EvoLux S - Warm White
$71.95

In the past 5 years or so numerous manufacturers of LED light bulbs have struggled to make a bulb that performs just as well as the good old fashioned incandescent lights while still preserving all of the traits that make LED lights so desireable: low energy usage, low heat emission, and low impact on the environment when discarded. EarthLED has finally come out with an LED light (the EarthLED Evolux S LED bulb) that uses only 13W but whose brightness matches that of a 100W traditional incandescent light, or that of a 13W CFL (Compact Flourescent Light).

EvoLux S - Cool White
$71.95

Test 1: Brightness and Efficacy

Obviously, the first factor that comes to mind when we think of a bulb's performance is brightness, and this can be measured in lumens (lm). A 100W traditional incandescent light will output 1700 lumens, a 13W CFL light will ouput roughly 800 lumens, while the EarthLED Evolux S LED Light will output 1000 lumens. Taking a look at efficacy, which is simply found by dividing the lumen output by the wattage necessary to power the bulb, the incandescent outputs 17 lm/W while the CFL can handle roughtly 62.5 lm/W and the LED bulb from EarthLED achieved 76.9 lm/W. This equates to costing roughly $3.80 a year if you operate the bulb 8 hours a day for 365 days (based on $.10 per kilowatt hour).

This visual comparison above might better help to see how well the LED light stacks up against other lights.

ZetaLux - Warm White
$54.95

Test 2: Heat

Heat is a big factor for many, especially purchasers of large amounts of bulbs for large scale installations because fire hazard is a figure that influences what an entity is willing to spend to light their facilities. Home users in a sense should also consider this factor just as seriously no matter what their scale of installation. Proprietary tests show 100W incandescent lights burning at 335.4 F, CFL lights burning at 179.2 F and LED bulbs burning at 87.2 F. LED lights are definitely propose the lowest risk to fire.

Test 3: Average Life

LEDs are well-known for their life expectancy burning for over 50,000 hours in most cases, but theoretically they burn much longer. This is compared to the 8000 hours that CFLs last and 750 hours for typical incandescent lights. This life span is the other main money saver besides a lower power bill, especially if you consider the 67 incandescent bulbs you'll have to replace before you replace an Evolux. Many larger scale commercial scenarios are switching to LED simply because of the enormous cost of changing so many bulbs every year.

Test 4: Environmental Impact

ZetaLux - Cool White
$54.95

Flourescent lights, although they can perform almost as well and with almost the same efficiency as the Evolux (without the long life span that the Evolux has) present a different problem that can be costly to your wallet as well as the environment: disposal. CFLs are not to be disposed of like your typical incandescent or LED light because they contain mercury which seeps into the Earth's soil and water supply when finally dumped in a landfill. Flourescent lights also emit greenhouse gases when in use and when discarded. LED lights and incandescent lights are both safe to discard normally. Many materials in LED lights can actually be recycled. This is a non-issue of course since you will rarely throw away any LED light bulbs in your lifetime.

LEDs are still growing in market and improving. Learn more at our latest article about LED Light Bulbs