They’re great! They live forever, draw way less power than flourescent, can be made to mimic incandescent color, and can work with dimmers.
But they cost a mint.
$22 for a bulb.
Cost is dropping fairly quickly. Would probably drop even faster if the govt didn't MANDATE a replacement for incandescents, so that competition drove prices down.
They are expensive initially but their lifetimes are measured in years. I’ve heard as much as 10-15 years. How many regular light bulbs would you have bought in that time? And, as the technology develops, it will get cheaper.
The reviews I’ve read say the “household bulb replacement” LEDs are just not there yet, even less so than compact fluorescents.
I love the LED flashlights and utility lights (Surefire, Nuwai, and my trusty Petzl Tikka headlamp), they all have their place and are great.
But I’ll keep buying 200 watt and 250 watt three way incandescents for reading for as long as they’re legal (!?! legal ?!?!).
$22 for a bulb.
True, but they are subject to Moore's Law. Expect the price to halve and the performance to double every 18 to 24 months...