Newly redesigned the Cree LED Bulbs feature improved performance, extended lifespan and flicker-free / buzz-free dimming. The price point is competitive at less than $21 for a 4-pack and comes an industry leading 10 year warranty, the 3rd gen A19 Cree LED bulbs output nice crisp bright natural light.
If you’re looking for an easy DIY home improvement project, there’s none easier than changing out your old incandescent bulbs for energy-efficient LEDs. We have been testing out the Cree 60 Watt LED replacement bulbs for a couple of weeks now and we’re pleasantly impressed with the brightness and warm color it produces.
If anything, they can be a bit bright depending on where you install them. The light intensity and color temperature can be subjective to the viewer and may be slightly bright or harsh to some. If you want something a bit more subdued, we suggest to drop down in color temperature and go with the Cree 40W soft white 2700k’s at $19.97 for a 4-pack.
Specs
On the interior the bulb has been reworked to use 14 LEDs that fire directly upward though the light distribution is classified as omnidirectional. We unfortunately don’t have a meter but the light does seem to disburse evenly. The LEDs are arranged in a circular pattern, 4 on it’s inner circle with 10 more on the outer with a reflector ring that redirects the outer 10 LEDs. The 60W equivalent bulb provides 820 lumens of light using 8.5 watts of power.
The Cree bulb produces a 5000k color temperature with a CRI rating of 85+ that’s similar to daylight. We’re happy with the color temp and brightness of the bulb. The light is significantly brighter than it’s incandescent brother.
Depending on your fixture the Cree bulb can potentially go as low as 1% output according to Cree, felt more like 5% or 10% but your mileage will vary. Who’s dimming a light to 1% anyway. The Cree LED bulbs are designed to last for 25,000 hours of operation; that’s 22 years based on 3 hours of use per day.
Our Experience
The Cree LED bulb outputs (in our opinion) a pretty nice reproduction of bright daylight. Objects appear more vibrant and crisp to us. You should note however that they are NOT recommended to be used inside an enclosed fixture as the base, not the bulb will produce some added heat. Cree has provided the 60W A19 LED replacement bulbs as a courtesy so that we could provide first hand review coverage to our readers.
Our primary test application is in a common bathroom light fixture that aligns 4 bulbs across. Clothing and colors appear natural. The ladies on staff tested out applying their makeup and were pleased. It’s no fun thinking your makeup is all ready then realizing later you look like a clown outside in daylight. They work very well in bedroom table lights with lampshades or even in a desk lamp for the office and any fixture with a directional shroud.
The light translation is instant-on, we only noticed a slight delay on 1 bulb on the initial fire and continues to have a fraction of second delay compared to the other 3. The remaining 3 however do turn on instantly every time.
As we mentioned the dimming percentage can vary dependent on the lighting fixture but we did not notice any flickering at all on the 3rd generation of Cree bulbs. No buzz and/or hum involved either when dimming the lights, a wonderful thing.
Conclusion
If you still have some non-LED bulbs installed around your home or are looking to replace older LEDs, the Cree bulbs provide bright light, a great color temp at 5000k and makes everything appear more crisp and vibrant. The Cree LED bulbs offer excellent bang for buck, saving you energy and come with an industry leading 10 year free replacement warranty/100% Satisfaction Guarantee. ENERGY STAR certified.
Cree LED Bulb 60W 5000K A19 Dimmable (4-Pack) $20.97
www.creebulb.com
