At $15 each, the cost of a Philips LED bulb to replace an ordinary 60-watter is relatively high, compared to an incandescent. But for anyone who's waiting for the price to come down, the time to buy and try is now. Last year the same A19 bulb cost $40. Then it decreased to $25 last fall. Now the bulb is on sale at Home Depot for $15 through March. The 12.5 watt LED bulb (a 60 watt incandescent equivalent) has received, er, glowing reviews online and from Consumer Reports. It's dimmable, has a six year warranty, contains no mercury, and has the soft warm glow of an incandescent. It's expected to last 22 years (assuming 3 hours usage each day) and use 80 percent less energy than an incandescent. I've used one for over a year without any issues.


It's not a perfect replacement yet. It has a one second delay when first lit, but it reaches maximum brightness immediately. According to the package instructions, it should not be used in enclosed fixtures indoors or outside, photocells or timers. Finally, it's not much of a looker, so it's best when hidden by a shade. A 40-watt equivalent is $22 and the new 75-watt equivalent is $40 in Home Depot stores. The bulbs can also be ordered at Homedepot.com. The 60-watt equivalent is model number 409904 on the site.


So why did Home Depot lower its price? Most likely, it was competition. At the Consumer Electronics Show last week Lighting Science Group announced a similar bulb for slightly less than $15 that's expected to last even longer. As far as I can tell, it's not available yet. I saw several bulbs from the company online but none that were 60 watt equivalents and priced under $15.

Has anyone else tried to Lighting Science Group bulbs or the Philips?