electronics, automotive, carpentry and plumbing repairs, so my tools have paid for themselves several times already.
 
The Rigol is one of the few tools I have that is made in China, but I can honestly say it is nicely made.  Even the UI is very responsive and works great.  Not to mention the free software (found on eevblog.com) that can even do 3D plots, etc...

 
Sounds as if we were cut from the same cloth.  I'm also a EE and have the same interests/hobbies although I'm guessing we're roughly a generation apart. 
 
I spent the first 15 years of my career designing embedded controllers for Jet engine fuel controls and smart sensors ( think TI-9900 and Intel 8080 ).  During that time I could think of nothing but wrenching on mechanical things when I got home.
 
The past 20 years has been spent working with hydromechanical fuel controls and electro-mechanical servo valves (we moved our electronics out of state).  After a day of working with Bernoulli and Maxwell equations (both of which are difficult for me), I find myself drifting back toward the electrical side.  Unfortunately, I'm 20 years out of date.  My little Owon would have cost 10's of thousands back in the 90's.
 
Wish we were neighbors - we could share tools and experiences.  My neighbor to the North owns a transmission shop and races a 7 second car on weekends.  My neighbor to the South is a heavy construction contractor and a Rally America competitor. 
 
We have a house for sale two doors down - interested in moving to extreme northern Indiana?  Sounds like you'd be a good fit.  We can always use a new neighbor with a fondness for tools and getting his hands a bit dirty.

 

[etc6849]

Northern Indiana would be a nice place to live.  I lived in Illinois for a few years and liked it.
 
Your experience sounds very neat and I'm sure I could learn a lot from you.  I haven't spent 15 years working yet, but the work I do (inspecting nuclear power plants) has almost nothing to do with my major.  It pays pretty well, but unfortunately, it limits where I can move to.

 

[Automate]

Technical document on optimizing dimming with LEDs http://www.electronicproducts.com/Optoelectronics/LEDs/Low-cost_phase-dimmable_LED_drivers.aspx

 

[damage]

I can assure you that in a game of "can you top this", California can top any state in the Union for stupid legislation and dumb voters voting for things that don't make financial sense.
 

 
at least nobody here is telling us how we can and can't buy the car with the highest safety rating ever (and some may say the best looking american made car...guess where it's made?  )

 

[Waynedb]

 at least nobody here is telling us how we can and can't buy the car with the highest safety rating ever (and some may say the best looking american made car...guess where it's made?  )

Well as they say, "even a broken clock is right twice a day". I am all for anybody challenging the normal car dealers bussiness model of trying to screw the customer at every turn, as for the Tesla, looks are subjective but I don't doubt it is a great car, and yes I know where it is built. California designs, builds or invents lots of great stuff.

 

[damage]

oh and 2/3rds of those "californians" that are being complained about polluting other states, aren't californians   "The Californian-born are more rooted in the state, with outmigration that is two-thirds lower, than are native-born from other states". 

 

[tmbrown97]

For those who wish to get back on topic, apparently Cree has stepped it up by improving the bulb offered at Home Depot - it's a bit more expensive, but has the best CRI of any LED on the market according to their claims, making it represent color better.  Thanks to WitfhDoc for bringing this up - I'd like to try a few in my Master Bath Suite to see how much difference it makes - I'll post back when I get a chance.
 

The color rendering index (CRI), sometimes called color rendition index, is a quantitative measure of the ability of a light source to reproduce the colors of various objects faithfully in comparison with an ideal or natural light source. Light sources with a high CRI are desirable in color-critical applications such as photography and cinematography.

 

[gatchel]

For those who wish to get back on topic, apparently Cree has stepped it up by improving the bulb offered at Home Depot - it's a bit more expensive, but has the best CRI of any LED on the market according to their claims, making it represent color better.  Thanks to WitfhDoc for bringing this up - I'd like to try a few in my Master Bath Suite to see how much difference it makes - I'll post back when I get a chance.

Do they look different or are the the same but just better? In other words how do we ID the newer ones v/s the older units.

 

[tmbrown97]

They're definitely not just a replacement - they come at a cost.  In the 40W Equivalent, they consume 2.5 more watts since some of the light has to be shed off to filter out the undesireable colors.  They also need a larger heat sink to dissipate that extra energy.  Also, there's a price difference - from $9.97 for the original to $17.97 according to HD's web-site (prices may be different if you're in an area that subsidizes).
 
Here's a better article on the differences:
http://www.designingwithleds.com/crees-new-tw-series-led-bulb-qualifies-for-ca-utility-rebates-with-a-93-cri/
 
 
And the differences in packaging:

 

[gatchel]

Good information. Thanks for posting. I am interested as I wasn't happy with the first run of Cree 40 and 60 watt "cheapies". I'll keep an eye out for them locally.

 

[signal15]

This topic has reached 400+ posts, would it make sense to create a Lighting board on here?
 
On topic, I just moved and have 70 can lights all filled with BR30 bulbs.  I've purchased $800 worth of various LED lights in the past couple of days, in addition to some that I already had.  I'm still nowhere close to having them all replaced, but I'm focusing on the most used areas of house.
 
I found some LED retrofits that are AWESOME.  They are the Commercial Electric T61 from Home Depot.  They retrofit 5 or 6" cans.  The actual light portion is a 2.5" wide silver reflector, with the light source deep up inside.  No glare from the side, and they leave a nice *crisp* cone of light below at 3000k.  They are also mounted on a gimbal, so you can aim them if needed.  They are $47 each.  I picked up 10 of them and I'm very happy with them.  I cleaned out the shelf at the store closest to me last night and that was all they had in stock.  I'm more impressed with these than any of the other ones I've tried.  Brightness is 764 lumens, not crazy, but definitely sufficient.
 
I'm going to try them in an 18' ceiling as soon as I can find a step ladder tall enough to reach the lights in the middle of the room.
 
I also replaced all sconces and stair lighting with the Cree A19 replacements.  I tried a Cree BR30 replacement, and it works great.  But, the old trims were all yellowed from the heat of the old bulbs and it made it look like someone was smoking up a storm in the house.  A good quality trim is $30, so the $47 for the T61 isn't a bad deal.

 

[tmbrown97]

Figured I'd toss an update in here on this...  the TW bulbs have hit the shelves - although I think they're all being funneled to CA!  It seems that CA realizes they were burned the last time around with CFL's by manufacturers gaming the system with crappy bulbs that fit their specifications, but of course buyers hated them and as such refused to adopt them... so this time around, they mandated a maximum amount of energy AND a minimum CRI (Color Rendering Index) and apparently the Cree TW bulbs are the first ones to make it.  So - at any local home depot, they seem to be taking $10/bulb off making them $7.97/$9.97 depending on 40W or 60W.  Depending on which city around me, I can find the regular bulbs ranging from $10 down to $5 thanks to power company subsidies I believe.  I did read that the TW bulbs were hard to find in some other states - but we're well stocked around here.
 
I've bought some of the TW bulbs - and side by side it's hard to say if I can tell the difference or if it's placebo effect - but they do make for very nice color.  The problem I've found however is that the 40W hum LOUD on my SA dimmers.  By default all my dimmers only go to 80% then I can go to 100 by dimming up or double-tapping - that lowers the noise a little but having them in the vanity fixture over my head in the bathrooms, they're just downright noisy.
 
I have two 60W TW equivs separately mounted in other fixtures and I've heard no hum out of them - and the original Cree 40W warm white bulbs are silent - not sure what the issue is with these 40W TW ones - but for now they're either going back to the store or into enclosed fixtures where I can't hear them.
 
In the meantime, I think I'll be picking up another 20 or so of the regular 40W bulbs... and I'm holidng out for prices to drop on the BR bulbs so I can replace all the ones in my cans - wondering if they'll come out with a TW version of those too.
 
Anyone else try the TW bulbs?  Hear any hum?

 

[NickTheGreat]

What are guys using for recessed lighting these days?  I am redoing my basement and want to go 4" recessed.  But would rather go LED. 
 
I see some retrofit kits at Lowes, and maybe 1 (expensive) option.  Haven't checked in person at HD just yet.
 
 

 

[kaosweb]

Also looking to more to all LED.  Have about 50 cans/floods - All on SA dimmers.  Hows the buzzing Work2Play - any experience with any bulbs that don't buzz.  
 
The buzzing of my current lights was the catalyst for my project to replace them - not to mention the long terms savings.

 

[tmbrown97]

Most of the Cree bulbs have been fine with no buzz at all - it's just the 40W TW's that I'm hearing buzz with.  The 40W cool white's have been fine, and honestly so have the 60W TW bulbs.  I also have a ton of the Utilitech bulbs and while I'm not as fond of their light patterns/colors, they dim well and don't make a sound either.