This futuristic LED floodlight looks promising
That isn't a spaceship -- that's the new Cloud LED floodlight from Green Creative.
- 10 years product testing experience with the CNET Home team
We've seen no shortage of LEDs with interesting designs, but the Cloud LED floodlight from Green Creative might be one of the most interesting yet. Hollowing out the traditional, wide-bodied build of a BR30, the spaceshipesque Cloud LED claims to use 35 percent less material, weighing less than 3.5 ounces.
That makes it an even slimmer selection than the Philips SlimStyle BR30 LED, a bulb with its own unique twist on the floodlight form. Like that light, which sells for $13, Green Creative tells me that the Cloud LED will sell for less than $15 when it goes on sale later this month. That's a pretty competitive price point among BR30s -- our Editors' Choice Award-winner in the category, the GE Reveal BR30 LED, sells for $18 per bulb.
The Cloud LED is also claiming some fairly competitive specs. With an 8W power draw -- less than any BR30 LED we've tested thus far -- it looks to be about as efficient as floodlights come. The bulb will come in four color temperature varieties: 2,400, 2,700, 3,000 and 4,000K. That last version is the brightest of the bunch, putting out 710 lumens for a very impressive lumens-to-watt ratio of 89.
The Cloud LED promises a good-not-great color rendering score of 82, along with the standard LED lifespan of 25,000 hours. Compared with a typical 65W floodlight, which will add almost $8 per year to your energy bill, the Cloud LED would cost less than a buck each year, assuming you run the thing for 3 hours per day, on average.
Green Creative's new LED is UL-listed, Energy Star-certified and dampness-rated for light outdoor use. The company also tells me that you can use the Cloud LED in totally enclosed fixtures without worrying about heat buildup -- and without voiding the three-year warranty. The bulb also claims full dimmer compatibility -- though given that dimmable bulbs definitely aren't created equal, we'll look forward to putting that to the test.
The Cloud LED will soon be available for sale online at sites like earthled.com and 1000bulbs.com, as well as select in-store distributors. We hope to get our hands on one later this month -- when that happens, you can expect a full review.