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SunLake has a wide variety of light bulbs for nearly any household use. In this article we’ll go through some of the most common uses for all our bulbs - and some that maybe you hadn’t thought of.

First it may be helpful to discuss the differences between traditional incandescent bulbs, fluorescents, and LEDs. We’ve discussed these differences in previous articles, but it doesn’t hurt to have a little refresher.

Incandescent bulbs

Incandescent bulbs are the oldest lighting technology we have. Largely unchanged from the days of Thomas Edison, the bulb passes a current from one end of a filament to another, heating it, and making it glow. A lot of energy is required to heat the filament and an immense amount of energy is given off as heat in the process. In fact, incandescents lose up to 95% of the energy they consume to heat. That means that only 5% of the energy burned has the chance to be converted to visible light. It’s precisely this inefficiency that subsequent technologies have sought to address.

Compact Fluorescent (CFL)

CFLs certainly improved upon the inefficiencies of incandescents. However, though they use less energy than incandescents, they also contain harmful chemicals like mercury. They can’t be easily disposed of and must be taken to special recycling facilities. They also don’t produce a full spectrum of light. According to The American Journal of Public Health, “Fluorescent lighting may increase UV-related eye diseases by up to 12%...” Fluorescent lighting can be overly harsh on our eyes and failing ballasts or tubes can cause buzzing. Lamp shades and other bulb coverings can diffuse some of the glare from these bulbs, but they can’t change the fact that the light itself is poor in quality and can cause real and lasting eye damage.

Light Emitting Diode (LED)

LEDs then are the best solution to the problems of incandescents and CFLs. They use a fraction of the energy of an incandescent to produce the same, if not more light. They also contain none of the harmful chemicals or heavy metals that CFLs do. Additionally, while CFLs produce light that’s very high in UV light and that only mimics full-spectrum light while missing out on the majority of the spectrum itself, LED light does incorporate the full spectrum but focuses even more on the visible light portion of the spectrum than incandescent light does. Incandescent loses much of its energy to infrared light, which converts to heat. LED produces almost no infrared light and zero UV light. Using LED means sparing your eyes unnecessary strain while saving money on energy bills at the same time.

A19 - standard light bulbs

SunLake has a selection of various A19 bulbs. Whether you’re looking for a 60W or 75W replacement, filament bulbs or standard, SunLake has the color temperature and style you’re looking for. The A19 is the “standard” bulb that most people think of when they picture a light bulb in their heads. As the standard bulb, it can be used in nearly every household fixture. SunLake’s LED A19 uses a fraction of the energy of a standard incandescent and once installed, is indistinguishable from your traditional bulbs.

B11 - candelabra bulbs

Many household fixtures have smaller sockets (E12) than a standard bulb (E26). These smaller sockets are most often found in ceiling fan fixtures, small decorative lamps, and chandeliers. SunLake carries both standard B11s and vintage filament-style bulbs. Both SunLake’s standard and vintage style B11s produce 350 lumens. The main difference is the style of the bulb. If your bulbs are visible in the fixture, we recommend using the vintage-style filament bulbs to lend an extra touch of class. If the bulbs are hidden from view when installed, the standard B11 will work just fine.

G25 - decorative globe bulbs

Decorative globes are most typically used in bathroom vanities but can also be used in lamps and some modern chandeliers are designed with these spherical bulbs in mind. You’ll want to use these bulbs in fixtures where the bulbs themselves are visible when installed to get the full effect of the spherical shape. Kitchen pendant lights are another great place for these bulbs.

BR - recessed can bulbs

SunLake carries three different sizes of BR-series bulbs. While our most popular is the BR30, the BR20 and BR40 are also excellent products. The size of the bulb depends largely on the size of your recessed can and the brightness you’re looking for. The larger the bulb, the more watts they use and the more lumens they produce. SunLake’s BR-series bulbs consume a fraction of the energy and produce just as much light as traditional reflector bulbs do. While BR bulbs are typically used for recessed cans, they are also very effective in track lighting.

PAR - spotlights

Since LEDs are by nature directional, they work exceptionally well in spotlights and other reflector style bulbs. PAR bulbs have a narrow beam angle but produce many lumens concentrated within that narrower beam. SunLake’s PAR bulbs are wet rated, meaning they can be used outdoors while exposed to the elements without damaging the electronics within. These bulbs are perfect for exterior facade lighting, highlighting landscaping or other architectural details, or indoors in track lighting, or to illuminate artwork. Since SunLake’s LEDs produce no UV light, they won’t damage your valuable paintings even when shining directly on them.

ST19 - vintage-style Edison filament bulbs

These large, decorative, antique-style bulbs are perfect for any fixture where the bulbs are exposed or otherwise the focal point. Kitchen pendants, desk lamps, trendy retro-style fixtures, these are all great options for this beautiful, versatile, and decorative bulb. Our two favorite things about these bulbs is that while they have that vintage look, they use much less energy than true vintage bulbs; and they’re dimmable so they can function at full power to fully illuminate a room, or be dimmed to see more of the bulb’s filament detail while still providing excellent, high quality light.

Retrofit recessed can downlights

SunLake has a few different options for existing recessed lighting if you’re looking to upgrade to LEDs. One of our most popular options is our recessed downlight retrofit kits. These integrated fixtures come in a variety of sizes and color temperatures. Best of all, they come with E26 socket adapters to easily screw into existing cans and the wire snaps hold them securely in place inside the existing can. SunLake’s downlights come with either baffle or smooth trim and are wet rated, meaning they can be used in areas with heavy moisture including bathrooms, basements, and even outdoors.

6” disk downlights

These flush-mount disk downlights are perfect for low ceilings or ceilings with very little clearance where traditional can lighting won’t fit. If you have clearance enough for a junction-box, you can easily install these downlights. They come in a variety of color temperatures to suit your taste and preference.

The SunLake family

SunLake’s family of LED bulbs provide the highest quality light for a fraction of the cost of what it takes to run incandescents at affordable up-front prices. Whether you’re outfitting your home, office, or industrial installation, SunLake has the lamps you need. We also offer bulk pricing for large projects. Contact our customer service team for more details about bulk buy discounts. For a complete catalog of SunLake’s ever-expanding offerings, click here.