5 ms·

Here's a trick that I've found useful: If you have a phone that can do slow motion capture (I have a Pixel 2, but this also works with an iPhone), go to a Home

Here's a trick that I've found useful: If you have a phone that can do slow motion capture (I have a Pixel 2, but this also works with an iPhone), go to a Home Depot or Lowe's and take a slo-mo (240fps) video of the LED bulbs they have on display. Most flicker horribly on playback, including the expensive Cree bulbs. The built-in LED spotlights that came with my house flicker like a rave concert whenever I capture a video in slo-mo. It's unsettling. Phillips LEDs, especially the Scene Switch bulbs, are flicker-free according to my tests. Surprisingly, older CFL bulbs flicker much less than LEDs.

lgleason 8y ago
Great tip! I was surprised to see flicker even on my $10 a bulb Soraa lights which are top of the line, cri 92+ bulbs.
homero 8y ago
CFL stay semi lit between cycles
- akronate 8y ago
  Former product display engineer here. Many of those light bulb displays are only meant to demonstrate color temperature, and have completely different power systems on board then an actual light bulb. Usually the AC rectification will be removed and replaced with a DC/DC converter. This is mostly so that the display can be battery powered, because the availability of AC power on shelf is pretty hit or miss. I wouldn’t trust a display to indicate if the bulb has flicker or not.
  - copperx 8y ago
    The ones you're talking about demonstrate color temperature. The ones I've seen demonstrate the different light output of different brands and are connected to AC through a dimmer. You can play with the dimmer, and the price of the dimmer (each dimmer is different) and the bulb are displayed. I can't imagine those are battery powered or that every different bulb on display has been modified.
    - fenwick67 8y ago
      This makes me wonder what the dimmer might be doing
Marsymars 8y ago
Trying this at my house I don't see flicker from either my Philips warm glow bulbs, my Luminus Elite bulbs from Costco, or my Philips Hue lightstrips, but do see flicker with my Philips Hue A19 bulbs.

lgleason 8y ago

Great tip! I was surprised to see flicker even on my $10 a bulb Soraa lights which are top of the line, cri 92+ bulbs.

homero 8y ago

CFL stay semi lit between cycles

akronate 8y ago
Former product display engineer here. Many of those light bulb displays are only meant to demonstrate color temperature, and have completely different power systems on board then an actual light bulb. Usually the AC rectification will be removed and replaced with a DC/DC converter. This is mostly so that the display can be battery powered, because the availability of AC power on shelf is pretty hit or miss. I wouldn’t trust a display to indicate if the bulb has flicker or not.
- copperx 8y ago
  The ones you're talking about demonstrate color temperature. The ones I've seen demonstrate the different light output of different brands and are connected to AC through a dimmer. You can play with the dimmer, and the price of the dimmer (each dimmer is different) and the bulb are displayed. I can't imagine those are battery powered or that every different bulb on display has been modified.
  - fenwick67 8y ago
    This makes me wonder what the dimmer might be doing

Marsymars 8y ago

Trying this at my house I don't see flicker from either my Philips warm glow bulbs, my Luminus Elite bulbs from Costco, or my Philips Hue lightstrips, but do see flicker with my Philips Hue A19 bulbs.