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

This LED is one of the best values you'll find in the lighting aisle.

Ry Crist
Originally hailing from Troy, Ohio, Ry Crist is a writer, a text-based adventure connoisseur, a lover of terrible movies and an enthusiastic yet mediocre cook. A CNET editor since 2013, Ry's beats include smart home tech, lighting, appliances, broadband and home networking.
Ry Crist
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Cree 60W Replacement LED

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.

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Familiar shape

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

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Warm color temperature

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

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Daylight available, too

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

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Under the dome

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

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Omnidirectionality

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.

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Lumen output

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.

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Heat sinks

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.

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The fine print

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

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Color rendering

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).

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Price point

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.

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40W Replacement, too

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.

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