LED Lightbulb nuance

2 months ago

I am testing a bunch of lightbulbs to figure out which I like best.

First, can I say that the Kelvins listed on the side of the box have very little to do with the color of light that I am seeing.

In this picture I have a 5000k Norb Smile - obviously blue, a 2700 k GE Sunfilled bulb and a 5000k Phillips Ultra Definition.

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The center light in this picture is a 5000k Feit from Costco.

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All three have 95 CRI. The only one that I could find that had a tested R9 value and was the best reasonably priced lightbulb in the testing video is the Phillips Ultra Definition.

I put the Phillips in my office where the fixture has 4 bulbs that are placed horizontally and I love the lighting on my desktop.

But I didn't realize that if I use this light in the fixture pictured, the light is directed out the sides of the bulb. The other three shadow at the top, but the Phillips shadows at the top and the bottom and does not give me great task lighting below the fixture.

The $19.00 Smile is the worst - having some shadowing at the top and bottom, a much narrower band of light and the absolute purple blue color.

The Feit has the brightest light directed downward toward the surface where I need light and appears to have a nice, clean, white light - neither blue nor yellow.

The Phillips has nice color, appears a bit warmer than the Feit, more like a typical 4000k light

In Real Life the 2700 k GE Sunfilled bulb is baffling. It actually appears whiter than the Phillips 5000 k and the same as the Fiat 5000k.

I do wish they were required to provide actual test results including Kelvins, CRI and R9 values and not just a general grouping.

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Comments (8)

thinkof129
2 months ago
I was sitting at my island while reading your post. I installed some Philips Ultra Definition bulbs in the pendants last week. I thought the light looked different, but was unsure why. You mentioned uneven lighting, I looked up at the bulb and went "hmmm".

Photography is not the best, but I think it answers both of our questions.

Incandescent on left. Philips on right. Notice how filaments follow shape of the bulb on left. Elements on right bulb throw light out to sides.

At least you can see what's going on with clear bulbs. Might be tough with frosted bulbs. The BR bulb shape might have a different orientation for the elements.

Holy mackerel! As if lumens, color temperature and CRI weren't enough!
PRO
BeverlyFLADeziner
2 months ago
Here is an image that illustrates the color of the light.
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Jennifer Hogan
Original Author
2 months ago
@BeverlyFLADeziner, I have shared the same picture many times snd have tested a lot of light bulbs. Looking at the pictures I shared do you think the all look alike except one. 5 of the 6 are 5000k and one is 2700k.
PRO
BeverlyFLADeziner
2 months ago
Some times the color appearance only shows up when the light shines upon a surface like a wall or furnishings. One thing I notice is when entering a room that has lamps or light fixtures with very cool temp bulbs the affect throws the room appearance off immediately especially when someone select cool bulbs for candle chandeliers. It's very noticeable.

Maybe this is a better illustration. A range of color is good in a room. Not too warm and not too cool.
thinkof129
last month
That is weird. I have Feit daylights in my workshop. In the house I have 2700's from FEIT, GE and Philips. I have FEIT with switchable color temperature. I can see a difference between 2700 and 5000.

I think most bulbs have the color temperature printed on the bulb. Can you see it on the Sun filled bulb?
Jennifer Hogan
Original Author
last month
Both the box and the bulb say 2700.
thinkof129
last month
The temperature of an energized incandescent filament is about 2700 degrees Kelvin (Kelvin temp is Celsius referred to absolute zero, so Kelvin is Celsius + 273).

I'm guessing that you don't have any 2700 LED bulbs, but you do have incandescent bulbs. If you can rig up something where you can energize an incandescent and the Sunfilled bulb together, you should see a difference. For another test you could get a 2700 bulb from Philips/FEIT and compare to incandescent.

I have seen the two different color temperatures together in the same room. Looks funky.
thinkof129
last month
It's funny how labeling of cool/warm colors has evolved. For example, a blue flame is hotter than an orange flame.