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| # | Product | Best for | Lumens | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Philips Ultra Definition A19 LED, 60W equivalent, 2700K The default bulb for almost every lamp in a home | It is a bulb. Swap it, keep the old one, put it back when you leave. | 800 lm | Check price on Amazon #ad No live price right now, so we show none. How we earn |
| 02 | Feit Electric 100W Equivalent A19 LED, 2700K, Enclosed-Rated High output in a fixture that traps heat | A bulb swap. Nothing fixed, fully reversible. | About 1,500 lm (100W equivalent) | Check price on Amazon #ad No live price right now, so we show none. How we earn |
| 03 | Cree Lighting A19 60W Equivalent LED, 5000K, Good for Enclosed Enclosed fixtures where you want daylight, not warmth | A bulb swap. Fully reversible. | 815 lm | Check price on Amazon #ad No live price right now, so we show none. How we earn |
| 04 | Philips Ultra Definition A19 LED, 100W equivalent, 1500 lm Squeezing more light out of the sockets you already have | It is a bulb. No fixing, no permission, fully reversible. | 1,500 lm | Check price on Amazon #ad No live price right now, so we show none. How we earn |
Specifications are the manufacturer or retailer published figures, compiled by hand. We have not measured them, and where a figure is not published we write "Not published" rather than guess.
01
Compare bulbs, not brands
People search for which brand is best, and it is the wrong question. Philips, Cree and Feit each make excellent bulbs and ordinary ones. A brand name tells you very little about the bulb in your hand.
So this comparison does the only thing that is honest: it compares the specific bulbs from each brand that this site recommends, on their published numbers. The conclusions are about those bulbs, not about every product each company sells.
| Bulb | Output | Color | CRI | Enclosed rated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philips Ultra Definition A19 | 800 lm | 2700K | 95 | No |
| Philips Ultra Definition, 100W eq. | 1,500 lm | 2700K | 95 | No |
| Feit A19, enclosed | About 1,500 lm | 2700K | 90+ | Yes |
| Cree A19 | 815 lm | 5000K | 90+ | Yes (good for enclosed) |
02
What each does best
Philips Ultra Definition - best color rendering. 800 lumens at 2700K with CRI 95, and a 1,500 lumen version at the same CRI. CRI 95 is the highest of the group and makes faces, food and fabric look noticeably more natural - it is the bulb this site reaches for most. The case is in best high-CRI LED bulbs.
Weakness: no enclosed-fixture rating, so it belongs in open lamps and fittings, not sealed domes.
Feit A19, enclosed rated - best for sealed fittings at home. About 1,500 lumens at 2700K with CRI 90+, and rated for enclosed fixtures. It is the warm, bright bulb that survives a sealed flush mount or porch lantern.
Weakness: output is published as an equivalence rather than a precise figure, and CRI 90+ trails the Philips.
Cree A19 - best for utility rooms. 815 lumens at 5000K with CRI 90+, a 25,000 hour rated life, and marked good for enclosed fixtures. It publishes both halves honestly - life and the rating that makes the life figure credible in a sealed fitting.
Weakness: 5000K is a cool daylight tone that suits a laundry or garage and looks clinical in a living room.
03
How to read any bulb, whatever the brand
The same four checks work on any bulb from any brand, and they matter more than the name on the box.
- Lumens for brightness - not watts, not the equivalence. See lumens vs watts.
- Kelvin for warmth - 2700K for living spaces.
- CRI for color accuracy - 90+ at least, 95 where it matters.
- Ratings - enclosed, damp or wet, where the fitting needs them.
Those figures are on the box - the standardized panel is decoded in reading the Lighting Facts label. The broader bulb picks across brands are in best LED bulbs for the home.
The picks
The products behind this page
01
The default bulb for almost every lamp in a home
Philips Ultra Definition A19 LED, 60W equivalent, 2700K
#ad No live price right now, so we show none. How we earn
800 lumens at 2700K with a published CRI 95 for the price of an ordinary bulb - the single easiest upgrade in this entire category.
| Lumens | 800 lm |
|---|---|
| Color temperature | 2700K |
| CRI | 95 |
| Power source | Screws into a standard E26 socket (8W) |
| Dimmable | Yes |
| Renter-safe method | It is a bulb. Swap it, keep the old one, put it back when you leave. |
What it gets right
- CRI 95 at a mainstream price, which almost nothing else manages
- 2700K matches the warm light most rooms were designed around
- Dimmable and rated flicker-free
What it costs you
- 800 lumens is one bulb's worth - a dark room needs several
- 2700K is too warm for detailed kitchen task work
- R9 is not published, so deep reds are an unknown
Spec source: Home Depot listing - retrieved September 3, 2026.
02
High output in a fixture that traps heat
Feit Electric 100W Equivalent A19 LED, 2700K, Enclosed-Rated
#ad No live price right now, so we show none. How we earn
A 100W-equivalent A19 at 2700K and CRI 90+ that is rated for enclosed and damp fixtures - the combination that stops a bright bulb dying early inside a glass dome.
| Lumens | About 1,500 lm (100W equivalent) |
|---|---|
| Color temperature | 2700K |
| CRI | 90+ |
| Power source | Screws into a standard E26 socket |
| Dimmable | Yes |
| Renter-safe method | A bulb swap. Nothing fixed, fully reversible. |
What it gets right
- Explicitly rated for enclosed and damp-rated fixtures, which most bright LEDs are not
- CRI 90+ at a mainstream price
- 2700K, so it matches the rest of a warm-lit home
What it costs you
- Enclosed-rated bulbs still run hotter in a sealed dome than in open air
- Output is given as a wattage equivalence rather than a measured figure
- Larger envelope than some flush fittings will take - measure first
Spec source: Home Depot listing (OM100DM/927CA/2) - retrieved September 3, 2026.
03
Enclosed fixtures where you want daylight, not warmth
Cree Lighting A19 60W Equivalent LED, 5000K, Good for Enclosed
#ad No live price right now, so we show none. How we earn
815 lumens at 5000K with CRI 90+ and a 25,000 hour rated life, marked as good for enclosed fixtures - the one to use in a sealed utility or bathroom fitting.
| Lumens | 815 lm |
|---|---|
| Color temperature | 5000K |
| CRI | 90+ |
| Power source | Screws into a standard E26 socket |
| Dimmable | Yes |
| Renter-safe method | A bulb swap. Fully reversible. |
What it gets right
- Publishes a real lumen figure rather than only an equivalence
- 25,000 hour rated life, and rated for enclosed use
- CRI 90+ at 5000K, which is rarer than at 2700K
What it costs you
- 5000K is wrong for a living room - this is a utility and task bulb
- Rated life assumes normal ambient temperature, not a hot sealed dome
- Only 815 lumens, so a large enclosed fitting may want two
Spec source: Walmart listing - retrieved September 3, 2026.
04
Squeezing more light out of the sockets you already have
Philips Ultra Definition A19 LED, 100W equivalent, 1500 lm
#ad No live price right now, so we show none. How we earn
1,500 lumens from a standard A19 - the first move in any dark room is not a new lamp, it is putting these in the lamps already standing there.
| Lumens | 1,500 lm |
|---|---|
| Color temperature | 2700K soft white, or 5000K daylight version |
| CRI | 95 |
| Power source | Screws into a standard E26 socket |
| Dimmable | Yes |
| Renter-safe method | It is a bulb. No fixing, no permission, fully reversible. |
What it gets right
- Nearly double the output of a 60W-equivalent from the same socket
- CRI 95 holds at the higher output
- Two existing lamps fitted with these add 3,000 lumens to a room
What it costs you
- Check the fixture's maximum rating before fitting a brighter bulb
- Too much for a bedside lamp
- Enclosed fixtures can shorten the life of any high-output LED
Spec source: Walmart listing - retrieved September 3, 2026.
FAQ
Questions people actually ask
+Which is better, Philips, Cree or Feit LED bulbs?
It depends on the specific bulb, not the brand. Among the bulbs this site recommends, the Philips Ultra Definition leads on color rendering, while the Feit and Cree bulbs carry the enclosed-fixture rating that sealed fittings need.
+Which LED bulb brand has the best color rendering?
Of the three bulbs compared here, the Philips Ultra Definition publishes CRI 95, against 90+ for the Feit and Cree. CRI 95 makes faces, food and fabric look noticeably more natural.
+Which brand is best for enclosed fixtures?
The Feit and Cree A19s compared here both carry an enclosed-fixture rating. The Philips Ultra Definition does not, so it belongs in open fittings rather than sealed domes.
+Should I choose a bulb by brand?
No. Every brand makes good and poor bulbs. Choose on the published lumens, color temperature, CRI and ratings of the specific bulb - which is exactly what this comparison does.
+Which is warmest?
The Philips Ultra Definition and the Feit A19 here are both 2700K warm white. The Cree A19 compared here is 5000K, a cool daylight tone better suited to utility rooms.
Sources
Where the numbers came from
- Home Depot listing - Philips Ultra Definition A19, 800 lm, 2700K, 95 CRI
- Home Depot listing - Feit Electric 100W equivalent A19, enclosed rated, 90 CRI
- Walmart listing - Cree A19, 815 lm, 25,000 hour rated life, 90 CRI, good for enclosed
- Walmart listing - Philips Ultra Definition A19, 1,500 lm, 2700K, 95 CRI
All sources retrieved September 3, 2026.
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About the author
Sawyer V. An enthusiast who reads the spec sheets and does the arithmetic. No lab, no test bench.