LEDs emerge to fight fluorescents

[sweeps]

An article about the rise of LED light bulbs as a good replacement for not just incandescent bulbs but fluorescent bulbs as well

Article

[tinapbeana]

i did some research on these after mythbusters tested them (woohoo!!), they are really intriguing. hey, any lightbulb that could last 10 years is intriguing in my book.... the downside is that they are still VERY expensive right now.

[Broken Arrow]

LEDs are awesome. All my flashlights, both tactical and otherwise, are now on LEDs. But for everyday use, I agree that they are still too expensive right now.

Oh yeah. Where's Price and his LED endorsement?

[tinapbeana]

hehehe! we use LED headlamps when we camp and know what we found out? spider eyes glow under certain LEDs, and nothing is creepier than hoofing it 1000 yards to an outhouse at night and seeing yourself surrounded by glowing spider eyes!!!

[Broken Arrow]

Sweeet. Let's go campin'!

[carsensejoe]

Disadvantages of using LEDs
LEDs are currently more expensive, price per lumen, on an initial capital cost basis, than more conventional lighting technologies. The additional expense partially stems from the relatively low lumen output and the drive circuitry and power supplies needed. However, when considering the total cost of ownership (including energy and maintenance costs), LEDs far surpass incandescent or halogen sources and begin to threaten compact fluorescent lamps.
LED performance largely depends on the ambient temperature of the operating environment. "Driving" a LED "hard" in high ambient temperatures may result in overheating of the LED package, eventually leading to device failure. Adequate heat-sinking is required to maintain long life. This is especially important when considering automotive, medical, and military applications where the device must operate over a large range of temperatures, and are required to have a low failure rate.
LEDs must be supplied with the correct current. This can involve shunt resistors or regulated power supplies [8].
LEDs typically cast light in one direction at a narrow angle compared to an incandescent or fluorescent lamp of the same lumen level.
The spectrum of some white LEDs differs significantly from a black-body radiator, such as the sun or an incandescent light. The spike at 460nm and dip at 500nm can cause the color of objects to be perceived differently under LED illumination than other light sources.
LEDs cannot be used in applications that need a sharply directive and collimated beam of light. LEDs are not capable of providing directivity below a few degrees. In such cases LASERs (or LED lasers) may be a better option.

[msnln]

I bought few LED lights last year to try our in our house and technology still has some catching up to do before they can be adopted for day to day use. As carsensejoe had mentioned, the lights produced are like laser (or spotlight) and in our recessed lighting fixture, we only get lights right below the bulbs. Lights do not disperse and as result, rest of the room is still dark. We had to mix LEDs with CFLs to get enough brighness. Another problem is that lights given off are very harsh and cold. People complain about harsh output of some CFLs. We have had CFLs for past 12 years and even earlier generation of CFLs were better than LED light output in terms of warmth. Also, at $50 a piece, they are very expensive, regardless of how long they are supposed to last.