Is It Safe to Buy LED Light Bulbs From Lesser-Known Brands?

For many [city] consumers, established brand names are often considered manufacturers of high-quality products, which for the most part is often true. While this conventional line of thought has proven a reliable guide for many of our consumer purchases, this isn’t necessarily the case when it comes to LED light bulbs and other LED lighting solutions. Sure, buying your LED bulbs from a reliable company is important, but high-quality LEDs are by no means exclusive to companies like GE and Philips.

These days, smaller brands and several up-and-coming manufacturers are just as capable of producing LED light bulbs that are just as good, if not better, than the big players’ offerings.

Here are just a few of the many benefits of buying your LED light bulbs from lesser-known manufacturers.

1. Brands Offer Better Deals

In order to generate consumer interest, many lesser-known LED lighting manufacturers will offer lower prices on their products to be more competitive. However, don’t take this as a sign their LEDs are low in quality.

When it comes right down to it, don’t judge an LED light bulb based on its maker. Check for product reviews and see what other people who have tried the LED bulb have to say about the device before making any purchase decisions.

2. Low Price, Same Product Quality

Large and established lighting manufacturers don’t necessarily produce high-quality products. In fact, brands like Philips had to issue a number of recalls on LED lighting products that had already hit the market but were later found to be faulty—these include the Endura and Ambient LED dimmable light bulbs. One batch was reportedly found to leak low electric current when switched, giving an electric shock when touched.

Likewise, GE, a household name that’s as big and established as they come, issued a recent recall on their high-intensity LED lamps, designed to be a replacement to HID lights, which were observed to have a tendency of detaching from sockets and falling.

So, if there’s anything that can be learned from these examples, it’s that big brands don’t equate ‘big’ quality. That being said, how are you supposed to choose which LEDs to buy if you can’t rely on brand reputation? One way is to check consumer reviews for LEDs you’re looking to purchase, comparing performance, lighting output, and price between your choices.

3. You Get More Variety

Because of the competition they face and the need to stand out next to larger, more popular lighting brands, smaller LED lighting makers are often more creative and adventurous with their products, adding a variety of unique features that, although gimmicky to some, are nevertheless cool to have. For example, Belkin, a company more known for their iPhone accessories, is the maker of the WeMo® Smart LED Bulb, a Wi-Fi connected LED that can be controlled through your phone.

You can see more examples of promising LED lighting solutions from startups and other smaller brands at events like CES, which draw the attention of venture capitalists waiting for the next big product to invest in.