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Over the past year or so, we've been gradually replacing all the lighting in our home and outdoors with LED lighting. Except for a couple of fluorescents in the laundry room, we're just about there. At first, I didn't expect to like it, but I do like it. It just seems to have greater brilliance and clarity.

Plus the added advantage of less RFI than conventional lighting.

I changed out some shop lights for the Menards LED shoplights, they are kicking out so much RFI on FM freqs that I had to move my antenna to the far end of the building and go to RG-6 coax.

I got my shop lights at Harbor Freight, while I was in Florida. They're excellent. Completely noise free.

The bluish light is actually WORSE for the eyes. The BLUE light from bluish LEDs and CFLs is much greater than for incandescent lights. It has to do with the spectrum of light. Incandescent light has a color temperature of 2700-2800 Kelvin. The higher the color temperature, the bluer the light. The newer LED lights have a color temperature of 2700 K.

Greater blue light intensity is associated with skin cancer, macular degeneration, and cataracts. If you get LEDs, get the 2700 K color temperature. People look better in 2700 K light than high color temperature. That's why they have them in bars now. People look gaunt in bluer light.

They're now available in varying degrees of warmth.

I got a ceiling light fixture from Lowe's for up above my bar. It has a remote control that permits adjustment of the brightness and the warmth.

CK-722 wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 08, 2019 3:41 pm

If you get LEDs, get the 2700 K color temperature. People look better in 2700 K light than high color temperature. That's why they have them in bars now. People look gaunt in bluer light.

Also be sure to get bulbs with a color rendering index (CRI) of 90 or greater. If the spec isn't published anywhere on the package, then it is probably only rated at 80. On Amazon I've actually found some bulbs that claim to have a CRI of 98 and at 2700k color temperature - if that spec is accurate then that is almost a perfect incandescent replacement.

I have to confess - I have 5000K ("daylight") LED bulbs in multiple rooms in the house. They emit less heat than yellow LED and incandescent bulbs, and as such, I like to use them during warm weather months.

LED bulbs do emit bright light and it seems at times their incandescent equivalent wattage is underrated. If that's an issue for anyone, then I suggest picking up the 40 watt equivalent LED bulbs instead of the 60 or 65 watt equivalent bulbs. (Admittedly, the 60 to 65 watt bulbs seem to get a much higher percentage of shelf space at bricks and mortar retailers.)

The one room where I have the 5000K daylight LED bulbs and don't care for the resulting ambiance is my bathroom.

The visual clarity that type of lighting renders when looking in the mirror reminds me of close-ups on ultra high definition TV; every tiny visual imperfection is super visible! The only reason I inserted those bulbs in my bathroom vanity lights is because one of the old bulbs burnt out, and the daylight LEDs were the only bulbs I had on hand in the house.

CK-722 wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 08, 2019 3:41 pm

The bluish light is actually WORSE for the eyes. The BLUE light from bluish LEDs and CFLs is much greater than for incandescent lights. It has to do with the spectrum of light. Incandescent light has a color temperature of 2700-2800 Kelvin. The higher the color temperature, the bluer the light. The newer LED lights have a color temperature of 2700 K.

Greater blue light intensity is associated with skin cancer, macular degeneration, and cataracts. If you get LEDs, get the 2700 K color temperature. People look better in 2700 K light than high color temperature. That's why they have them in bars now. People look gaunt in bluer light.

Yup. I've been using Cree Soft White's for years. 2700K and virtually indistinguishable from incandescents.

It's been a revolution in lighting. Only a few years ago, LED lighting was viewed by many as a conspiracy by tree hugging liberals.

I've found some LED bulbs are as noisy, if not noisier than CFL's. But I recently bought some cheapies at Dollar General 2 for a buck, and these are warmer and also RFI clean.

Turkeytop wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 20, 2019 10:14 pm

It's been a revolution in lighting. Only a few years ago, LED lighting was viewed by many as a conspiracy by tree hugging liberals.

The only conspiracy that got me to change was having remodeling contractors leave EVERY DAMN LIGHT ON ALL THE TIME for months at a time while I was out-of-town during contraction.

Months? That's a long time to be in labor. Did it come out ok?

audiophile wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 04, 2019 8:58 am

Months? That's a long time to be in labor. Did it come out ok?

Well, Jimmy Hoffa died in Labor. The Machus Red Fox was never the same.

Turkeytop wrote: ↑

Wed Aug 07, 2019 6:33 pm

I got my shop lights at Harbor Freight, while I was in Florida. They're excellent. Completely noise free.

Ed Joseph wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 22, 2019 1:48 pm

I've found some LED bulbs are as noisy, if not noisier than CFL's. But I recently bought some cheapies at Dollar General 2 for a buck, and these are warmer and also RFI clean.

Dollar Tree bulb teardown:

https://hackaday.com/2017/10/11/dollar- ... tear-down/

I also bought two of them for a dollar. Seem to be RFI free.

audiophile wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 04, 2019 8:58 am

Months? That's a long time to be in labor. Did it come out ok?

LOL Of all the ways I could have misspelled 'construction' that may be the funniest. Nice catch, nice callout. Well deserved poke.