Tuesday, September 07, 2010

FEIT Electric LED Night Lights : JUNK!

I found this awesome product, or so I thought, at CostCo last year... a 10 or 12-pack of FEIT Electric (brand) LED Night Lights that were going to save me all sorts of money based on the reduced power consumption they promised.

Well, sure, they may not use much power, but:
THEY DO NOT LAST, and more than half of those purchased are dead after 1yr!

So much for the stated "30,000 hour lifespan" on the packaging, and on their website!
JUNK. Period.

The one LED night-light is marked model 57YL NL6/LED with a .5W rating, and the others in the bulk-pack were the .3W rated NL1/LED (also has 57YL indication on label).  BOTH types have failed miserably.  And, the ones that continue to work are losing their brightness!  It seems quite obvious they will all be dead soon.

This is what I call "green-washing" at its best.  
Sure, the LED Nightlights were SUPPOSED to save me money -- based on that 30,000 hours and on the 90%-less power they consume.  But, they were not cheap enough to save money if they die after a year, and now there is all this plastic and metal fused into a "nightlight" package that I have to pitch into the trash (not exactly eco-friendly when pitched into landfills by the dozen).

So, avoid these.
I found a new type which is much brighter at the same wattage, and so far are holding up.  But, the jury is out on the new LED nightlights too, since I have only had the new brand 6-months.  Time will tell.

There is a *promise* of money-saving with LED lights, for sure.  But, ONLY if they last!
I like using them throughout my home (the "night lights") to light hallways and rooms slightly so that I do not need to turn on overhead illumination if just "passing through" in the evening.  Also, they make great "theater lights" in the TV room (highly recommended for that - IF you can find ones that last).

Enough said... that is my quick review of these FEIT Electric Brand LED nightlights.

1 comment:

DED said...

I picked up one a month ago for my daughter's room and it's working fine so far. Not sure the brand, but I got it at Target.

I've seen the regular LED household lights in Home Depot but held off on buying them due to the steep cost.

I encountered some quality control issues with CFL bulbs when they first came out. Fortunately, they came with a 5-year warranty so I was able to call the 1-800 # on the bulb and get replacements for free. These days, I rarely get a bad bulb, but I'm not sure if the warranties are still available.