How Bright are LED Bulbs?

Are LED's brighter than Compact Fluorescent (CFL) bulbs? Some people say that LED's still aren't as bright as Compact Fluorescent bulbs. Some people say you should switch to LED's RIGHT NOW because they're way more efficient. So what's the real answer? It depends...this article will explain why.

There's a push now towards "green" technology - alternative energy and finding ways for us to reduce our carbon emissions and reduce our dependency on foreign oil. One of these technologies is LED lighting.

LED's give directional light. This is unlike incandescent, halogen or compact fluorescent bulbs that give out omni-directional light (or light all around the bulb). The way that's normally been used to measure the efficiency and brightness of these bulbs is the lumen. You've probably heard of it or seen it on packaging. Another measurement is lumens per watt. Both of these measurements are poor ways to compare the brightness of LEDs to other types of bulbs (CFL, incandescent & halogen).


Check out our LED Cost Comparison Table

Comparable Bulb Brightness

Incandescent	CFL Bulb	LED Bulb	Light Output
Watts	Watts	Watts	Lumens
40	9-12	4-5	450
60	13-15	6-8	800
75	18-22	9-12	1,100
100	23-26	16-18	1,600
150	30-45	25-28	2,600