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I have dozens of Cree-brand LED bulbs in my home (they're the uber-cheap brand Home Depot carries, yet always very favorably reviewed). Their packaging carries

I have dozens of Cree-brand LED bulbs in my home (they're the uber-cheap brand Home Depot carries, yet always very favorably reviewed). Their packaging carries no warnings against use in totally enclosed fixtures, and I have several in such fixtures in bathrooms. They also come with a 10-year full replacement warranty. Some are now about two years old, and none of their bulbs have failed or even become too hot to touch. I have a feeling this guy's overstating the problem. Perhaps because he's in the business of patenting thermal protection designs for bulb manufacturers.

Shivetya 13y ago
its not the bulb that gets warm, after having one on awhile take it out of the fixture and check the base of it. I have two in tulip style fixtures where the bulbs point down, they don't last long but receipts are a wonderful thing. Eventually I think the big box store I get them from will change their return rules
- jamesaguilar 13y ago
  As long as they have a ten-year replacement guarantee, I guess it doesn't matter as long as it's not a fire hazard.
  - ScottBurson 13y ago
    Fire hazard? They're certainly not as hot as incandescent bulbs!
    - jamesaguilar 13y ago
      Sorry, I simply didn't know. I did not mean to imply they were.
- loginx 13y ago
  I've noticed the opposite pattern in my house. Ever since we bought the place, we noticed that occasionally we would semi-randomly get a very fishy smell coming out of our staircase, and couldn't find the cause. After putting my google-fu to use, I realized it was the plastic casing of a small light fixture in the staircase that was getting very hot and slowly melting around the incandescent bulb. I've replaced the bulb with an LED bulb several months ago and I've checked the base of the socket, the fixture, and the bulb after hours of use, and all three are barely warm to the touch at all. I suppose it may depend on manufacturing quality, or as the OP article mentions, airflow.
squidfood 13y ago
And I had one in a recessed fixture burn out in the first hour. I'm definitely waiting until there's some stability in expectations or labeling.
Lagged2Death 13y ago
Some are now about two years old... Those Cree/Home Depot bulbs were brand new this spring (2013). If you've got LED bulbs that have been going for two years, they're probably something else. http://www.cree.com/News-and-Events/Cree-News/Press-Releases/2013/March/Bulbs http://www.cree.com/News-and-Events/Cree-News/Press-Releases...
- dangrossman 13y ago
  The oldest ones are whatever store brand Home Depot dropped under $15 first. Ecosmart maybe? That's when I started replacing CFLs. I switched to only buying Cree when those dropped under $10 too.
allertonm 13y ago
The Cree bulbs - at least the ones in Home Depot in Canada - actually do have a warning about using in enclosed fixtures. It says (to my recollection) "Do not use in enclosed fixtures with other types of bulbs". So my take on this is that they are supposed to be OK providing you don't mix the Cree LEDs with CFLs or incandescents in the same fixture. I am trying them out in some enclosed fixtures, too early to tell how that will work out.
- dangrossman 13y ago
  I've uploaded a photo of both sides of the Cree product packaging here in the US. It's the same for 40W and 60W bulbs. There's no notice about not using it in any type of fixture. The only thing it says not to do is expose the bulb directly to weather. http://i.imgur.com/p9W3SXG.jpg http://i.imgur.com/p9W3SXG.jpg http://i.imgur.com/gbtbX8L.jpg http://i.imgur.com/gbtbX8L.jpg

Shivetya 13y ago

its not the bulb that gets warm, after having one on awhile take it out of the fixture and check the base of it. I have two in tulip style fixtures where the bulbs point down, they don't last long but receipts are a wonderful thing. Eventually I think the big box store I get them from will change their return rules

jamesaguilar 13y ago
As long as they have a ten-year replacement guarantee, I guess it doesn't matter as long as it's not a fire hazard.
- ScottBurson 13y ago
  Fire hazard? They're certainly not as hot as incandescent bulbs!
  - jamesaguilar 13y ago
    Sorry, I simply didn't know. I did not mean to imply they were.
loginx 13y ago
I've noticed the opposite pattern in my house. Ever since we bought the place, we noticed that occasionally we would semi-randomly get a very fishy smell coming out of our staircase, and couldn't find the cause. After putting my google-fu to use, I realized it was the plastic casing of a small light fixture in the staircase that was getting very hot and slowly melting around the incandescent bulb. I've replaced the bulb with an LED bulb several months ago and I've checked the base of the socket, the fixture, and the bulb after hours of use, and all three are barely warm to the touch at all. I suppose it may depend on manufacturing quality, or as the OP article mentions, airflow.

squidfood 13y ago

And I had one in a recessed fixture burn out in the first hour. I'm definitely waiting until there's some stability in expectations or labeling.

Lagged2Death 13y ago

Some are now about two years old... Those Cree/Home Depot bulbs were brand new this spring (2013). If you've got LED bulbs that have been going for two years, they're probably something else. http://www.cree.com/News-and-Events/Cree-News/Press-Releases/2013/March/Bulbs http://www.cree.com/News-and-Events/Cree-News/Press-Releases...

dangrossman 13y ago
The oldest ones are whatever store brand Home Depot dropped under $15 first. Ecosmart maybe? That's when I started replacing CFLs. I switched to only buying Cree when those dropped under $10 too.

allertonm 13y ago

The Cree bulbs - at least the ones in Home Depot in Canada - actually do have a warning about using in enclosed fixtures. It says (to my recollection) "Do not use in enclosed fixtures with other types of bulbs". So my take on this is that they are supposed to be OK providing you don't mix the Cree LEDs with CFLs or incandescents in the same fixture. I am trying them out in some enclosed fixtures, too early to tell how that will work out.

dangrossman 13y ago
I've uploaded a photo of both sides of the Cree product packaging here in the US. It's the same for 40W and 60W bulbs. There's no notice about not using it in any type of fixture. The only thing it says not to do is expose the bulb directly to weather. http://i.imgur.com/p9W3SXG.jpg http://i.imgur.com/p9W3SXG.jpg http://i.imgur.com/gbtbX8L.jpg http://i.imgur.com/gbtbX8L.jpg