Which colour of LED bulbs is preferred?

Again, I can’t vote. When I click “vote” it goes to an entirely different thread and worse, it doesn’t register the vote. So, putting it on words instead. Word to the wise: vote on the OP, not the sidebar. Then it’ll register no problem.

Although I enjoy all kinds of LED lights (even cool white, it’s neat for a change every now and then to contrast with the horrible dim and low-CRI yellow light of sodium streetlamps), warm white is my favorite. I’ve only got one WW torch (Convoy M1, 7A tint) thus far, and I really enjoy the “incandescent” look of the beam, especially indoors. I plan on getting my first S2+ in 7A as well, and then an M2 in 3B neutral white.

@Jack Kellar:

Did you try to vote in the OP of this thread?

I voted warm white, but would prefer color temps of 4000-4500k.

So creamy and smooth.

Nope, tried on the sidebar. Now I tried in the OP, and it worked.

This site is odd sometimes o_O

Assuming this is about indoor / home lighting bulbs, definitely warm white.
I remember when halogen lamps became the norm, and although they’re cooler than old fashioned incandescent bulbs, halogen bulbs are still warm white, like 2700 - 3000 K.
For me that’s the preferred colour temperature for indoor / home lighting.
But the CRI is important too. 80 CRI can be acceptable, but higher CRI and with the natural amount of red in it is much better.
Afteral, incandescent bulbs are 100 CRI.

WW here

FWIW, here were the results from the last time we did a color temperature poll.

Cool white (6500K) and warm white (3000K) were the two least-preferred options.

Also, to people who voted early in this new poll, a neutral white option has been added in case you want to update your preference.

OK, who’s the NOOB that chose cool white?! :stuck_out_tongue:

I think there's a fair amount of BLF members that prefer cool white for throwers...

But that doesn't describe me.

My guess is the noob that is sick of humans only having warm white for millenia for illumination, and is fully on board with the “hi tech” aspect of hospital bleach lighting :smiley:

That or he misclicked :stuck_out_tongue:

:smiley: :+1:

When OP asked which color of LED “bulbs” was preferred, I immediately assumed by “bulbs” he meant “bulbs” around the home. That said, my response to flashlight tint/color would have been different.

For the house I prefer warm white ones. They make the least amount of blue light. But there’s one even more important factor - real world color rendition. A while ago I bought some discounted Philips bulbs and some similarily priced (cheap, store branded) bulbs from the local construction store. Both 100W equivalent (1521lm), warm white, declared 80 CRI. Night and day. Cheap ones make all colors look very pale and dead, Pilips bulbs - the other way around, with nice soft light and juicy colors.

I find this odd since CW tends to produce much more visible backscatter, obscuring the view of whatever is being illuminated. I actually like my throwers warmer than my general-use lights. I suppose CW is better for playing lightsaber in the fog.

It’s not rare that I set my Viltrox panel is cool as it goes, but it’s 95 CRI and very close to the blackbody line. I’m less picky about color temperature when the other characteristics of the light are nice.

Hi CRI cool white must be something else. I’d love to see it.

There's something you may need to bear in mind when going higher kelvin temperatures: the cooler the temperature, the higher the luminous pressure required for a pleasing visual experience. Check the Kruithof curve:

In normal daylight conditions the lux/m² proportion usually is a lot higher than what you usually get at home, let alone with a flashlight at a distance.

In essence, the cool white led fashion was probably due to involved people knowing no better.

We know have great high CRI cool white leds from Nichia, Samsung, Cree and Yuji to some extent. It may require some DIY effort from yourselves in modifying your home lighting setups, or look for specific high CRI cool white products.

Cheers ^:)


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Thanks for posting Barkuti, very interesting. . . :+1:

Ok, if it’s for home bulbs then it’s WW. But prefer 3000K WW than 2700K WW. 80 CRI is fine, not anal.

Flashlights, it’d be NW, 4k or 5k is fine. I still have like 4 or 5 warm white LEDs, for that fun look trying to be like an incandescent flashlight. My brightest one is the nostalgic “DRY” 3 x XM-L budgetlight that some of ya would remember, it has a direct drive driver. ie it can pull the right amount of amps from the NCR18650A, approx 3.5-4 amps, esp useful if you are in a cold climate.

It would have been nice for Gary Vicker to define the temperature ranges for cool, neutral and warm white. As it is I find this a tad imprecise, For example: warm white for up to ≈3400K, neutral white from ≈3400K to ≈5000K, cool white from above ≈5000K or so.

Don't you think?

Cheers ^:)