“I posted in the other thread a few days back. The Cree LED bulbs sent at home Depot for $12 a bulb are fantastic. They match the color of incandescents, last longer, are instant on, dimmable and will save some on energy costs.”
First the disclaimer: I prefer freedom of choice and have stockpiled a lifetime supply of 100 watt incandescents, just in case I don’t like where the new tech is headed.
Home Depot now sells a new Phillips 11 watt bulb for $15 that I like better than the Crees. It is mellow and more pleasing to the eye. It has more even light distribution around the top and sides, does not flicker and will not burn your eyes as badly to stare at it. Someone on YouTube has done extensive and very scientific comparisons of various LED bulbs, including tear-down examinations of the innards. From all of that, and my personal experience, I conclude the new Phillips is currently the best. I only wish they had a “100 watt” version. My main concern is how long the expensive things will actually last. The power modules may fail sooner than the LED chips themselves.
That's already a fact: http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/powersource/4311940/Capacitor-selection-helps-achieve-long-lifetimes-for-LED-lights
You can bet your stockpile of incandescents that the Chinese will figure out a way to shave costs that also make the electronics fail sooner.