LED lighting is a multi-billion dollar industry, so of course everyone wants a piece…and the competition is high. Here are 3 ways some manufacturers are trying to lure you into buying their product:

1. We’re a big company, so our bulbs are the best!

Big companies aim for mass market appeal–with price being the main factor. Accordingly, every bulb is not designed with top quality components or with an eye to light quality, as it would be impossible to keep prices affordable for the majority. Very few manufacturers make light quality a top priority, and those that do tend to be the smaller ones. Not surprisingly, the top consumer complaint about LEDs is the unsatisfactory quality of the light. So just because a company is big with a highly recognizable brand and sold in a big box store does not mean they produce better products than the smaller, lesser known manufacturers.

Interesting designs, but how is the quality of the light?

As a side note, as Forbes pointed out in their article “Top Ten Reasons Why Large Companies Fail To Keep Their Best Talent”, it is the small start-ups that attract top talent as well.

2. Our bulbs are smart!

Ever since a San Francisco-based company started raising funds on Kickstarter to design a wifi-enabled, multicolored LED lamp that can be controlled by a smart phone, a multitude of other companies have cropped up hoping to cash in on a similar technology. Do you really need your light bulbs to sync with music so you can “visualize” your favourite songs? Do you really need to individually program each bulb? Some may think so, but we think light quality, efficiency, and price are far more important. And with all these added components inside the “smart” bulb, it’s hard not to question the light quality and overall performance of the bulb (for more information on what goes into light quality, see Light Quality of LED lamps).

While the technology is undoubtedly neat, just because something can be done doesn’t mean it should. Smart bulbs are more about novelty than practicality and the inflated prices for these ‘nice to have’ items isn’t doing the magnificent LED technology any favors.

 3.  Our bulbs last 100,000 hours…and cost $20!

The lifetime of an LED bulb is determined by the power supply and assembly quality, not just by the semiconductor chip itself.  High quality components are required and much expense must go into research, design, and assembly.  While LED bulb prices are going down, a manufacturer would need something short of magic to meet these absurd claims.

So don’t get taken by LED manufacturers. Do your research.