CREE has launched its own line of LED light bulbs that will compete directly with Philips, GE and bulbs from Asian manufacturers. The bulbs are available in 6, 9 and 9,5 Watt. The cheapest of CREE’s LED bulbs costs about 10,- USD and the 9.5 Watt-version is being sold for 14,- USD. The luminous efficacy of the 6 Watt-version is rated with 75 Lumen per Watt (lpw), whereas the 9 Watt-bulb can achieve 88.9 lpw at a light temperature of 5.000K. All three bulbs are dimmable and have a CRI (color rendering index) of 80. The new items are backed by a rather unusual “10-year warranty”. However, this warranty period shall not be mistaken as the products’ life-span. CREE only rates these bulbs for “25.000 hours of use”.
 
Probably most important, CREE’s LED bulbs are shaped just like an incandescent bulb, and emit a light pattern and color temperature that is also very similar to the one of incandescent bulbs. As can be seen in the image below, the LEDs are modeled after an incandescent bulb’s filament, which CREE calls “LED filament tower”.
   
The bulbs come with a glass cover, which is coated with rubber to prevent breaking and cracks. The bulbs produce an omnidirectional beam angle very similar to traditional incandescent lamps. However, unlike incandescent bulbs, CREE’s bulbs remain cool to touch which is a decisive advantage.
 
With its new development, CREE has made a big step forward in terms of the market acceptance of LED bulbs. In the past, LED-bulbs were frequently not well-received by the end consumer due to their unattractive appearance, odd sizes and narrow beam angle compared to incandescent bulbs. These obstacles have been overcome now, which will allow LED-bulbs to gain a much higher market share in future. md.