The best light bulbs

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Malarie Gokey,Lulu ChangJun 10, 2020, 23:51 IST
The best light bulbs
  • Every home needs good lighting that's energy-efficient and attractive. We've researched and tested a number of light bulbs to find the best ones you can buy.
  • The Cree 60W Equivalent Soft White A19 Dimmable LED Light Bulbs are our top pick because they will last you two decades, dim on demand, and save lots of energy.

Good lighting is essential in any home, and it all starts with the humble light bulb. The first electric light was developed back in 1802 by Humphry Davy, and different versions of the light bulb were made over the course of that century by a number of inventors until Thomas Edison created the first commercially successful incandescent light bulb in 1879 and got all the credit.

Up until fairly recently, incandescent bulbs were still king, but now, there are tons of options, including LEDs, compact fluorescents (CFLs), and smart bulbs. Modern light bulbs can change colors, turn on and off with voice commands or the movement of your arm, dim to suit your desires, and do so much more than Edison could have dreamed.

There are several types of light bulbs to consider and one may suit the look and feel you're going for better than another. If you'd like to learn more about the types of light bulbs and their characteristics, you'll find an explainer after the last pick in our guide.

After much research and some testing at home, these are our top picks for the best light bulbs. We've included mostly LED bulbs because they represent the best value for your money, but we also highlight the best smart light bulbs and the best vintage filament light bulb you can buy.

Here are our top picks for the best light bulbs:

Prices and links are current as of 6/10/20. We updated our pick for the best vintage-style light bulbs due to our previous pick being out of stock. We also added a selection of related buying guides.

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The best overall

The best overall
Cree/Business Insider
The Cree 60W Equivalent LED Light Bulb produces soft white light that dims on demand and works as well indoors as out.

LED light bulbs are great for conserving energy, and the Cree Soft White Dimmable LED Light Bulbs are the best of the bunch. These bulbs produce a soft white light with a warm tone, thanks to their 2,700K output. The brightness level is similar to a 60 Watt incandescent bulb and you can dim them if you find these bulbs too bright.

The Cree bulbs pack 815 Lumens and only use 9.5 Watts of energy, which amounts to 84% less energy use in your home than you'd get with an old incandescent light bulb. The bulbs are Energy Star certified and Cree claims these bulbs will last you more than 22 years or 25,000 hours.

Cree offers a 10-year warranty in case you run into problems with your new LED light bulbs. You can use the bulbs indoors or outdoors without fear, which is a nice perk. You can pop them in most light fixtures, whether it's a table lamp, a floor lamp, or an overhead light fixture. Anywhere an A19 bulb can fit, these Cree ones will go.

Overall, these are the best light bulbs for most people because they work anywhere, produce warm light for LED bulbs, and conserve lots of energy.

Pros: Dimmable, Energy Star certified, 10-year warranty, soft white light tone, 60 Watt equivalent, lasts more than 22 years, can be used indoors or outdoors

Cons: A bit expensive

The best smart light bulbs

The best smart light bulbs
Philips
The Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance A19 Smart Bulb Starter Kit lets you program your lights, dim them, change their colors, and even turn them on or off with your voice.

We're smart light bulb evangelists here. Ever since we started using the Philips Hue Starter Kit in our New York City apartment, we can't imagine life without them. They are quite simply the very best smart light bulbs money can buy.

The starter kit comes with a hub, three color-changing light bulbs, and a Smart Button that acts as a light switch, allowing you to select from five preset lighting looks. The hub connects to your Wi-Fi during the set-up process and syncs your bulbs up with the Philips Hue app. You can name your light bulbs, put them in rooms, and adjust them in the app. The lights can dim, change color, and turn on and off at a set time that you choose in the app.

Perhaps the best feature, though, is voice control. If you have an Amazon Echo or a Google Home smart speaker, or if you happen to own an iPhone with the HomeKit app, you can use your voice to turn your lights on and off at will. You can also dim them and change their color with your voice.

I named my Hue bulbs after presidents (nerdy, I know), so anytime I want a specific bulb off, I can say, "Hey Google, turn off the Jefferson (or Washington or Clinton)," and hey presto! The light turns off. It's absolutely magical, and it makes for one hell of a party trick.

The real benefits are in the energy savings you can get by dimming your bulbs and programming them to go on and off when the time it right. I've used lots of different smart bulbs, and none have worked as seamlessly or as effortlessly as the Philips Hue.

We've also chosen them as the best overall pick in out guide to the best smart light bulbs, so if you're interested in outfitting your home, and you want to know more, check out our full buying guide.

Pros: Easy to set up, excellent app, dimmable, can change colors, programmable, very stable, work with other smart home devices like Google Home and Amazon Echo

Cons: Expensive

Read our full review of the Philips Hue Starter Kit on Insider ReviewsRead our guide to the best smart light bulbs.
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The best LED light bulb

The best LED light bulb
Philips
The Philips 60W Equivalent Soft White A19 Dimmable LED Light Bulb dims to a soft glow, saves tons of energy, and produces warm light in every room.

If the Cree bulbs aren't for you, the Philips Dimmable LED Light Bulb is the next best thing. These 60 Watt equivalent bulbs have a brightness of 800 Lumens and you can dim them further if you want to. The light temperature is also adjustable between 2,200K and 2,700K, so you can determine how warm you want the lighting to look.

The Philips bulbs will last you 22.8 years if you turn them on for three hours a day and they use only 9.5-Watts of energy to consume 80% less energy compared to older incandescent bulbs. Since they're A19 bulbs, they fit in most light fixtures, including table lamps, floor lamps, and overhead light fixtures.

You can get the Philips LED light bulbs in a six-pack, and they're reasonably affordable.

Pros: Soft white light, dimmable, adjustable color temperature, environmentally friendly, long lasting, versatile

Cons: Not for outdoors

The best vintage-style light bulb

The best vintage-style light bulb
Amazon
The GreenSun LED Lighting 40W Vintage Edison Bulbs provide a gentle glow, and a decorative vintage-style gold filament adds an industrial flair to your space.

Old school bare bulbs show off golden filaments and cast a soft warm light. They're great for creating ambiance and are especially welcome if you have a lamp or other light fixture that features a bare bulb. If you want to bring some old-fashioned light bulbs into your home, look no further than the GreenSun LED Lighting 40W Vintage Edison Bulbs.

These vintage filament bulbs use an E27 or E26 base, 40 Watts of power, and a 2,200K color temperature. The bulbs are inspired by vintage Edison bulbs and maintain the same globe shape, clear glass design, and spiralized filament structure. You can dim them as you please to give your home a throwback look.

Since the filaments are so pretty, these bulbs look best bare or in clear fixtures where the design stands out. They're specialty bulbs, so you won't need to buy too many.

They come with a 120-day warranty and are designed to last about 2,000 hours. Don't be fooled by the brand name. These are incandescent bulbs, so they don't have the staying power of LED bulbs, but that's the sacrifice you'll make to get the vintage look.

Pros: Clear glass with gold filament, fit in most lighting fixtures

Cons: Not as long-lasting as LED bulbs

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The best CFL light bulb

The best CFL light bulb
Amazon
If you're looking for a long-lasting bulb and don't like the blue-ish glow of LEDs, the GE CFL bulb is a great option.

While CFL bulbs aren't always the most popular option, we tend to think that they're a bit overlooked. And to that end, one of the best options on the market right now comes from GE.

What I have come to particularly appreciate about these bulbs is that they don't flicker when you first turn them on. This tends to be a problem with a number of other CFLs, which needless to say, can be a bit annoying. But this GE bulb is a solid pick, and instantly floods your room with an inviting light that lasts a long time. Impressively, if you're looking at an average usage of about three hours per day for these bulbs, they should last seven years — that's a whole lot of savings.

If you're turned off by the cool blue glow that some LED lights can give off, these GE bulbs are a good alternative. They give off a clean light that doesn't have a yellow hue, yet is still capable of warming up a room. Plus, this light bulb is Energy Star rated for extra environmental and economic benefits.

Alas, you can't use these GE bulbs with a dimmer, and you should generally plan on keeping a CFL light on for at least 15 minutes in order to preserve its longevity. And when the bulb finally burns out, be prepared to recycle them properly by getting in touch with the waste management department in your city. — Lulu Chang

Pros: Long-lasting bulbs, warm, inviting light, energy-efficient

Cons: Despite their longevity, the price tag can still be intimidating

What to look for in a light bulb

What to look for in a light bulb
The Bedtime Bulb is one of Amazon's top product picks Courtesy Bedtime Bulb
Types of light bulbs
  • LED (Light-Emitting Diode): LED bulbs are the most energy-efficient ones you can buy and they can last between 20,000 to 50,000 hours. We highly recommend you choose these kinds of bulbs over all others. LED bulbs are more versatile, too, because they can change colors, dim to suit your preferences, and you can alter the color temperature so as to avoid the excessive blue light these kinds of bulbs tend to emit.
  • CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lightbulb): CFL bulbs were once the most energy efficient bulbs you could own, but now they're in second place behind LEDs. They're still a great option if LEDs prove to be too expensive for you. After all, CFLs last between seven to ten times longer than old-school incandescent bulbs, and they use about 75 percent less energy, which is nothing to sneeze at. CFLs come in multiple color temperatures, but few are dimmable.
  • Halogen incandescent light bulb: Halogen incandescent light bulbs use about 25 to 30 percent less energy than old-school incandescent bulbs. These bulbs work with dimmers and appear more blue or cool than other bulbs.
  • Smart light bulbs: Smart light bulbs have special features that most other bulbs don't offer, including the power of remote control, programmable scheduling, color changing, voice control, and compatibility with other smart home products. The best ones are LED bulbs and connect via Wi-Fi instead of Bluetooth. Some may require a hub, and they are pricey.
Features to consider
  • Lumens and brightness: The brightness of light bulbs is measured in lumens. If you want to match the brightness of a 60-watt incandescent bulb, you should find a bulb that's 800 lumens.
  • Color temperature: Whether you like warm or cool light is entirely a matter of preference. Warm yellow light is around 2,700 Kelvin, white light is about 3,000K, bright white light is 3,500K to 4,100K, and bluish white light is 5,000K to 6,500K, according to Consumer Reports.
  • Dimmable bulbs: If you hate super bright lights, you'll probably want to find light bulbs that let you adjust how bright they are. Most LED bulbs are dimmable, but many CFLs are not.
  • Motion-activated bulbs: Motion-activated bulbs are good for outdoor lights, entry-ways, and so on, but you probably don't want one in your livingroom.
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Check out our other great lighting guides

Check out our other great lighting guides
Amazon
The best smart light bulbs

Smart light bulbs are one of the easiest and most affordable entryways into building a smart home. You can set these bulbs to a rainbow of colors, control them with your voice, program them to go on and off, and more. These are the best smart light bulbs you can buy.

The best desk lamps

It's important to have good lighting at your desk so you don't strain your eyes while typing away on your computer or going over documents. The best desk lamps take full advantage of LED lighting technology, creating lamps that are both stylish and energy-efficient.

The best LED string lights

LED string lights aren't just for holiday decorations anymore. They can liven up your decor any time of the year and are especially great for door rooms, small spaces where lamps just won't fit, or outdoor patios and gazebos. These are the best LED string lights.

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