Topic: LED lights?

[Brush Wolf]

Can you rely on the equivalent wattage rating on these or is it like the compact fluorescent bulbs where you need to use the next size up to get the same light? Thanks. 

[Lieutenant_Q]

Most light bulb manufacturers will put the lumens value of a light bulb on the packaging.  That is what you are looking for in terms of brightness.  I use LEDs throughout my apartment (except the kitchen where I still have a fluorescent)  The bulbs I have at 13.5 Watts but they are all 800 Lumens, and I didn't notice the difference when I replaced the 60 W light bulbs that were in the fixtures.

[Brush Wolf]

I am old school and was thinking in watts. It looks like the equivalence is more accurate on the LEDs. I will have to compare lumens though.

[Javora]

The LED lights that I have bought so far appear to be as bright as a 40 watt incandescent bulb regardless of the lumen value on the package.  Until they make brighter in house LED lights, I would suggest using CFL bulbs.  Just remember that CFL bulbs do not work well in cold weather.  Hope this helps.

[Panzergranate]

This is a common urban falacy....

Wattage does not relate to how bright a bulb is. That's like equating a motor vehicle speeds to its fuel consumption.... the higher consumption of fuel would apparently mean more speed.... In such a world motorcycles, with their lower fuel consumption, would not be the fastest vehicles of the road.

Bulb brightness is rated in Candlepower and some bulbs quote this. It is possible for a lower Wattage bulb to produce more light than a higher Wattage bulb.... the lower Wattage bulb would be more efficient in this case.

Frequency of the light produced also make a difference as the Human eye favours a precise frequency band in the visible light spectrum.

LED bulbs tend to produce an artificial moonlight level of light frequencies which a lot of people find very annoying especially to work or read under.

Forget the Wattage reading as this relates to the efficiency of power consumption and look for the brightness rating which will be either in Candlepower / Candella or Lumins.

[Brush Wolf]

Panzer, thinking in watts did work in the past before halogen bulbs came around. I have found the lumen rating that is always on a package of light bulbs unlike candlepower is unreliable.

[Panzergranate]

Watts (power consumption) only works if comparing Tungsten filament light bulbs with like. However even this is flawed.

Back in the early 1980's motorcycle magazines in the UK ran a lobby for the light value of automotive bulbs to be printed on the packaging.

For example a 25 Watt conventional Tran-Am filament bulb was slightly and noticeably brighter than a 35 Watt Lucas or Bosch filament bulb.

Certain brands of filament bulbs were always known to be better, light wise, than others. Even today some brands of halogen and LED bulbs are brighter than others for the same power input.

A 1,000 Watt electric fire heating element gives off enough brightness to dimly light a small room, but not much.

The old pre-metric brightness rating, if any, was in Candella (Candlepower).

At the end of the day its about lighting a home without being robbed blind by the power companies.