Turning on Feit's 40W Replacement LED (pictures)

Available online and on the the shelf at Lowe's, the Feit Electric 40W Replacement LED (also sold under Lowe's "Utilitech Pro" brand) is a lighting option that puts aesthetics above all else. Click through to take a look.

Feit's LED casts a decorative gemlike light pattern.

This is thanks to a curved plastic filament in the center of the bulb. The diodes sit below, and the light shines up and out.

Here's a top-down view of the bulb. You can see the patterned, textured light output pretty clearly here.

Under a lampshade, that textured light output looks a little messy, which undercuts the bulb's practicality.

Another concern is directionality. As you can see, the Feit LED doesn't cast very much of its light downward.

The Feit LED puts out 500 lumens of light at a color temperature of 3,000K from a power draw of 8W. At average usage rates, it'll add less than a buck to your energy bill each year. Under the same parameters, a 40W incandescent would cost you about five bucks.

The Feit Electric 40W Replacement LED will cost you $10, putting it in the same ballpark as competitors from brands like Cree, Osram, and Philips. How does it stack up? Check out our full review for the complete breakdown.