Light Bulb: EcoSmart A19 8.6 Watt LED (40 watt equivalent) Price: $9.97 at Home Depot Household Use: general reading lamp, overhead Light Appearance: Bright White (3032 Kelvin) Incandescent It Replaces: GE Reveal 60 watt Overall Rating: Recommend

The EcoSmart 40 watt equivalent LED light bulb actually uses only 9 watts of energy. It touts itself as lasting 46 years and has a 5 year warranty. For just under $10, that seems like a deal if the lifespan rating is true. This bulb has a very pure quality of light, though somehow feels brighter than the usual 40 watt bulb.

The Test

Control Bulb: GE Reveal 60 watt

Primary Use: spare bedroom/home office overhead lighting

Time of Day Tested: night

How It Performed: This is one of the least expensive LED bulbs on the market and is readily available at big box stores like Home Depot. It's definitely bright white, without going too far into the cool spectrum. It feels like a pure white that would be very suitable for task lighting, rather than the overhead application I tested. Though it's rated at being equivalent to a 40 watt bulb, the brightness felt comparable to the 60 watt control incandescent bulb. I personally tend towards warmer light for all but task lighting, so I'd probably look for the same bulb in a soft or warm white.

More Facts About This Light Bulb

Dimmable? Yes
Brightness: 40 watt, but felt brighter
Estimated Yearly Energy Cost: 87 cents ($40 lifetime cost divided by 46 years)
Life: 46 years
Energy Used: 8.6 watts

*Our Ratings:
Strong Recommend
Recommend
Weak Recommend
Don't Recommend

Apartment Therapy Media makes every effort to test and review products fairly and transparently. The views expressed in this review are the personal views of the reviewer and this particular product review was not sponsored or paid for in any way by the manufacturer or an agent working on their behalf.