On Wed, 07 Nov 2012 13:42:34 -0500, Frank
wrote:

On 11/7/2012 1:08 PM, bud-- wrote:
On 11/7/2012 11:25 AM, jon van duinen wrote:
I just bought a 5 pack of 9 led flashlights for $5. I looked at a 60W
equivalent light bulb and it was $15. Why is there such a difference
in price between LED flashlights and light bulbs?

What is the lumen output of 9 flashlights versus an equivalent 60W light
bulb.


I'm not buying any more led devices without a lumens quote.
I've got a 21 led lantern you cannot even read by.
OTOH I have a couple of led flashlights with single 3 watt Cree led's
with over 150 lumen output. Flashlights are good enough outside but 60
watt bulbs put out ~850 lumens.

It's not just the brightness difference of the bulbs, but also the
associated electronics. A flashlight is just LEDs and a few resistors.
A 120v bulb has electronics that have to convert 120 volts AC to a
regulated low voltage DC. This adds to the price. However, I do agree
that the LED light bulbs for the home are still overpriced. They will
come down in a year or two, the same way the CFL bulbs did. Anything
new on the market is always overpriced. Look at the first HDTV prices
compared to what they are today. And I recall when making a cellphone
call cost over a dollar per minute in the early days.