Best LED bulbs for your money

LED lightbulbs have come way down in price everywhere you look. But which bulbs give you the best light for your buck?

Read more: Watt-to-lumen conversion chart

The LED bulb test results are in…

Consumer Reports took a look at LEDs and found you don’t have to pay a lot to get a great bulb.

The magazine looked at seven criteria to determine its rankings: Brightness, efficiency, light distribution, frequent on and off performance, life testing, color accuracy and warm-up time.

When you account for all those factors, the Consumer Reports identified a list of its top “best buy” recommendations from several dozen bulbs they tested.

Any of these choices can be used to replace your standard 60-watt incandescent bulb. Prices are per bulb.

• Feit Electric 60 Watt Replacement 9.5W LED – $7
• Sylvania 8.5 Watt 60W Equivalent A19 Soft White Dimmable LED – $6
• Great Value (Walmart) 60W Soft White A19 LED – $4
• EcoSmart 60W Equivalent Soft White A19 Dimmable LED – $4
• Philips 60W A19 Soft White with Warm Glow Dimmable LED – $7
• Philips SlimStyle A19 Soft White LED – $6
• Feit Electric ECObulb Plus 60W CFL – $2.50

It’s entirely possible to pay $13 a bulb for a GE A19 60W Equivalent Reveal or even $20 a bulb (!) for a Sylvania 12-Watt 60W A19 Soft White LED, as Consumer Reports found.

But why would you?!

Listen: Clark discusses LEDs on The Clark Howard Show Podcast

Check out this great deal on LEDs!

There’s a great bulb deal going on right now at Walmart. They’re offering four-packs of 60-watt equivalent LED bulbs for just $5.74. That’s $1.43 a bulb!

These Great Value LED light bulbs provide excellent light quality while saving you money on your electric bill. These eco-friendly bulbs only draw 8.5 watts of power and last for up to nine years!

This deal is available in-store only. You can check if these bulbs are available at your local Walmart by entering your zip code on Walmart.com.

The reality is Edison bulbs (incandescent) just burn up money, while LEDs use only about 20% of the electricity you would otherwise eat up with a traditional 60-watt bulb. That’s why we had the transition first to CFLs and now to LEDs, whether or not you like them.

Want more money-saving advice for your home? See our Homes & Real Estate section.

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