The 13 Best Light Bulbs for All Your Household Lighting Needs

The Bottom Line

The Amazon Basics LED Dimmable Light Bulb is our top pick for the best light bulb you can buy as it incorporates a mixture of efficiency, high brightness, and value for money. It comes in an affordable pack of six and offers over 10,000 hours of light per bulb. This economical bulb uses a mere 9 watts of electricity an hour, can be used in any room, and is even dimmable for creating the perfect atmosphere, whatever the occasion.

What to Know About Light Bulbs Before Shopping

Wattage

The wattage of a bulb references the amount of energy it uses per hour. “Wattage used to tell customers how bright a bulb is, but the introduction of LED bulbs has made it a less effective way to compare the brightness of different bulbs,” says Ryan Hruska, head of product for smart lighting at Ring. “Bulbs still need to meet the requirements of the fixture it is being used in (you don’t want to use a 100W bulb in a fixture rated for 60W), but LEDs make this easier to do than ever before.”

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Lumens

Lumens refer to the amount of a bulb’s brightness and are nowadays considered a great equalizer. Lumens are one of the best ways to compare bulb brightness. “An 800-lumen LED bulb is generally considered the same brightness as a 60W incandescent bulb, and typically uses only 8.5W,” Hruska says.

Color Temperature

A bulb’s color temperature describes the light’s color appearance and is measured in kelvin (K). The most common colors are cool or warm whites. Whatever color you opt for basically comes down to your personal preference. “Some people like a warm, almost yellow white (lower color temperature of 2700 kelvin), whereas others prefer a neutral white of 3500-4000 kelvin,” Hruska says. “It is common to see cool white bulbs in the 5000-6000 kelvin range.”

Shape Code

The shape of a bulb is indicated by a particular code. The most common shape of bulb in the US is the A19, which normally features an E26 screw base. The next most common are Par38 bulbs, which are commonly used in outdoor security floodlights, followed by the BR30, which is used in recessed can fixtures throughout the home. “Shoppers should look for these designations to make sure they purchase the right bulb for their fixture,” Hruska says.

Base Code

According to GE Lighting, a bulb’s base code refers to the shape and size of the base of the bulb. For instance, a standard, medium, regular-sized screw-in light bulb base will have an E26 or E27 code. A candelabra will have a smaller screw in base with the code E12. An intermediate bulb has an E17 code, whereas a pin-in base with two points of contact (often called a bi-pin bulb) will be coded as G4 or GU24. Your average twist-and-lock base bulb has the code GU10.

Color Rendering Index

One often overlooked spec of light bulbs is the CRI or Color Rendering Index. Hruska explains that this spec is sometimes referred to as Color Accuracy and measures how well the light source represents colors on a scale of 1 to 100. States like California have begun mandating high CRI for bulbs in regulations like Title 20. An outdoor fixture with a CRI rating of 80 is considered good, but indoors 80 CRI is seen as the minimum acceptable. For standalone bulbs, California’s Title 20 now requires a very high quality rating of 90 CRI.

Your Questions, Answered

How do you dispose of light bulbs?

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The process of disposing light bulbs may vary depending on the specific type of bulb. While some are disposable, others, including compact fluorescent lamps (CFL), are considered household hazardous waste, making them difficult to dispose of. “For typical, standard bulbs such as incandescent bulbs, you can simply unscrew them from your light fixture and place them in your regular trash bin,” says Dan Mock, vice president of operations at Mister Sparky. “For LED light bulbs, once these are removed and ready to be disposed of, you can actually recycle them.”

Steven MacDonald, the Managing Director at Scotlight Direct, says that, though modern light bulbs are recyclable, they need to be disposed of properly as they can contain hazardous materials. “The best way to recycle light bulbs such as LED or compact fluorescents is to hand these to electrical retailers who offer a free recycling service or your local recycling center,” he explains. Check with your local community to see if there are nearby places to recycle these items. Some stores, such as hardware stores, will collect and recycle these bulbs as well. “It would be best if you did not place these in your household waste as they can contain mercury,” he adds.

State Representative Tim Ackert, Owner of Ackert Electric, advises that, though most light non-recyclable bulbs, including LED, incandescent, quartz, and halogen, can be put in your regular trash, fluorescent tube and CFL type lamps should not. “Instead, bring them to disposal locations that accept them,” he says, “including some stores, as well as many local transfer stations. Check out earth911.com to find a location near you.”

Halogen light bulbs are not able to be recycled, so, when it’s time to dispose of them, it is advised to put them in protective packaging in case the glass breaks, and then place them in your household waste bin.

When it comes to smart bulbs, the glass and metal used in today’s options are recyclable and many stores, like The Home Depot and Best Buy, have in-store recycling for LED bulbs, and local municipalities typically have recycling programs as well.

What is the lifespan of a light bulb?

The lifespan of a light bulb is estimated in hours. You can find this information on the light bulb product box or by contacting the light bulb manufacturer directly.

The average lifespan of an LED light bulb, which is by far the longest lasting type of bulb, is 20,000-40,000 hours. Some LEDs can even reach 50,000 hours, lasting for years and years. A halogen incandescent light bulb’s average lifespan is 1,000-2,000 hours, which is a comparatively short lifespan, but still a marked improvement against incandescent bulbs.

Incandescent bulbs typically have the shortest life expectancy, clocking in at approximately 1,000 hours. CFLs can last between 8,000 and 20,000 hours, though they take a while to achieve full brightness after turning them on.

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“It is always best to check the average lifespan of the light bulb you purchase, as a low number of hours can suggest a poor-quality product,” says MacDonald. Ackert advises, “Fluorescent bulbs can last up to 20,000 hours and are best utilized in places where consistent lighting is needed, such as in offices or more trafficked areas of the home, such as the kitchen.”

In relation to smart bulbs, these are typically of the LED variety and last much longer than other light bulb technologies. The Ring A19 Smart LED Bulb, for instance, is rated for an expected lifespan of 22.8 years based on a usage of three hours per day.

How do you change a broken light bulb?

“The most important thing to do when removing a broken light bulb,” advises Acker, “is to disconnect the electricity. For a lamp, that just means unplugging it, but, for hardwired lighting, you do this by switching off your circuit breaker.” You’ll have to ensure that the electrical current going to the light fitting has been switched off at the fuse box, and that the light switch connected to the light is also set to the off position. For extra safety, “make sure your light is turned off before changing out a bulb, whether your bulb is broken or not,” says Mock.

“If you change a halogen light bulb, you will need to wait around ten minutes for this to cool down,” says MacDonald. “However, LEDs can be changed immediately as the light bulb produces no heat.” You must always use heavy-duty protective gloves when handling light bulbs in case the glass cover breaks, and this is particularly true if attempting to change out an already broken light bulb. Eye goggles should also preferably be worn.

One way to remove a broken bulb, as per MacDonald, is by fixing a set of needle-nose pliers to the base of the cap. While there are actual broken bulb extractor products you can pick up at a hardware store, one of the tried-and-true methods of removing a broken bulb, according to Ackert, is to use a raw potato. Cut it into the approximate shape of the base of the bulb so it fits snugly, then twist it out. If there are any small pieces left over that are attached to the light fixture, the pliers may be used to remove them. You’ll then want to vacuum up the surrounding area, just in case some broken glass has fallen out.

Depending on the type of light bulb you are removing, MacDonald advises that you will then need to either pull, rotate, or screw. Capsule light bulbs should be pulled by gripping the sides with your gloves. For a screw light bulb, you’ll have to screw in the clockwise position until the bulb is disconnected from the light fitting, and for bayonets, push the light bulb towards the ceiling plate and rotate clockwise. Once it’s rotated by a half-turn, you can proceed to pull the light bulb out. Get your replacement light bulb ready and fix the light bulb back into your light fitting, and ensure that this is fixed securely before switching on the fuse box and light switch.

When it comes to disposing of a broken light bulb, “you’ll want to first wrap it in paper or plastic to make sure none of the broken glass falls out. Then, place it in your trash bin,” says Mock. If you don’t feel comfortable taking care of a broken bulb yourself, “you can contact an electrician or the lighting store from which you bought your bulbs,” suggests Ackert.

Who We Are

This article was written by Kat de Naoum, who has over ten years of commerce writing experience. Kat is also the commerce editor-at-large at Thomas-Xometry, the leading U.S. online platform for supplier discovery and product sourcing. For this article, Kat reviewed multiple light bulbs, researching factors such as each bulb’s wattage, color temperature, lumens, and shape and base codes. She also spoke to Steven MacDonald, the managing director at Scotlight Direct; State Representative Tim Ackert, owner of Ackert Electric; Dan Mock, vice president of operations at Mister Sparky, and Ryan Hruska, Ring’s head of product for smart lighting.

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