Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)First off, the Pharox60 is an impressive technological feat. Here we have an LED-based lamp (or "bulb") that pushes out a brightness and illumination quality similar, but not identical, to a conventional 60 watt incandescent. Like an incandescent, it also turns on immediately. The build quality is impressive and appears to be much better than your average CFL.
Light distribution is biased somewhat towards the top of the diffuser globe. This makes the Pharox60 most useful in situations where it is pointing down: ceiling can lights and desk lamps. Installed in a conventional shaded table lamp, I measured the light intensity on the table as equivalent to a 10W GE Reveal CFL, which claims to be a 40W equivalent. Pointing down at the table in a desk lamp, I'm sure the Pharox60 would be similar to a 13W CFL/60W equivalent in brightness. I will measure that if I get a chance.
At first glance, color balance is towards the warm side, uncharacteristic of LED lamps I've tried before. The dimensions are similar to an incandescent "A" style bulb, so it should fit just about any fixture. It is also light in another way: weight. It is silent in operation, except when dimmed, when it may hum quietly depending on the dimmer used (as do some incandescent bulbs when the filament vibrates). Packaging is clever, distinctive, and a pleasure to open.
While this doesn't have that "bluish" hue of cheaper LED units, the color rendering is not as good as the best compact fluorescents (CFL), and certainly doesn't hold a candle to a tungsten or halogen incandescent. Full color photos and magazines look "flat" and bland when viewed under this light. Finished wood such as my hand-rubbed mission oak table looks like fake-wood plastic laminate instead of that warm golden glow and depth it has under incandescent illumination. My eye tells me the Pharox60 is weak in the pure red colors and is biased a bit towards green. However, I'm being a bit picky. I'm sure some number of people wouldn't notice this in casual settings and depending on the furnishings and tasks at hand.
The aluminum base is apparently a heat sink for the power supply and LEDs. Heat is the enemy of LEDs. This aluminum base has small vents cut into it. The aluminum base does get warm to the touch during operation. Time will tell if it is effective. The Pharox60 appears to rely solely on convection to remove excess heat, so there are no moving parts such as a fan as in some other high-output LED lamps. As such, I wouldn't use the Pharox60 in an enclosed fixture.
Dimming the Pharox60 with my plug in Leviton slide-dimmer cord-set is effective. There is a slight hum from the lamp during the dimming process, but that settles into a barely audible tone once the dimming level is stabilized depending on the light level selected. I've heard much worse from a clear incandescent bulb as the filament vibrates like a violin string.
The Pharox60 retains its "warm" white color balance when dimmed (including the slight green bias). That is certainly an improvement over dimmable CFLs which often turn a ghastly purple/green when dimmed. However, if you are expecting the cozy orange-red shift as when an incandescent is dimmed, the Pharox60 is not there.
In summary, the Pharox60 is a usable LED lamp at a brightness and packaging that sets a new bar for the competition, but we're at the stage CFLs were at a few years ago: initially expensive and not quite "living room friendly" color balance. Very, very close, though.
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Pharox III DIMMABLE LED 6 Watt LED Light Bulb - 60 Watt Incandescent Replacement Bulb
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