Two of the most heavily used lights in our house are the R30 Recessed Bulbs that sit just above our dinner table. It’s the first light that I turn on when I come home and usually the one that stays on the longest. A couple of years ago my wife and I installed dimmers around the house to create a more moody feel throughout the house. Right now we have two 65W equiv 40W actual Halogenas in and we like them very much.

It seems like since that time we have been looking for energy efficient bulbs that have good dimming quality. Unless you want to spend a bunch of money on LED Lightbulbs, CFLs are pretty much your best bet in terms of efficiency. Unfortunately, any Dimmable CFL that I’ve tried has numerous quality problems. Last week we were at costco and picked up a 3-pack of 15W (65W Light) R30 Dimming Bulbs for $19.99. I was very pleased with the price because the ones at Home Depot were $13/piece.

These lights really are terrible. The light quality is inconsistent, one bulb was bright white while another was soft. They take forever to warm up and show full brightness. They don’t dim very well at all, the lowest dim is maybe 50% of full light, which doesn’t give you the ability set any sort of ambiance. Also, when brought down to lowest dim, some of them flicker out and will not restart.

I am taking these back to the store today and returning them. $20 bucks is a lot of money in a recession. So the quest continues for good quality dimming CFLs. If anyone has experience with some great ones, let me know, I am still searching.

Here is the video review.

RATING: 1 out of 5 Gears for Variable Eco Benefit

Merry Christmas!

Today we are reviewing a strand of LED lights that were purchased at Home Depot. First off, Standard LED christmas lights are available in limited quantities. Most of the “good” ones were sold out at all the big box retailers i went to. Except in all green. Who buys all green lights? Do they think people trying to help the environment are only interested in green lights? Oh well. These lights are very festive, last a long time, use per hour less energy, and are cool to the touch. Unfortunately, they are much more expensive than standard lights (too expensive to see any “real” dollar savings) and come in short strands. BUT! Christmas is the time for giving so it’s a nice way to make your christmas tree (or bush) a little greener!

See the Video Review below. Merry Christmas!

RATING: 2 out of 5 Gears for Energy Conservation and Product Quality / Design

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