BR30 Led bulbs for recessed fixtures

[Rossymeister]

Hi,

Whats the best quality BR30 Led bulbs that i can buy? Im not too impressed with what lowes has to offer. Back in 2016 i replaced everything with GE Reveal led bulbs. Those felt heavy like they had a substantial heatsink. I got about 4-5 years out of most of those. I have also had good luck with the phillips hue bulbs, but they are kind of expensive. I thought these new led bulbs were supposed to ladt 10 years? Any ideas where or what to look for?

 

[PaladinNO]

For LED-bulbs in general, in my experience you get ~6 years out of them, regardless.
The "10 year lifespan" is practically just marketing BS, as the fine print says it does the 10 year calculation based on only a limited usage per day (6 hours or so).

I am unfamiliar with the BR30 (is this the socket or the shape of the bulb?), but I generally swear by Osram or Philips.

 

[Rossymeister]

Yes, BR30 is just the bulb shape.

The short lifespan is kinda disappointing. Ive had 2-3 go out this year, and when i pulled them out i realized that they've been in use for several years.

Do you have any humming or buzzing issues with your led bulbs?

 

[PaladinNO]

Yes, BR30 is just the bulb shape.

Do you have any humming or buzzing issues with your led bulbs?

I have had humming, buzzing and flickering with cheaper bulbs (E27 socket), but no such issues with my current bulbs (Philips R7s and Osram E14 mini bulb).

I have had the most luck with dimmable bulbs though, even in non-dimmable fixtures. This is just my opinion, but even though LED bulbs are supposed to be inherently resillient to power fluctuations, I imagine dimmable bulbs are even better as they have additional electronics to handle dimming.

Dimmable bulbs are a bit more expensive, but I find them to be worth it if that improves the lifespan. I change my bulbs so rarely, I can never remember where or when I bought any specific bulb (I have considered making a house chart, with bulb replacement dates).