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EcoSmart LED Reveal and Giveaway. Move that Bus!

By: 279 Comments

EcoSmart LED white light.

EcoSmart LED white light.

Can you all say, “Move that Bus!” Today on Green Talk is the big reveal of how Lighting Science’s EcoSmart LEDs looked in my recessed cans.  Just so the rest of you are not left in the dark (sorry about the pun), let me shine some light on the EcoSmart LEDs.  Home Depot approached me to test the EcoSmart recessed light bulb.  I chose  the 60 watt equivalent EcoSmart LEDs.  In my prior EcoSmart article, I gave you all the facts:  their specification, price, payback, lighting facts, yadda, yadda, yadda.  All the techy jargon that you all have come to enjoy here at Green Talk. I urge you to get go back and read that article.

But the most important part is….Drum Roll….How did they look.  We all know you can scream from the moutain tops that your product is green, but if it doesn’t work, then just talk to the hand.   Am I right or am I right?

The Big Reveal

The big EcoSmart LED retrofit day came. Tension mounted in the house.  Was these little LEDs going to be the answer to a green girl’s dream or yet another failure from my big box expectations?  (Remember, my crying over the Coscto downlights? Soooo, blue.)

Hubby got on the ladder to put them in.  Then he told the big bus to move like in Extreme Makeover,  so I could see my reveal.  Everyone cheered, when hubby flicked the switch.    (Um, not really, but, it was so exciting.  Words just can’t describe it.)

First thoughts?

Comparing the shape of an EcoSmart LED to an Incandescent Bulb

Comparing the shape of an EcoSmart LED to an Incandescent Bulb

I did notice that the LED has a flat front unlike an incandescent or fluorescent light bulb, which has a more curved front.  The LED light bulb did not fill in the space the same; however, it did not bother me.  Some of you designer people may not like this. (You know when lights aren’t in the right place, it drive you design people nuts.)

How to solve the not full dilemna?  I was told that you can move a small screw in the recess light so that the light fills in more of the recessed light.  Problem solved.

But it is One Heavy Son of a Gun.

The light bulb is heavy so be careful when you put it up.  I am not talking 10 pounds but real solid.

Come’on, Anna.  We will still Love You Even if You Don’t tell us All the Picky Stuff.

Sorry, people. I can’t help but give you all my observations and forget about the most important observation.

EcoSmart 60 Watt Equivalent LED recess light bulb

EcoSmart 60 Watt Equivalent LED recess light bulb

Well?

I loved the light, but is a white light not a warm yellowish light you are used to. See a close and personal view of how the lights look in the above video.

By the way, Lighting Science calls the color of its LED a warm white light. I happen to love a white light and I think it makes it easier for me to see.  Some people may think it is harsh and love that dining room feeling.   Make sure you watch the video to see the comparison.  Realize I am using my dinky camera to video tape the lights.

I tested the lights in my kitchen since in my opinion, this is the most important room in the house.  One side had the LEDs (Yeah!) and the other side had the yellow incandescent (Boo, hiss.)  I did think the lights did a nice job with the 10 foot ceilings and I did not find shadows around that part of the room.

If I was to compare it to anything, I would say the lights reminded me of a halogen light.  If you like that look, this is the light for you.

How about Dimming?

Ah.  The bain of my existence.  Did it dim?  I have been down that path with other fluorescent lights in my non-automatic dimmers.  My fluorescents do not dim all the way down.  Perhaps 20%?

Come on Anna, get to the chase.  The suspense is killing me.

Okay.  Don’t get your panties in a wad.  When I touched the automatic dimmer, it dimmed down all together. When I lowered it myself, to the very end of the dimmer, it did not go off and had a slight light on.  Hmm. I did not know what to make of this.  However, Lighting Science provides a list which dimming switches are compatible.  If yours is not listed, I would suggest contacting whomever makes your dimmers and make sure that this light can work with them.

What do Others Think?

I check out both Home Depot and Buzzillion reviews to see what others had to say.  (See Buzzillion consumer reviews for the 40 watt equivalent bulb, 65 watt equivalent recess light, and 75 watt equivalent recessed light.) Most liked the 60 and 75 watts equivalent bulb. Issues or complaints?  Consumers mentioned the white light and a 2 second delay when you turn the light on.  Personally, I did not see the delay.

Home Depot doesn’t have what I want?

I noticed as I cruised around Lighting Science’s site, that they offered many more LED choices, such as long neck, differnt width light beam, and different light output.  Perhaps, Home Depot can order you a different light than what they offers.  It can’t hurt to ask.

Want to Win a LED?

So, congratulations.  You got through all my gushing about the lights!  (Yeah, I know.  It took two posts to give you all the details.)  Hope you are ready for the contest.  Home Depot is offering three winners the following:

EcoSmart A19 40 watt equivalent LED

EcoSmart A19 40 watt equivalent LED light bulb

Here are the rules of the contest:

  • You must be over 18 and live in the US.
  • Leave me a comment here telling me about why you would love to win this light bulb.   If you don’t have a specific reason, just say so. I would love your feedback what you think of this light.
  • To double your chances consider joining my email list or subscribe to my RSS feed. Both subscriptions are listed on the upper right hand column. Be sure to come back and leave a separate additional comment to tell me which one you joined. If you are already a member, just say so.
  • To triple  your chances of winning, twitter about this contest and come back and leave a separate additional comment of the url (weblink) of your twitter comment.
  • You must enter by Friday, November 19, 2010 6 PM EST time to win. Winners will be chosen at random on November 22, 2010 .  Good Luck everyone!

Disclaimer:  I was given the EcoSmart LEDs for free by the Home Depot to give my honest opinon.  No pay to play here.  Also, we value your privacy and your email will not be shared with anyone.

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Comments

  1. 2

    I’d like to win this light bulb because my loving husband isn’t thrilled with the light from our CFLs but puts up with them because he’s a loving husband. If I could find a different quality of light that is as energy efficient or more than our current CFLs, then we’d both be happy.

    Reply
  3. 4

    I’d love to win this new light bulb because I have a lot of recessed lighting around my home and in some areas, I would like to have a brighter white light. Thanks for the chance to try one!

    Reply
  5. 6

    We’ve been switching over the fluorescent bulbs slowly over the years. Enough to know that some are a lot better than others. I’d love to give this LED one a try!

    Reply
  8. 9

    I would love to win because I am trying to change all my light bulbs to more energy efficient CFLs. Thanks for the chance!

    Reply
  17. 18

    I would like to win this because I am trying to stay green and I think I would like the white light better than the yellow lights I have now.

    Reply
  22. 23

    My daughter’s play room lighting consists of (3) rows of 4 recessed lights. Don’t ask me why the builder did it. With it getting darker earlier, it seems like these lights are always on and I can’t wait to see my next powerbill. I bought a 3 pack of CFL’s just to test and see how the light would be and my wife immediately made me put back in the incandescent bulbs. I’ve wanted to try LED’s but it’s a little too expensive of an “experiment” for as many lights as we have. Thanks for the review and the opportunity to make our home a little greener.

    Reply
  26. 27

    Just purchased two EcoSmart LED Par30 for my kitchen. Had a CFL over the sink and desk but they were not bright enough and spent some time on the net studying lumens and info from other manufacturers of LED bulbs.

    On my trip to Home Depot, low and behold, this EcoSmart bulb was there with stats that were almost too good to be true. Bought two and installed them and WOW. They were bright.

    Would love to outfit the rest of my kitchen with more.

    Reply
  27. 28

    I honestly don’t know what to think of an LED light. It is something I would try out… I wonder if it would be a better light for people that suffer from Seasonal Anxiety Disorder.

    Reply
  29. 30

    We’d love to replace a bunch of our lightbulbs with LEDs, but the cost is a bit prohibitive right now. Thanks for the chance to win a bulb!

    Reply
  30. 31

    We’re really trying to replace all the bulbs in the house with energy saving bulbs, but they all seem to work differently. I’d love to try this one.

    Reply
  34. 35

    I’m slowly changing to energy efficient LED lights. I prefer the white light to the yellow .

    hlcsid at yahoo dot com

    Reply
  43. 44

    I would really like to win because my house is pretty old and not very efficient. These lights would really help be more environmentally friendly

    Reply
  57. 58

    The architect firm I work for prides itself on its “greenness” so I have been making more of an effort at home too.

    susitravl(at)gmail(dot)com

    Reply
  62. 63

    I would love to win this lightbulb because our living room in the new house is a little on the dark side and we have been looking for some stronger lighting.

    Reply
  68. 69

    We’d love to win the bulb because I have the same problem as Anna had – I need a good “dimmable” bulb for my dimmable overhead light fixtures. We have non-green high wattage bulbs in these fixtures now that we’ve been pining to change for some time, as they are the the only
    non-efficient bulbs we have left in the house.

    Reply
  70. 71

    I’d love to have this light bulb because it’s green. My house isn’t entirely green yet, but every little bit helps, right?

    Reply
  71. 72

    We have outfitted the house with energy efficient bulbs but are unhappy with the dimness of the lights and the disposal problems with these bulbs. Really like the white light of the led’s and would love to give them a try.

    Reply
  72. 73

    I would love to win this prize because I am trying to replace all of the lights in my home with greener alternatives, along with other ways of “going green”. Thanks for the chance!

    Reply
  75. 76

    Hi!! Would love to switch my current lights to these new LEDs!! I have been meaning to do it for a long time, but it will cost me a little chunk to do all my lights so it has been on the back burner.

    Thanks for the opportunity!

    Reply
  77. 78

    I would like the LED light bulb because it’s 1 more step in my energy efficiency plan. Besides I think they are ubakool.

    Reply
  78. 79

    I want to win this light bulb because I figure that a light bulb that costs 18 dollars must be pretty amazing. I mean, does it have magic lighting that makes you look better than you normally do? Does it last forever? I must find out!

    Reply
  81. 82

    I need this for my front porch light – besides the eco part of it, it\’s just a pain to change the bulb, so I need something that lasts!

    Reply
  82. 83

    These bulbs sound great. I currently use compact florescents. But, I’ve had a couple breakages, and I freak out about the mercury, since I have small children.

    Reply
  86. 87

    Mandatory
    I would love to win this light, because I would love to start being eco-friendly and help our environment.

    alittlepieceofheaven777(at)yahoo(dot)com

    Reply
  99. 100

    I tend to read alot at night and while a higher watt light bulb might be better on my eyes I think I’d like to try a EcoSmart A19 40 watt equivalent LED light bulb replacing my 60w incandescent blub, saving some money in the process.

    Reply
  102. 103

    Winning this bulb would be an awesome way to help my family lower our electric bill in these tough times. Thanks for offering the giveaway! 🙂

    Reply
  106. 107

    My husband and I are building a sustainable winery and have been researching the best lighting methods to use there for a few years. Our first foray into LED bulbs was not so successful, so I’m very excited to try the latest generation. Thanks!
    denise(at)countshollow(dot)com

    Reply
  108. 109

    I haven’t had the opportunity to try LED bulbs yet. We are pretty big sticklers about the “quality” of light in our home, so compact flouresents (sp?) haven’t really worked out for us. I’ll be on the lookout for these next time at the HD.

    Reply
  114. 115

    i would love to win this light because we live in an old home, which we are in the process of greening. replacing lighting is one of the steps we’re taking to create a greener home.

    Reply
  117. 118

    I would love to win because we are in the process of replacing light bulbs in our home. We’ve been switching over to energy efficient bulbs as the old ones burn out. Thanks for the giveaway!

    Reply
  122. 123

    I would like to win because I am changing my light bulbs over to eco-friendly ones, a few at a time. They are more expensive, initially, so it will take a while to get them all changed and this bulb would help.

    Reply
  123. 124

    I would like to win for the simple reason of needing to save money, i want to buy LED lights but the cost is hard to justify compared to other priorities. I would like to win this because I want my children to understand and support the eco lifestyle.

    Reply
  135. 136

    what happened to my first entry? I said I would like to try this bulb because of your review and to help with electric bill expense.

    Reply
  136. 137

    We just purchased a home (crazy in these times) and really saved to buy it..We need to put in light bulbs everywhere and I am a green kinda gal..This would let me check one light off the list..thanks for the reveiw and info..knowledge is power!
    Corinne
    ckurzmann@yahoo.com

    Reply
  138. 139

    we already try and use energy efficient lighting in our home but this bulb looks different and I would love to try it out to compare it to the ones we use now

    Reply
  139. 140

    I really need some better lighting at my desk and in the living room where I read. I think these would do the trick.

    Reply
  141. 142

    This would be so great. It is awesome to be more efficient and plus my home is so dark getting better lights would really help

    Reply
  146. 147

    I have been considering replacing the bulbs in our house with fluorescent bulbs, but this LED bulb looks even better. I would love to try one out for myself. Thank you for the chance to win.

    Reply
  147. 148

    we’re using cfls not but i hate them, they still take a while to get to full brightness, the color isn’t right and they’re toxic if they break

    Reply
  151. 152

    I would love to win this because I haven’t tried an LED bulb yet. Actually, there are still a fair number of old regular lightbulbs in my rented apartment… not really acceptable in terms of being green. So, I could really use this!

    Reply
  157. 158

    I’m a sustainability/DIY geek, I would love to have an LED light to compare to the CFLs I already have installed so that I can see if I want to make the switch to LEDs.

    Reply
  158. 159

    I’d like to win because I want to see myself what it is that makes it worth $18. I already use the goofy swirly bulbs but these look so much better.

    Reply
  162. 163

    I would love to win this light bulb because my family seems to have a difficult time remembering to turn off the porch light….this would make it far less of a no-no. 🙂 Thank you.

    Reply
  164. 165

    i had the electric company go through and switch out lightbulbs to the “swirly” kind and it cut my energy bill significantly. this new bulb looks interesting.

    Reply
  165. 166

    I’d like to win so I can change out all the rest of my incandesent bulbs and take yet one more step in greening our home and property.

    Reply
  166. 167

    We’re trying to change over all the bulbs in and outside of the house to “green” lightbulbs, however, they sure are expensive, so we are only doing it a bulb at a time. These look great, and would be put to good use in our home. tesashel225 (@) aol dot com

    Reply
  168. 169

    I don’t have a specific reason for wanting to try them, but we are slowly trying to become a more green family and love to try out new ways to accomplish it.

    ewalsh40(at)gmail(dot)com

    Reply
  172. 173

    This is too funny, my husband and I were just talking last night about how we can’t wait until LED’s become more affordable so we can re-fit our house! We’re really committed to leaving the smallest carbon footprint possible, so we’re pretty excited to start using LED bulbs instead of our CFL’s. Plus CFL’s have mercury, which makes both of us nervous (especially when you break one…). I’d LOVE the $200 gift card, but one light bulb would be awesome too. Hey, every little bit helps!

    Reply
  176. 177

    I would like to win because I heard LED last a lot longer. I would put it in the light fixture in the hallway that’s hard to reach.

    Reply
  182. 183

    $17.97 for a light bulb??? does it wash dishes too?

    I gotta see this thing first hand, seems like a budget buster at that price..

    Reply
  187. 188

    I would like to win this bulb because I would never pay that much money without being VERY sure it was worth it. So I’m curious to try it.

    Reply
  190. 191

    I actually just heard about these bulbs on the today show and thought how nice it would be to change ALL of my bulbs out with them to save money but that this is definitely not the season to being that money is tight right now, but I so luckily run across this oppurtunity!! Thanks for the contest!! =c)

    Reply
  191. 192

    I would love to win this light bulb because we really like LED lights. Thank you for the lovely giveaway.

    sewmuchstuff at ymail dot com

    Reply
  194. 195

    I’ve never tried out the LED light bulbs, but I want to! We just bought our first house, and currently, most lighting in the house is still fitted with standard, energy draining bulbs. I have so many lights in this house, that I just haven’t gotten around to changing them out due to expense. So I’d really love to win this and remedy my lighting situation!

    Thanks!

    Reply
  196. 197

    I just think it’s amazing how far they have come in the technology. From candles to LED. Would love to win.

    tdlsfm(at)gmail(dot)com

    Reply
  199. 200

    I would love to win because I have been reluctant to give up my old lightbulb ways and this way I could try one and see if I like it! I wish they could find a way to make it less bright white and more cozy(yellower, I guess). Thanks!

    Reply
  201. 202

    The main reason I’d like to win this lightbulb is because LED bulbs are pretty expensive, and I’d like to see how they perform before I go investing $14 each in LED bulbs. For example, CFLs take a long time to reach full brightness when it’s cold, and we don’t have central heat and air, so there’s a couple of fixtures where we don’t use CFLs in winter. Like you were saying, it may be too bright for certain rooms. Or maybe it won’t be as bright as I expect it to be. That’s why I’d like to try it first.

    Reply
  203. 204

    i would like to try this in our front entry.
    i don’t care about the color of the light there , just want it bright.
    tattgiff at centurytel dot net

    Reply
  207. 208

    I have heard good things about LED lights. I am interested in trying them once I settle in my new place. Hopefully at that price I’d end up saving money in the long run.

    Reply
  208. 209

    I’d love to win this LED bulb so that my family can finally take the plunge and convert to all LEDs, which we know is more eco-friendly and economical but just haven’t taken that step yet. Your review sold us, however, and I’m glad for the chance to enter!

    Reply
  211. 212

    I would like to win this LED light because I like to save energy and money. Most of the bulbs in my house are CFLs, but I do have one LED nightlight-and I like it.

    Reply
  217. 218

    I would love to win this. My husband is always buying some type of energy saving bulb that takes 5 minutes to warm up and have a light in the room. This one souns like it would be instant light immediately. I would sure like to give it a try!!!

    Reply
  218. 219

    I’d like this light because my husband is a huge LED fan. He likes the light that it gives off so much better.

    michedt (at) gmail (dotcom)

    Reply
  220. 221

    We would love this. We are trying to go green in our house right now so every little bit will help!

    msjem2001 at yahoo dot com

    Reply
  221. 222

    I would like to win the lightbulb because I haven’t heard of it until now, but it sounds intriguing. And…and I’m a bit embarrassed to say, I think they are pretty bulbs!

    Reply
  225. 226

    I would love to try the EcoSmart LED A19 40 Watt Equivalent light bulb! My main reason being, I haven’t tried it yet!

    Reply
  232. 233

    I have heard good things about LED lights. I am interested in trying them because I’m trying to go greener. I love that they last a long time.

    Reply
  235. 236

    I would love to win this because it would be that extra push I need to stop buying cheap light bulbs from the dollar store and actually try out the good stuff!

    Thanks for all of the hard work that goes into your blog!

    Reply
  244. 245

    I would like to try this bulb because I am always looking for different/better bulbs and frankly it’s difficult to ‘try’ anything when it’s not cheap….

    Reply
  248. 249

    I would love to try these LED lights so that I can experience the clear and bright light for myself! Thanks so much!

    Reply
  251. 252

    I would like to win this light bulb because I need brighter light in my hallway. The bulbs I have now are not very bright.

    Reply
  256. 257

    I love that this is an energy saving lightbulb and that it is a white light (yes, I like the white light!)! My dad is a fan of LED bulbs so I think he would actually be happy about putting these in the house! Thanks for the honest review and giveaway!

    Reply
  258. 259

    I’d like to win this because I love using energy efficient products. I have several LED lights already and I’d like to use more.

    Reply
  262. 263

    I’d love to win the EcoSmart LED bulb because it’ll save a bundle in electricity and I think I’d prefer its white light to the unflattering greenish light of florescent bulbs.

    Reply
  269. 270

    We switched over to CFLs a while ago. But I am very dissatisfied with the life of the bulbs. Most don’t last a year.

    Reply
  270. 271

    I would like to win because I always like to try new things. This is right up my alley.

    txhottie_86 at yahoo dot com

    Reply
  275. 276

    Whew! Sorry it took so long to get the winners up. I finally heard from everyone. Nikki won the $200 gift certificate, Hoa, Tree Goddess, and Courtney won the light bulb. I wish I was Oprah and could give you all a LED light for the holidays! Thanks for entering and check back soon. Lots of contests are coming.

    Reply

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