. . . before Earthlink so rudely interrupted me with the
effable ineptness of its "service" . . .

I've tried out some LED bulbs over the past few months.  Far and
away the best is a 5 x 1 watt CREE LED.  It's about a bright as
a forty watt bulb and only uses 5 watts of power.  At $52.00
a pop it's pricey, but the costs should come down.  Even at
that price it's a better choice than stockpiling regular incandescent
bulbs.  It produces no UV and it's supposed to last 50 times
as long as an incandescent bulb.

I've also tried some "P60 48 white LED 110 V" bulbs,
which use three watts apiece and are rated at 150 lumens--about the
equivalent of a ten watt bulb. I've got a half dozen of them here, and
they're sort of like a Bush cabinet meeting: a very dim group.  They
might be okay in a small space, or if you need dim lighting in an
area, but you can't read by them.

Incidentaly, WalMart sells some LED nightlights for a dollar
or so apiece.  They use a half-watt of power and are about as
bright as a regular night light.  Plus they have a photocell to
turn them on when the regular lights go off.

Does anyone else have any experiene with LED bulbs?

--Bill Thompson