A23201FA2-R Classic A19 LED Light Bulb with 75-Watt Replacement and Frost Lens, Soft White (2700K)

Recently my partner and I moved into a new townhouse apartment with very dim lighting, and decided to try to improve things. Our first step was to replace all the incandescent and CFL bulbs with the brightest LED bulbs possible. For the downstairs we are going with daylight or the highest kelvin possible, and in the upstairs (other than the "vanity") we are going with a soft white with a low kelvin color temperature.We tried four brands of bulbs in several styles, including this one, the SWITCH 75W equivalent A19. SWITCH has gone out of business, but these are very nice lights and half the price of the 75W equivalent Cree bulbs, so they are worth considering. A full comparison is below.* Cree 75W Equivalent Daylight (5000K) A19 LED Light Bulb* Cree 60W Equivalent Daylight (5000K) A19 LED Light Bulb with 4Flow Filament Design* Best to Buy® 4-pack E12 Dimmable daylight 9W bulb 70W-75W Incandescent Replacement, Candelabra* SWITCH Lighting A23201FA2-R Classic A19 LED Light Bulb with 75-Watt Replacement, Soft White (2700K)* Sylvania OSRAM 8.5-Watt (60W Equivalent) A19 Medium Base 210437 Dimmable Daylight LED Bulb* Philips 455717 100W Equivalent A19 LED Daylight Light BulbOverall, our pick for standard A19 bulb is Cree. Both the 75W and 60W equivalent are approved for enclosed fixtures (the 100W equivalent is not), the light comes from all around the bulb in every direction, and the 60W version is as light as an incandescent bulb. The bulbs are dimmable, although we did not test this because we don't have a dimmable fixture for standard Edison-screw bulbs.For candelabra-base bulbs, the Best to Buy E12 bulbs are terrific. We did not compare them against other candelabra bulbs because we only actually needed two of them.* Cree 75W Equivalent Daylight (5000K) A19 LED Light BulbThe 75W Cree bulb is a tad bit heavy, which is its only downside. The light is bright and comes from all directions. It's approved for enclosed fixtures, so we have one of these in daylight paired with a SWITCH soft-white 75W equivalent together in front of our bathroom mirror (the "vanity" light is actually an enclosed ceiling fixture over the mirror in this apartment) and we have one of these paired with one of the 60W Cree bulbs in our dining room enclosed ceiling fixture. The bulb says it's dimmable, but we can't test that in our apartment. The 75W Cree is twice the cost of the 60W Cree or any of the other A19 bulbs on this list, but it's a really good choice for premium quality. If you want to save money, look at one of the other bulbs, below.* Cree 60W Equivalent Daylight (5000K) A19 LED Light Bulb with 4Flow Filament DesignThe 60W Cree costs the same as any of the other A19 bulbs on this list. The bulb is very light--maybe even lighter than a standard incandescent bulb. We have one of these in daylight in the dining room paired withe the 75W Cree. They are totally different designs. I can tell by looking at the fixture that this bulb is just slightly dimmer than the other, but it's still very bright and I think it's definitely more light than a 60W incandescent puts out. This is a great bulb for the money because it's dimmable and approved for enclosed fixtures.* Best to Buy® 4-pack E12 Dimmable daylight 9W bulb 70W-75W Incandescent Replacement, CandelabraThese are a terrific choice for any candelabra-style bulbs you need. The light is very bright, and it gives a great range on our dimmer. Our ceiling-fan fixture has room for two candelabra bulbs, but I can only run one LED in it because the dimmer control has some stupid circuit that looks for bulb resistance. (That's the fan fixture's fault, not the bulb's.) With one incandescent and one LED it's easy to compare. The LED puts out more light at the maximum dimmer setting, and much more light when turned down low. So you do lose a little range on the dimmer, but not too much. It doesn't flicker when dimming. One critique is that no light comes out of the end of the bulb; light emits sideways all around the bulb. Still a very good bulb, especially if you want one you know definitely works with dimmers.* SWITCH Lighting A23201FA2-R Classic A19 LED Light Bulb with 75-Watt Replacement, Soft White (2700K)Apparently SWITCH went out of business, so their lifetime warranty no longer applies. Still, the quality is very high and the cost of a SWITCH 75W bulb is half that of the Cree. It's capable of all the same things the Cree is--enclosed fixtures, dimmers, and it even will work in very cold environments in the outdoors, reportedly (I haven't tried this). Two downsides to this bulb: First, it's very heavy. I feel a little apprehensive with it in our ceiling fixtures, which orient it sideways, because they're really cheap fixtures. I'm sure the bulb is resting on the glass dome supporting it's weight. Second, no light emits from the top of the bulb; only from around the sides. Still, if you want to save some money versus the Cree and you need support for enclosed fixtures or cold temperatures, it might be worth trying to grab a few of the last SWITCH bulbs before they're out of stock; they won't be coming back on the market.* Sylvania OSRAM 8.5-Watt (60W Equivalent) A19 Medium Base 210437 Dimmable Daylight LED BulbI can vouch for the build-quality of this bulb because I dropped one unpackaging it. It bounced on our hardwood floors and survived intact; it works well despite its little mishap. This bulb is noticeably not as bright as the 60W Cree. It also is not capable of enclosed fixtures. But for lamps it's perfect. I'd say get this in a soft white for relaxing in a den or reading a book in bed. Light comes from all sides and the top of the bulb, like a real lightbulb. It also supports dimmers, which I didn't test. The only thing that restricted my use of the bulb was lack of support for enclosed fixtures, which I became aware of after I bought two of these. For most applications, I'd choose the 60W Cree, which is the same price and can do enclosed fixtures.* Philips 455717 100W Equivalent A19 LED Daylight Light BulbThe Philips bulb is a nice bright light. It's excellent for use in downward-orientation, like the overhead cans in our kitchen. It is not suitable for enclosed fixtures or poorly-ventilated cans, or it will burn out. Fortunately our cans are very well-ventilated. All the light comes out the top of the bulb, so it's very directional almost like a spotlight. Not suitable for lamps where you would want the light to come out the sides. This is my top-choice bulb for directional lighting and overhead spots in well-ventilated fixtures.

I purchased several LED bulbs and discovered out, to my extreme dismay, that they can't be used in "enclosed fixtures," I believe because they get too hot. For me this was a dealbreaker, because all the high-up hallway lights I most wanted LEDs for are enclosed in glass globes on the ceilings. I hate climbing up high on the ladder and unscrewing the glass globes to change those, and would love to do it, say, once every two decades!With this bulb, presuming you believe that it remains functional for 25,000 hours (which I sort of do, see below) that is finally possible. The Switch bulbs, made by a California company with manufacturing done in Thailand, is constructed with a special cooling system that allows it to be used in enclosed fixtures. I did a couple of tests in floor lamps, and was shocked to see the bulb got *extremely* hot--comparable to an incandescent I couldn't remove it without using a towel to protect my hands. I was concerned about this and called Switch Lighting, San Jose, Calif., and asked whether I might have a bum bulb. I got the following reassuring response a few hours later by email:The bulb is supposed to get warm because we use the entire surface of the bulb to dissipate heat. When it is warm on the outside, it means that the heat has been more efficiently removed from the inside where the LEDs and other electronic components are. However, it is running at about half of the surface temperature of an incandescent.I like buying from a company that responds quickly and personally! Right out of the box, the bulb impressed. it was the fifth LED bulb I've purchased in the past week or so, and there was no comparison with the others. From the printing on the box to the construction and beauty of the bulb, this struck me as a quality product. It's subjective, I know, but that's the impression I got.The company estimates the bulb is going to have a 25,000-hour life. If the fixture is on three hours a day, that should mean it will last 23 years; an hour a day and I'll be dead before it runs out! But...here's the catch bulb life for LEDs is determined by testing for a much shorter time and then extrapolating...so on the face of it, I tend to be skeptical of such claims. Also, unlike other bulbs, LEDs don't typically die with age--they just fade. The life estimate means at the end of the listed life, the bulb will be 70% as bright. For some areas, that's fine. For other places, if I need a brighter light, I may need to replace much sooner.That said, if it even lasts ten years, it's a bargain and a major savings in hassle! There are two reasons why I'm willing to bet my money on this one: 1. The build on this looks great, and the fact that it has fewer restrictions than other bulbs on its use (more on this below) suggests a superior construction. I am happy to pay for this superior construction. 2. The company offers a lifetime warranty for residential use. Will I really bother to go find Switch Lighting in ten years if my first floor hallway light burns out? Probably not. But it's nice to know the company stands behind the product.The light on this bulb is decent--a good 2700 color spectrum like my favorite incandescents. But still for me--and this is why I'm taking off a star from an otherwise excellent product--the quality of light is not as good as an incandescent. I may be reacting to Color Rendering Index, or the way it renders colors; incandescents are 100 and most good LEDs (like this one) are 80 or so. Or it could be something else, I tried this first in a floor lamp in my living room and I couldn't handle it there. It gave me a mild headache sitting next to it and if I ever glanced at it, it felt glaring and dizzying. Since the color spectrum was identical to the incandescent that was there before, I was puzzled. My first thought was maybe it was brighter--but I checked the lumen count and it is the same. Not sure if others respond this way, but I don't think LED lights are usable for me in places where I want to sit and relax. I ended up installing this in my first floor hallway (which is where I most wanted it anyway) and even now it is a bit jarring ...somehow less cozy in my otherwise very warm and friendly hallway. I'm going to live with it a few months and see if I get used to it.So here's the rundown on this bulb:PROS:More flexible than other LED bulbs. Can be used in fully enclosed fixtures and also it is also UL listed for "damp locations." That means I can put these on my front porch where the light burns out all the time! Score.Omnidirectional. Light comes from the entire globe of the bulb, making this light more usable in a variety of applications. Directional LEDs shine straight down and are best when you just want a narrow beam under them...like in a can light application.Dimmable. I did not test the dimming.Gorgeous. Hard to describe, but you have to see it for yourself. It's impressive.Evident good build.Spectrum is 2700 Kelvin, the same as a standard incandescent. Many other LED lights are labeled "warm white" but several I purchased are really 3000 Kelvin, which feels kind of cold to me--like halfway between a good home light and the kind of light in corporate offices, hospitals etc.Company is responsive and helpful.Lifetime warranty for residential consumers. Company says the bulb will last 25,000 hours. Since the location in which I put it probably is on about 45 minutes a day or so it should last about ten years.CONSMore expensive than other bulbs. I think the additional cost is justified by superior light and better construction.For reasons I don't quite understand, all LED bulbs (including this one) give me a headache when I put them in a floor lamp in my living room where I spend a lot of time sitting. Even in a glass globe in the hallway the incandescent glow is still cozier and mellower to me. I don't think this is psychological as this bulb is so gorgeous I really was favorably disposed to want it to be perfect. I can say the light of this is among the best I've tested....way better than the G7 for example.I'm doing my best to get used to LED lights, since I don't want those mercury-filled CFLs in my life. It's been a rough road for me so far. I don't think I'll be doing a full-scale LED changeover any time soon, but I have installed four of the five bulbs I've tried in my home. I will repost on reliability, energy savings and my tolerance level once I've tried them all for a few months.

I was really hoping to like these. They are bright, dim well, have a nice color temperature, and are aesthetically pleasing. I bought these to replace some Philips low power dimmable LED bulbs with the yellow plastic cover in an open fixture because these look much better turned off. However, I can't stand the flicker of these bulbs. When its dark and only these bulbs are turned on, it looks like a strobe light. I will have to decide to return these are use them in a location like a closet

Disappointing life on this LED bulb, which was reputed to have a life of 25-50,000 hours. I purchased it on April 22, 2013 so I have had it for just over two years and I did not use it immediately. I doubt that I have used it anywhere close to 25,000 hours let alone the 50,000 hours mentioned in the Amazon description by the manufacturer. I purchased an LED light bulb for its long life and reliability and sucked up and paid $58.99 for this single light bulb (it's now about $11). So to say that I am DISAPPOINTED is an understatement!