Best LED lightbulbs

The incandescent bulb's days are numbered. The bulb wastes a lot of energy to create light. The typical 60-watt bulb costs more than three times as much per year to run as a similar LED bulb. As of Jan. 1, most incandescents will have been phased out.

If sticker shock has kept you from buying LEDs, your procrastination has paid off. Store shelves are filling with less expensive LEDs from such brands as Cree, EcoSmart, Great Value (Walmart), Philips, and Sylvania. Because the market is changing so rapidly, we decided to report on our preliminary results of some of the newest and least expensive LEDs.

We've grouped them by the fixture you'd use them in to make shopping easier. All of the newer, cheaper bulbs were as bright as or brighter than claimed, and the light color matched what was claimed. We've also included fully tested LEDs that impressed us.

But watch out, there are still expensive bulbs being offered, such as the two Switch LEDs we're testing that cost $50 and $65. There are better, less expensive options.

No matter which bulb you buy, there are two things to keep in mind. This information is easy to find on the Lighting Fact label on the package:

Lumens indicate brightness. That's true whether it's an incandescent, a CFL, or an LED. So if you're replacing a 60-watt lightbulb, look for an LED with at least 800 lumens. When swapping out 75-watt bulbs, you'll want 1,100 lumens or more. Get a minimum of 1,600 to replace a 100-watt bulb.

The Kelvin number is crucial. The light color of a bulb affects how you perceive the color of your walls, furniture, and even food. It's measured on a temperature scale called Kelvin (K). If you like the warm light of an incandescent, look for bulbs marked 2700K or so. If you prefer the white light of a halogen bulb, look for 3000K. Bright white, in the 3500 to 4100K range, provides a higher contrast and is good for detailed-oriented tasks or when working in the kitchen. At 5000 to 6500K, the light is bluish white. That can be good for reading but unflattering to skin tones and colors of other objects indoors.

Energy Star-qualified LEDs are warrantied to last at least three years, so keep the receipt. But using a bulb in a fixture it's not designed for can shorten its life. Be sure to check the package.

First looks

For white light similar to a halogen bulb, look at Home Depot's dimmable EcoSmart 12-Watt (60W) A19 Bright White 183210, $20, a 60-watt replacement. Like warm light? At $10, Walmart's Great Value Soft White LED is the least expensive of those we tested and gives off a warm yellow light similar to an incandescent. So does the $13 Cree 9.5-Watt (60W) Warm White and the $14 Philip's 11W 60W Soft White 424382. For light that's warm but brighter and is meant to replace 75-watt bulbs, there's the EcoSmart 14-Watt (75W) Soft White 726558, $35 at Home Depot, and the $30 Philips 15-Watt (75W) A21 Soft White Dimmable. Even brighter is the Philips A21 19W 100W Soft White 432195, $30, and the $40 Sylvania Ultra-LED 100W LED20A21/DIM/0/827, which replace 100-watt bulbs. All are dimmable, though a nondimmable version of the Walmart bulb is available for $9.

Fully tested

Among 60-watt replacements, the top-rated Samsung 60-Watt Warm White LED, $30, provides a bright, warm yellow light, and the $20 Utilitech 13.5 60-W Warm White LED from Lowe's casts a bright, white light. The Sylvania 14W 75W LED Dimmable, $35, is brighter and replaces a 75-watt bulb. It offers a warm yellow light. All three LEDs cast light evenly in all directions and can be used outdoors if they're not exposed to moisture.

First looks

Again, Walmart's Great Value Soft White BR30 is the least expensive, at $16. It's bright and dimmable, and casts a warm, yellow light. Also consider the Cree 9.5-Watt (65W) Soft White BR30 Dimmable LED Flood, $21, and the $20 Utilitech 13-Watt (75W) BR30 Soft White Outdoor Flood from Lowe's. Both can be used indoors or out and with some electronic timers, photocells, and motion sensors.

Fully tested

Replacing a 65-watt bulb and casting warm yellow light, the Feit Electric BR30 Dimmable LED, $18, is very impressive. Though it's not as bright, the EcoSmart 6-in. 9-5 Watt 65W LED Downlight ECO 575L from Home Depot, $25, is claimed to last even longer, up to 35,000 hours. It fits in a 6-inch can, and installation takes more than just screwing it in, but colors appear more accurately under its light.

First looks

The Walmart Great Value PAR 38, $25, MaxLite 20Watt PAR38 100W, $40, and Philips 19.5Watt (120W) PAR38 Bright White LED Floodlight, $40, offer bright, white light. The MaxLite can be used with some electronic timers, photocells, and motion sensors.

Fully tested

The TCP 17W PAR38 Flood LED, $40, (shown) is claimed to last about 46 years when used 3 hours a day. It casts a white light and works with some electronic timers, photocells, and motion sensors.