Just a mild rant... moving and replacing all lights

[N8N]

Do some people just not pay attention to the way the lighting around them looks?

In a weird situation, my landlady decided that she wanted to move into the house I was renting, but since the house she was moving out of was only 9 miles from my office, we're essentially swapping and I get a way shorter commute. OK, that is cool. BUT. I made some offhand comment about going to the store to buy light bulbs so I could go through and make sure all the lights were working and she assured me that she had plenty (she has several other rental and/or fixer upper places). She showed me two huge boxes full of random spiral CFLs and a few LEDs in a whole random range of color temperatures.

So far I've bought two boxes of the new Feit "60W" LEDs from Costco (all set on 2700K for now) and ordered some round frosted "40W" 2700K G25 for the upstairs bathroom. And replaced two globes that were broken off the stairwell light fixtures. Total investment probably <$100 but I figure it is something I need to do now, because the sooner I do it, the sooner I enjoy a proper-looking, uniform color temp when I flip the switch.

Yesterday I had occasion to use the basement bathroom which isn't really "my" space but currently has no tenant. You guessed it, it's a four bulb fixture and has three "daylight" spiral CFLs in it. Why? WHY??? Simply by using the right lighting you can NOT make the bathroom look like a janitor's closet in a dental school but I guess that didn't happen. (you may not agree with me, but I'm a big proponent of 2700K-3000K everywhere except for kitchens, workrooms, etc. I grew up with incandescent lighting and I doubt I'm going to change my opinion.)

I have a feeling I'm going to have to buy some more G25s to donate to the cause. The only thing I'm not sure about is if four "40W" globes will be too bright for that small bathroom or not or if "25W" would be more appropriate. (upstairs bathroom is huge, it has five "40W" globes above the sink, and one "60W" fixture in the middle of the ceiling.) I guess I will have to experiment, it'd be way easier if I didn't have to order them but could actually find them in stores... I guess the easy way is to put the regular bulbs in there one by one until the light level looks about right and then see how many lumens per bulb for four bulbs I'd need to achieve that level.

We've come so far in the past 10-15 years with LED lighting, these are great times, and yet people aren't using them but recycling old low-CRI, inappropriate color temp spiral CFLs... I worry she's shooting herself in the foot staging places that she wants to sell or rent by using such poor lighting choices. Don't really know how to bring that up politely though.

I should note that I live in Maryland, so the cost of LED bulbs appears to be subsidized as it's relatively cheap. I remember BITD driving to MD to buy "L-Prize" bulbs even though I was living in VA at the time. Sadly my ex has all but one unopened package as she somehow talked me out of my bedroom torchiere and side table light when we split up and I wasn't thinking right at the time (they had cool mica shades too, stupid stupid)

 

[Monocrom]

Certain things best left unsaid.
If your landlady thinks they're good enough, let it be.

 

[hamhanded]

I can sort of understand not caring about color temperature. Sort of.

I will never understand being ok with wildly unmatched bulb colors in the same fixture.

 

[cave dave]

I will never understand being ok with wildly unmatched bulb colors in the same fixture.

Seems to be popular with Hanklights, it lowers the DUV!

 

[troutpool]

I've used Feit 3000K LEDs for many years. My favorite bulbs.

 

[N8N]

I've used Feit 3000K LEDs for many years. My favorite bulbs.

Years ago I had the impression that Feit was a cheap *** Chinese brand but over time I've had better luck with them than Cree, Philips, etc. Best dimming performance I've experienced although to be fair I haven't tried any of the ones that supposedly look warmer as they dim, I'm just evaluating on lowest light output and noise level

 

[desert.snake]

Do some people just not pay attention to the way the lighting around them looks?

In a weird situation, my landlady decided that she wanted to move into the house I was renting, but since the house she was moving out of was only 9 miles from my office, we're essentially swapping and I get a way shorter commute. OK, that is cool. BUT. I made some offhand comment about going to the store to buy light bulbs so I could go through and make sure all the lights were working and she assured me that she had plenty (she has several other rental and/or fixer upper places). She showed me two huge boxes full of random spiral CFLs and a few LEDs in a whole random range of color temperatures.

So far I've bought two boxes of the new Feit "60W" LEDs from Costco (all set on 2700K for now) and ordered some round frosted "40W" 2700K G25 for the upstairs bathroom. And replaced two globes that were broken off the stairwell light fixtures. Total investment probably <$100 but I figure it is something I need to do now, because the sooner I do it, the sooner I enjoy a proper-looking, uniform color temp when I flip the switch.

Yesterday I had occasion to use the basement bathroom which isn't really "my" space but currently has no tenant. You guessed it, it's a four bulb fixture and has three "daylight" spiral CFLs in it. Why? WHY??? Simply by using the right lighting you can NOT make the bathroom look like a janitor's closet in a dental school but I guess that didn't happen. (you may not agree with me, but I'm a big proponent of 2700K-3000K everywhere except for kitchens, workrooms, etc. I grew up with incandescent lighting and I doubt I'm going to change my opinion.)

I have a feeling I'm going to have to buy some more G25s to donate to the cause. The only thing I'm not sure about is if four "40W" globes will be too bright for that small bathroom or not or if "25W" would be more appropriate. (upstairs bathroom is huge, it has five "40W" globes above the sink, and one "60W" fixture in the middle of the ceiling.) I guess I will have to experiment, it'd be way easier if I didn't have to order them but could actually find them in stores... I guess the easy way is to put the regular bulbs in there one by one until the light level looks about right and then see how many lumens per bulb for four bulbs I'd need to achieve that level.

We've come so far in the past 10-15 years with LED lighting, these are great times, and yet people aren't using them but recycling old low-CRI, inappropriate color temp spiral CFLs... I worry she's shooting herself in the foot staging places that she wants to sell or rent by using such poor lighting choices. Don't really know how to bring that up politely though.

I should note that I live in Maryland, so the cost of LED bulbs appears to be subsidized as it's relatively cheap. I remember BITD driving to MD to buy "L-Prize" bulbs even though I was living in VA at the time. Sadly my ex has all but one unopened package as she somehow talked me out of my bedroom torchiere and side table light when we split up and I wasn't thinking right at the time (they had cool mica shades too, stupid stupid)

Yes, it is better not to say such trifles to people with unknown reactions. Just replace them quietly, don't throw out the old light bulbs just yet, put them aside in case she has questions

 

[KITROBASKIN]

Fluorescent bulbs still working? What to do with them?

 

[N8N]

Yes, it is better not to say such trifles to people with unknown reactions. Just replace them quietly, don't throw out the old light bulbs just yet, put them aside in case she has questions

That's what I'm doing. I'm on her good side because I already fixed the dishwasher and am just about to dive into the washing machine; however, I am not going to give her receipts for the bulbs and just eat the cost because only a handful of lights were not working when I moved in and this is more because I just cannot stand "daylight" CFLs all over the place. But it was one of the first tasks I did when I moved in because the sooner I'm not living in a low-CRI, institutional looking world, the more homey the place feels. Last thing I need is to have my home feel like the Oregon State Hospital... Everything I removed is in a box that I'm going to put in her bulb box.

Fluorescent bulbs still working? What to do with them?

See above - I'm going to leave them for her to use or not as she wishes. I just can't imagine a tenant with a light out asking for a bulb, getting one of these, and being happy though...

 

[JoakimFlorence]

Yesterday I had occasion to use the basement bathroom which isn't really "my" space but currently has no tenant. You guessed it, it's a four bulb fixture and has three "daylight" spiral CFLs in it. Why? WHY??? Simply by using the right lighting you can NOT make the bathroom look like a janitor's closet in a dental school but I guess that didn't happen. (you may not agree with me, but I'm a big proponent of 2700K-3000K everywhere except for kitchens, workrooms, etc. I grew up with incandescent lighting and I doubt I'm going to change my opinion.)

To be fair, bathrooms and kitchens often benefit from lighting with a color temperature higher than 2700K, like 3000K or 3500K.

I think one of the "problems" with LED bulbs is the two "main" color temperatures options that are available are 2700K and 5000K. Both are kind of extreme. And very oftentimes you cannot find the other color temperature versions sold in the store.
Some people probably just go with 5000K, because it seems like the only other option from 2700K, which is far too orangish.

What I think you have to remember is those incandescent bulbs that people used to have (in the late 1990s) were not actually like "2700K" but rather actually closer to around 2800 or 2900K. And in this low color temperature range, going from 2700 to 2900K has a very significant difference.
In addition to that, 2700K incandescent looks a lot less bizarre eerie orangish tinted than a 2700K LED light in 80 CRI. When going with 2700K, it's especially important to try to go with higher CRI for appearance. There are many people who have not seen light from an incandescent in years, so they have just come to the subconscious assumption that 2700K looks awful. That's why they are going with 5000K, because it's the only other "easy" alternative option, at least within their limited field of view.

So far I've bought two boxes of the new Feit "60W" LEDs from Costco (all set on 2700K for now)

Feit does also make a 3000K option. They can be harder to find, and many stores do not carry them.
I'd estimate the CRI to maybe be between 90 to 90.5

Not quite as high as the Cree bulbs (93 CRI, now discontinued), but still not bad.

I have read reports that those Feit bulbs have a reputation for not lasting as long as claimed, with maybe half burning out before they are supposed to, after maybe 14 months. But other than that, they are an acceptably good choice.

 

[JoakimFlorence]

I remember BITD driving to MD to buy "L-Prize" bulbs even though I was living in VA at the time. Sadly my ex has all but one unopened package as she somehow talked me out of my bedroom torchiere and side table light when we split up and I wasn't thinking right at the time (they had cool mica shades too, stupid stupid)

If I were you, I would contact your ex and see if you can't get the LED bulbs back. I have a feeling they have much more meaningful value to you than to her. Just offer to give her replacement bulbs. She probably finds the outer appearance of the L-Prize bulbs odd and may even prefer white looking ones.

Maybe just buy her dimmable frosted Ecosmart filament bulbs as a replacement. (They're also not bad, seem to be around maybe 91.5 CRI )

 

[KITROBASKIN]

With a multiple light fixture, one can combine the different color temperature bulbs to suit one's preference? That's what we did in the bathroom and kitchen.

 

[JoakimFlorence]

With a multiple light fixture, one can combine the different color temperature bulbs to suit one's preference? That's what we did in the bathroom and kitchen.

In my experience, that usually does not end up working out too well. For one thing, the light often does not evenly mix the best, with more bluish light being sent out one way, and more orangish light being sent the other way. And then the view of the light coming from the fixture doesn't look the best. When the light is all one color temperature, the eyes eventually adjust and the light seems "white". But when you have a 2700K and 5000K side by side, one just looks "orange" and the other just looks very "blue" in tint, and it just doesn't look right, it's a mismatch.

If you're going to combine two different color temperatures into the same lamp fixture, it's better if the two are closer to each other in color temperature. Like 2700K and 3000K, or 3000K and 3500K. Or even 3000K and 5000K is better than 2700K and 5000K.
(4000K and 5000K can also be easily mixed)

Another moderate problem is that mixing 2700K and 5000K light (even if mixed evenly) does not simply result in a color temperature in between. When you mix very low and high correlated color temperature light, the resulting light tends to have a little bit of a noticeably off magenta tint.
(The thing is, as you increase color temperature, blue increases at a mildly greater percentage rate than green. If you look at color coordinate graph, correlated color temperature is more of a curve than a linear relationship, and the curvature is much greater the greater the distance in between two color temperature points)