Comments on: An LED Powerhouse To Watch: Lemnis Lighting

By: 10 LED Companies To Watch At Lightfair

10 LED Companies To Watch At Lightfair — Wed, 12 May 2010 20:42:29 +0000

[...] Lighting: Lemnis — an LED powerhouse to watch — launched six new LED bulbs at Lightfair, including the Pharox 500, a 500-lumen incandescent [...]

By: Orion

Orion — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 03:13:53 +0000

The lifespan numbers here are comparing incandescent to LED. When you compare to CFLs, LEDs are only out lasting them by 2 - 4x looking at stated MTBF. The 6x he refers to sounds like marketing spin.

GE's claim of a 40w replacement LED running at 9w, seems like a joke considering a 40w replacement CFL uses 10w for $2.

I still think that the bulbs need to be < $5 to really gain traction. Sure there are applications where LED makes sense at these prices, but they won’t be a lighting revolution just yet.

I would be interested in follow-story covering where these bulbs are ending up currently.

By: 5 LED Bulbs You Can (Soon) Buy To Replace Incandescents

5 LED Bulbs You Can (Soon) Buy To Replace Incandescents — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 07:01:50 +0000

[...] Condi Rice-backed Carbon Startup C3 Ups Funds See All Articles » An LED Powerhouse To Watch: [...]

By: Bruce

Bruce — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 03:18:15 +0000

I am glad to hear that such a bulb exists, even if the cost is sky high at this time. I spent hours last summer searching online for one to hook to a solar panel/battery setup to be used as a shed light. I ended up ordering 2 bulbs that have 78 LEDs in them with an MR16 connection, not a standard screw in bulb. In addition, they had to be shipped from Hong Kong.

If I could find a suitable LED lighting source, I would like to make a similar setup for a yard light. Going with LEDs makes the use of solar/battery energy much more feasible in these applications.

I wish them luck!

By: Irwin R. Schyster

Irwin R. Schyster — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 01:03:45 +0000

Have you seen those commercials for Stride gum where the flavor lasts so long that people aren't spitting out their gum and buying new packs so the factory has to close? That's what Rich is saying with these long lasting bulbs.

I'm guessing with random power fluctuations/spikes and whatnot these bulbs won't last anywhere near their listed timespan though. Or I could immagine out future grandkids visiting and rolling their eyes at our grimy obsolete 20 year old light bulbs along with our tacky wall paper and painfully dated hardwood floors.

By: Earth2Tech’s 10 Greentech IPO Picks

Earth2Tech’s 10 Greentech IPO Picks — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 20:32:39 +0000

[...] Condi Rice-backed Carbon Startup C3 Ups Funds See All Articles » An LED Powerhouse To Watch: [...]

By: Katie Fehrenbacher

Katie Fehrenbacher — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 16:41:21 +0000

@Orion, Agreed, at this point, from a personal perspective, I've been buying CFLs, but not LEDs yet.

By: Orion

Orion — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 03:51:41 +0000

I think they have to go a long ways to compete with CFLs. HD sells them in 6 packs for almost $1 a bulb. The energy savings over CFL is not enough to get me to shell out 30x or 40x more. Get down to $3-$4 each then maybe.

By: Jim

Jim — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 21:06:20 +0000

The higher costs are due to the LEDs themselves. The electronics to run them are simpler than what's needed for CFLs (not high voltages, ballasts, etc.). Dissipating the heat they generate when configured in a bulb shape is probably not too easy either....

By: Katie Fehrenbacher

Katie Fehrenbacher — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 20:43:23 +0000

@Rich, I think a significant part of the cost difference is economies of scale - as in there's no scale and high costs.

By: Jim

Jim — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 18:08:24 +0000

Why hasn't anyone noticed that lamps designed for incandescent bulbs are a completely inappropriate form factor to make use of LED lighting?

LEDs produce directional light, which is normally a good thing, but companies must mount them omni-directionally (costing more $$$) to match what incandescents (and CFLs) do.

So we cheerfully buy a $40 bulb so our $10 lamp can still be used.... :)

By: Rich

Rich — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 18:02:49 +0000

Katie, a CFL sells for $2 to $3. I'm an electronics engineer and I'm not sure an LED bulb requires $37 more internal electronics than a CFL.

By: Katie Fehrenbacher

Katie Fehrenbacher — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 17:39:13 +0000

@Rich, the industry is hoping to one day get down to $25 per bulb, which is still high but perhaps a reasonable replacement?

By: Rich

Rich — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 17:20:30 +0000

I always wondered how the bulb manufacturers would maintain their replacement revenue when long-life LED bulbs take the place of short-life incandescents. I think I know the answer: sell an LED bulb for $40 ;)