Philips 10W (60W eqivalent) L Prize LED bulb $14.97 Home Depot B&M only, YMMV, perhaps

To clear up some confusion:

The $15 price is only available in select locations, and those locations may have limited supply, so YMMV. So far, Slickdeals users have reported success at Home Depots in Covina, CA; Commerce, CA; Oswego, IL; Oakbrook, IL; West Lansing, MI; Ewing, NJ; and Rhode Island.

"LED light bulbs" are not interchangeable commodities any more than "laptop computers" or "bottles of wine" are all the same. Different bulbs have different levels of efficiency, as well as different levels of brightness, light distribution, color temperature, and color accuracy. These L-Prize bulbs happen to be the best on the market right now for all of these aspects. They're also manufactured in the US by a reputable company.

LEDs should not be used in enclosed fixtures due to heat build-up. LEDs produce far less heat than incandescents, but the LED chips are more sensitive to heat and (if kept in unsuitable fixtures) will degrade over the years, providing less light than they did originally.

A new Cree LED [homedepot.com] launched today at $13. This is a very good price for a 60W equivalent LED from a reputable company. However, the Cree bulbs have a lower CRI of 80 (compared to 92 for the L-Prize), and lower light output (800 lumens vs 940). For something that will last you for decades, you might want to splurge $2 for better color rendering and a 17% brightness boost. But the Cree has the significant advantage of being widely available for a low price, while the L-Prize bulb is only discounted in select areas.

The Philips bulb, with its "A"-shape, yellow panels, and three cooling grooves may look unattractive to some when placed in open fixtures. If you are bothered by the new looks, other LEDs (like the Cree) use a more traditional-looking glass bulb. But if the light the bulbs cast is more important to you than the physical appearance of the bulbs themselves, buy the Philips.

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