Shining the spotlight on Cree's 60W Replacement LED (pictures)

Cree's 60W Replacement LED is a 9.5W bulb that's designed to last decades. Want to know more about it? Click on through.

Cree's bulbs are designed to look like the bulbs that you're used to, with a familiar A19 shape.

The bulb shines at a warm, yellowy color temperature of 2,700 K, same as most incandescents.

For an extra dollar, Cree sells a version of their 60W replacement with a much hotter, much whiter color temperature of 5,000 K.

Cree arranges the light emitting diodes around a tower-like fixture within the bulb.

Cree's LED is omnidirectional, meaning it puts out light in all directions. In this picture, you can see the light shining both up onto wall and down onto the page.

The Cree 60W Replacement LED puts out 800 lumens' worth of light, which is right in the ballpark of what an average 60W incandescent will put out.

That bulky collar around the Cree LED's neck is actually the bulb's set of heat sinks. Their job is to dissipate heat and keep it from building up within the bulb.

Cree's bulbs are UL listed, dampness rated, Energy Star-certified, and covered by a 10-year warranty.

This graph shows how well the Cree LED does at bringing out different shades of different colors. Like most LEDs, it struggles with red (column number 9).

Cree's 60W Replacement LED retails for $9.97. You might be able to find it a few bucks cheaper if you live in a region that offers instant rebates for energy efficient lighting.

For the same price, you can also pick up a version of the Cree bulb designed to replace 40W bulbs. That LED puts out 450 lumens.