The new LED lightbulbs are amazing—a switch on the stem of the bulb lets you adjust them to select a visual “temperature” from icy cool (4000 Kelvin) to sunshine warm (2400 Kelvin). Choose from PAR LED (highly concentrated, narrow spotlight), R LED (older floodlight) to BR LED (newer, better floodlight) to control the way the room is lit. There’s also an ER LED bulb, which has a long neck to fit into deep fixtures. And an MR, with an extremely narrow beam.
I was surprised to discover that some people (mostly interior designers) prefer PAR LEDs to the BR bulbs because they create dramatic beams of light focused on artwork and decor. Me, I’d prefer to get the whole room—especially a work area like a kitchen or a laundry room—well illuminated.
So what’s not to like about these new adjustable LEDs? Well, the fact that big box home improvement stores don’t have most of them in stock—certainly not the adjustable ones! These stores don’t even stock many fixtures these days—just samples, and then they tell you to go online to their websites to get the actual fixture. So much for weekend home repair projects!
Anyway, here’s your Viribright.com guide to LEDs so you’ll have a better experience than I did this past weekend. While Viribright seems to sell in bulk to designers, 1000bulbs has great selection and great prices for the retail customer.