Why You Can Trust CNET Philips SlimStyle 60W Equivalent Daylight LED review: Strong light quality from the Philips SlimStyle Daylight LED
At just $5, the flattened-down Philips SlimStyle Daylight LED is one of the most well-rounded neutral light LEDs we tested.
- 10 years product testing experience with the CNET Home team
We test light bulbs in a variety of different ways, and at almost every turn, the Philips SlimStyle Daylight LED left me impressed. For starters, it costs just $5 a pop, making it one of your most affordable dimmable daylight options in the LED aisle. Replace an incandescent with it, and you'll earn your money back in energy savings within a year.
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
Dimmable 60W replacement daylight LEDs
| Philips SlimStyle Daylight LED | Philips 60W Equivalent Daylight LED | Cree 4Flow Daylight LED | Sylvania 60W Equivalent Daylight LED | Walmart Great Value 60W Equivalent Daylight LED | GE 60W Equivalent Daylight LED | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lumens (measured/stated) | 670 / 800 | 738 / 800 | 625 / 815 | 738 / 800 | 709 / 800 | 711 / 900 |
| Watts | 10.5 | 9 | 10 | 8.5 | 10 | 11 |
| Efficiency (lumens per watt) | 64 | 82 | 63 | 87 | 71 | 65 |
| Yearly energy cost (3 hours of use per day) | $1.26 | $1.08 | $1.20 | $1.02 | $1.20 | $1.32 |
| Color temperature (measured/stated) | 4,758 K / 5,000 K | 4,645 K / 5,000 K | 4,561 K / 5,000 K | 4,781 K / 5,000 K | 4,562 K / 5,000 K | 4,575 K / 5,000 K |
| Dimmable range | 13.4 - 94.9% | 9.9 - 93.2 % | 5.0 - 100% | 2.1 - 96.1% | 18.4 - 99.5% | 13.4 - 92.5% |
| Dimmer switch flicker/buzz | Light | Very light | Very light | Moderate | Moderate | Light |
| Life span | 25,000 hours | 25,000 hours | 30,000 hours | 25,000 hours | 25,000 hours | 30,000 hours |
| Weight | 2.2 oz. | 2.3 oz. | 1.9 oz. | 3 oz. | 2.9 oz. | 3.8 oz. |
| Energy Star Certification | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Warranty | 3-year | 5-year | 5-year | 5-year | 3-year | 10-year |
| Price | $5 | $8 | $6 | $8 | $4 | $5 |
It isn't the best at anything, though. Sure, it's cheap at $5 -- but the Walmart Great Value Daylight LED is a buck cheaper. It does a decent job on dimmer switches -- but the Cree 4Flow LED dims even better. At 670 lumens, it isn't your brightest option -- but then again, none of the LEDs I tested came out as bright as promised.
The SlimStyle's best strength might be its light quality. Though all of these daylight bulbs did a fine job in my color-rendering tests, the Philips SlimStyle looked to be the sharpest of the bunch, with rich, saturated colors and a true, neutral white tone of light. All six bulbs aim for a hot, white color temperature of 5,000 K -- at 4,758 K, the SlimStyle LED was one of the closest to the target.
Less successful on this older rotary dimmer. Noticeable flicker at the lowest setting. pic.twitter.com/4ioaWjgB14
— Ry Crist (@rycrist) August 26, 2016
As for dimming, the SlimStyle bulb did a good job in my tests, but not a great one. It didn't buzz on any of my switches (an issue with the very first batch of SlimStyle bulbs back in 2014), but it did give off a light flicker at low settings. Those low settings were also a little high for my liking -- on average, I was only able to dial it down to a minimum of 13.4 percent brightness. For comparison, the Cree 4Flow Daylight LED, my dimmable daylight pick, dialed all the way down to 5 percent.
Still, this is a well-rounded LED that'd work well for quick, practical lighting. With no real weaknesses to speak of, it's one of the easiest of these daylight LEDs to recommend -- though like I said, that Cree bulb is probably worth the extra buck if you're planning on dimming the lights.