Two Philips 60W LED bulbs for $4.97 (Starting May 1st - July 30th at Home Depot)

These days, you'll find plenty of strong options that cost $10 or less, but Philips is pushing things a step further, with a new 60W equivalent LED that'll retail for less than $5.
At that price, Philips' new bulb is already the least expensive big-brand LED we've seen, but to further sweeten the deal, the Dutch manufacturer is offering two bulbs for the price of one at Home Depot for the first ninety days of its shelf life.

The new 60W equivalent draws 8.5 watts and puts out a stated 800 lumens, putting it right on par with other, comparable LEDs in terms of brightness, and making it slightly more efficient than many of its competitors. Philips rates the bulb with a 10-year lifespan.

http://www.cnet.com/products/philips-60w-equivalent-led-bulb-9290011350/

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Philips-...0K-A19-LED-Light-Bulb-2-Pack-455576/205815532

I noticed on the Homedepot sales page. The box indicted it is Non-Dimmable.
Though for roughly $2.50 each. I am sure it will be popular where a dimmer is not involved.

Awesome CRI and color quality I bet. But heck I might as well try them at that price.

Thanks for the heads up!

2700K and non-dimmable. Pass.
Well at least they provide more than 180 degree light distribution.

only 1/2 the rated life of the better bulbs,and a measly 3 year warranty.......no thanks.Leave this for those who confuse low upfront price with true cost to own.

These are in stores now. I picked up a 2 pack out of curiosity. Yeah, lousy lifetime rating, 2700k, non-dimmable and not for totally enclosed fixtures. The lamp uses a lightweight plastic globe that is slightly squashed-looking (slightly oval shaped), probably for better light distribution.

The base feels hollow. I don't think there's any potting material in it.

Just tried the solar-cell-to-headphones test and I picked up a LOT of hum compared to other bulbs, so it looks like they've cut back on filtering. I expected this for a low priced bulb but it's still disappointing, especially for Philips.

Here's the thermal performance -

Philips_9290011350_1min

Philips_9290011350_15mins

The base of the lamp leveled off at 147 F after 15 minutes. Considering that the package states that the operating environment for this bulb should be kept between -4 F and +113 F, it's clear why it can't be operated in a fully enclosed fixture.

I generally like the Philips product line, but it looks like I'll be sticking with their earlier, higher priced LED bulbs with better performance specs.

PhotonWrangler said:

I generally like the Philips product line, but it looks like I'll be sticking with their earlier, higher priced LED bulbs with better performance specs.

Click to expand...

Yes, thanks for the review. Sometimes it takes some proof to remind me when I start to forget the "you get what you pay for" saying.

Still not feeling bad about spending $12/ea on Cree TW bulbs

markr6 said:

Yes, thanks for the review. Sometimes it takes some proof to remind me when I start to forget the "you get what you pay for" saying.

Still not feeling bad about spending $12/ea on Cree TW bulbs

Click to expand...

I noticed that the prices have been drastically cut on the original Cree 40W and 60W bulbs, like they're being cleared out. This is HD pricing, not utility-subsidized cutting.

I think Cree sees the writing on the wall for a $13 40/60W, and is going to readjust the pricing on the 75/100 bulbs to better compete in the higher-priced segment, leaving the 4Flow to duke it out with the rest.

A 147F case temperature doesn't really mean much. The important thing is the temperature of the components, relative to their rating. Actually 147F might be really good.

And remember - warranty term is not really related to real-world lifetime. Further, I'm about 99% sure I'll be replacing my LED lamps in less than 3 years anyway because I have great hopes the newer lamps will be better. IOW, they're likely to be obsolete before they fail.

Not really defending these lamps - I haven't seen one yet, but let's apply the proper science...

The 147 F reading might be deceptive because of the apparent lack of potting material in the base. Since there probably isn't a good thermal path from the components to the envelope of the base, some of that heat probably gets radiated upwards into the LED plate and the globe above it. The second image does show the globe warming up significantly.

I do like the slightly oval shaped globe. It probably distributes the light more evenly than a round globe, and it's a novelty to look at.

I purchased four of these bulbs recently for 2 for $5. Efficiency is decent and color isn't bad. My brother complained about a couple of them humming which can get annoying long term. A 10 year life at 3 hours per day isn't that much better than a florescent bulb. However, they are low cost so will still pay for themselves in how much you save on electricity. I went back to Home Depot yesterday and found the Cree 60 and 40 watt l.e.d. bulbs at $5 each (the older style 2700K and 5000K bulbs, not including the True White or 4Flow bulbs). I think the Cree bulbs are a better investment at that price.

I was over at HD yesterday, and noticed several A19 60w equiv under $5. One that is new to the scene for HD is TCP. They also had dimmable TCP BR30s for $8.88.

One other product that piqued my interest was the TW version of what I thought was the CR6. What caught my eye is that it has a pigtail with the Edison screw plug at the end, rather than being integrated into a single housing. Much shallower so would work in more cans, 90+ CRI, and the usual 625 lumens @ 2700K. Only $14.97. Looking at Crees web site, it turns out this is part of a new "DR" series and is called a DR6.

TheIntruder said:

I noticed that the prices have been drastically cut on the original Cree 40W and 60W bulbs, like they're being cleared out. This is HD pricing, not utility-subsidized cutting.

I think Cree sees the writing on the wall for a $13 40/60W, and is going to readjust the pricing on the 75/100 bulbs to better compete in the higher-priced segment, leaving the 4Flow to duke it out with the rest.

Click to expand...

My local Home Depots have the original Cree 40W & 60W equivalent bulbs yellow tagged for sale at $4.90 a pop. This is in California, so your experiences may vary.

I talked to one of the employees who was working in the lighting section, and he said that the yellow tags indicate that Home Depot is clearing out the remaining inventory for that item. With the huge price cut, and the fact that Cree seems to be pushing forward their 4Flow bulbs (based upon the huge advertising display for them in the store), I think the original is going bye-bye.

Also of note: the TW bulbs are now selling for $6.97 a piece, and they're still white tagged. I don't have any idea if they'll continue to be sold, or if the current price is just temporary.

The beam angle is not mentioned. This makes is common to expect only 140-150 ° beam angle as usual at the LED lamps from Philips. Not far enough to replace a 60W bulb equivalent in all situations.

Patagonicus said:

My local Home Depots have the original Cree 40W & 60W equivalent bulbs yellow tagged for sale at $4.90 a pop. This is in California, so your experiences may vary.

I talked to one of the employees who was working in the lighting section, and he said that the yellow tags indicate that Home Depot is clearing out the remaining inventory for that item. With the huge price cut, and the fact that Cree seems to be pushing forward their 4Flow bulbs (based upon the huge advertising display for them in the store), I think the original is going bye-bye.

Also of note: the TW bulbs are now selling for $6.97 a piece, and they're still white tagged. I don't have any idea if they'll continue to be sold, or if the current price is just temporary.

Click to expand...

Wow, so maybe BOTH Cree bulbs (TW and standard) are on their way out? That's too bad.

My local Home Depot clearanced out the TW bulbs awhile back, maybe 6 months. They were marked down to something crazy like $3.60. For the TWs!!! I picked up three 40w and that was it. Unfortunatley, they are the only decent LED I've tried so far.

At this point, I've purchsed so many different kinds to compare that I'm well beyond ever breaking even regarding bulb cost vs. electric bill. Now it's just an obsession.

Lots of suckers out there taking the marketing bait.

"Looks like a regular bulb" Who cares!! They're behind a shade or diffuser most of the time!

"Lighter" Who cares!?!? I'm sure my floor won't cave into the basement because I added 30 grams to the lamp!

Patagonicus said:

My local Home Depots have the original Cree 40W & 60W equivalent bulbs yellow tagged for sale at $4.90 a pop. This is in California, so your experiences may vary.

I talked to one of the employees who was working in the lighting section, and he said that the yellow tags indicate that Home Depot is clearing out the remaining inventory for that item. With the huge price cut, and the fact that Cree seems to be pushing forward their 4Flow bulbs (based upon the huge advertising display for them in the store), I think the original is going bye-bye.

Also of note: the TW bulbs are now selling for $6.97 a piece, and they're still white tagged. I don't have any idea if they'll continue to be sold, or if the current price is just temporary.

Click to expand...

Same here. The 40/60W are going for $4.90 each, yellow tag clearance. The multi-packs are also on sale, but I don't recall the pricing.

Interestingly, the 60W TW bulbs are $3.97, but not yellow tagged. They're white tag with "New Lower Price" so I suspect they'll be sticking around a little while longer...or perhaps until a cheap TW bulb arrives, if Cree decides to replace them.

My store also has the cheapo Philips 2-pack, but they not in the lighting section. They're in one of the aisle displays.

Functional, and cheap, like most consumers desire, but they felt that way too, with a plastic dome and featherweight feel. I grabbed a couple of the closeout Crees instead.

I also picked up 2 of these Philips bulbs today. They're both currently running in separate lamps, where I can hear both of them humming significantly. They're just about as bad in that regard as some old dollar store CFLs I still have lying around.

I'll probably be returning them. Even at this price, I think I'm too sensitive to the noise to make it worth my while.

Too bad they sell this junk and people don't care more about quality.

People will spend $4/drink at Starbucks, everyday, but won't pay $15 for a good quality bulb with great color quality. A bulb which will be the sole source of light in their home for 4, 6 or even 12 hours every day. I guess I think differently. I think about the investment I made in the home; the paint color that took forever to decide on, the furniture which wasn't cheap, the time it took to find the right color carpet, the food you prepare and enjoy every night, the smile on my son's face when I make him laugh. I'll pay an extra $8 for a high CRI bulb to see these things under a higher quality of light. That's about $.002 per day, or 6 CENTS per month. I guarantee I won't miss that $8 after 10 years. Heck, it may last twice as long. Or half...still doesn't matter.

markr6 said:

Too bad they sell this junk and people don't care more about quality.
I guess I think differently. I think about the investment I made in the home; the paint color that took forever to decide on, the furniture which wasn't cheap, the time it took to find the right color carpet, the food you prepare and enjoy every night, the smile on my son's face when I make him laugh.

Click to expand...

So true!

As flashaholics, I guess it logically follows that we would collectively care more about quality over quantity than the general public does when it comes to indoor lighting. For myself personally, the ever present humming from these bulbs is more of a deal breaker than anything else. I can't stand trying to read or watch TV in an otherwise quiet room that's being disturbed by mosquito-esque lamps!