Ever read the name of a commercial LED light on Amazon and laughed? Some are indeed funny.
Why is a shoebox light called a shoebox? Why is a corn bulb called a corn bulb? What do they do? What’s the typical application? Why should I use one over the other? What specifications are important when selecting from the myriad different LED light bulb types? Everything you need to know is contained in the compendium below. (*NOTE: Except for the A19, this is a reference guide for commercial light bulbs that illuminate large areas. For instance, we have 30W corn lights in bathrooms here at EverWatt and even that is a 150W incandescent equivalent. Many in the list below are in the 100W+ range.)
Light Bulb Type | Also Known As | Bulb/Fixture | Indoor | Outdoor | Base Sizes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Indoor LED Light Bulb and Fixture Types | |||||
Tube Light | tube stick | Bulb |
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T8, T12, T13, Others | |
Household LED Light Bulb | A19 | Bulb |
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E26, E39, Others | |
High Bay Fixture | UFO | Fixture |
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N/A | |
High Bay Retrofit Bulb | high bay corn light | Bulb |
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E26, E39, Others | |
Hanging Troffer | high bay troffer | Fixture |
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N/A | |
Recessed Troffer | panel troffer | Fixture |
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N/A | |
Retrofit Kit | Fixture |
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N/A | ||
Indoor/Outdoor LED light bulb and fixture types | |||||
Corn Bulb | corn cob, 360° retrofit bulb | Bulb |
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E26, E39, Others |
Paddle Bulb | 180° retrofit bulb | Bulb |
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E26, E39, Others |
Post Top Light | acorn bulb | Bulb |
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E26, E39, Others |
Drop Light | work light, construction light | Bulb |
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E26, E39, Others |
Wall Light | Fixture |
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N/A | |
Cutoff Wall Pack | Fixture |
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N/A | |
Outdoor LED light bulb and fixture types | |||||
Canopy Light | Fixture |
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N/A | ||
Flood Light | Fixture |
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N/A | ||
Shoebox | street light, parking lot light | Fixture |
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N/A | |
Wall Pack | Fixture |
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N/A | ||
Rotatable Wall Pack | Fixture |
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N/A | ||
Security Light | dusk til dawn | Fixture |
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N/A |
Indoor LED light bulb types







Indoor/Outdoor LED light bulb types


amazon led corn light spec sheet located here


led paddle bulb usage scenarios



Your old-school incandescent drop light


Outdoor LED light bulb types




shoe box led lights in action



FAQ
Q: What’s the difference between a light bulb and a light fixture? To put it as simply as possible, a fixture is the thing the light bulb goes in. Some fixtures come with the bulb (or LEDs) and others do not. Q: What does it mean to bypass the ballast? And when do I have to do it? LED lights have a “driver.” All gas-filled lights have a “ballast.” Both effectively do the same thing, but an LED bulb can’t use a ballast and a gas-filled light can’t use a driver. What you definitely don’t want to do is use both. So, that’s why you usually have to bypass the ballast when using an LED light, because it’s highly likely that you’re replacing a non-LED light with your LED light, which will not have a driver and may have a ballast. Q: How much energy is an LED bulb or fixture going to save compared to its CFL, metal-halide, high pressure gas, or incandescent equivalent? Well, these are round numbers and not exact, but for a rule of thumb, LEDs are five times as efficient as incandescent (if you’re spending $1 a month you’ll be spending $0.20 after the replacement). They’re about twice as efficient as CFLs. Q: How do I know how the light will shine on the ground or a wall before I purchase it? I won’t say this is super easy, but there are a few things you can look for. The first is a specification called “lighting distribution,” which will range from Type I to Type V, defining how the light shines. Then, based on how far away the light will be mounted from where it hits, you can to some degree calculate the area it will illuminate. The other more technical thing to get is an “IES” report, which you’ll need to download a free viewer to look at. Essentially, all directional light should have some sort of information concerning this in the specification sheet, so just ask your supplier for that.
Explanation of lighting distribution types
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Which LED light is right for me?
This post will help guide you through some thinking for how to choose which LED light bulb is right for your application. For a better understanding of the different led light types, click here for an extensive explanation.
LED bulbs have made significant advances over the last few years making them a lot cheaper and more efficient than they used to be. Since there are so many LED fixture varieties, choosing an LED fixture is entirely different from picking a traditional fixture.
When shopping for bulbs or fixtures, you’re probably accustomed to looking for watts, an indication of how bright the bulb will be. The brightness of LEDs, however, is determined a little differently.
Contrary to common belief, wattage isn’t an indication of brightness, but a measurement of how much energy the bulb draws. For MH/HPS, there is an accepted correlation between the watts drawn and the brightness, but for LEDs, watts aren’t a great predictor of how bright the bulb will be. (The point, after all, is that they draw less energy.)
For example, Our smallest LED shoe box with comparable brightness to a 500W MH/HPS is only 60W. But don’t bother doing the math, there isn’t a uniform way to covert MH/HPS watts to LED watts. Instead of using Watts as a form of measurement, lumens or lm/W (lumens per Watt) should be used. The lumen (lm) is the real measurement of brightness provided by a light bulb, and is the number you should look for when shopping for LEDs. The reason that there is no real way to covert MH/HPS watts to LED watts is because of the following.
Not every LED fixture is made equal and some get a much higher light efficacy or lm/W than others. LED are a SSL (Solid State Lighting) which provides direct light. The lumens ratings are done in a 2X 360 degree integrating sphere. LED lights cannot be rated the same or side by side any other lighting since the light you get is direct.MH/HPS bulbs lumen output varies widely and light depreciation can range of 30%-60% with a high percentage of the stated lumen output coming from infrared and ultraviolet light. For more info on light degradation see this post here.We have listed replacement ranges on the “Additional Information” tab on each product, this will give you a replacement range for the optimal replacement.
For more information about light depreciation please click here.