Silverlite [Plug&Play] 5w LED PL Bulb GX23-2 Pin Base,13w CFL Equivalent,500LM,Daylight Natural White(4000k),Driven by 120-277V and CFL Ballast,Horizontal Recessed,180° Rotatable,UL Listed

This bulb replaced a 9 watt PL style bulb in an older non-electronic ballast outdoor fixture. (I believe it is required to rewire fixtures with electronic ballasts to bypass the ballast and make direct connection to the feed power). It is noticeably brighter and throws it's light in a 180 degree pattern with most of the light concentrated in the middle 120 degrees or so. The bulb swivels 90 degrees so it can be aimed regardless of the orientation of the socket. I got this light because fluorescent PL bulbs give off less light when the temperature goes below 10 degrees or so and often start to blink on and off in minus temperatures. This LED light is not affected by temperature so that the light output is the same. It has been working satisfactorily for several months now.

I have 3 bathroom fan/Lights. I have always hated how the CFLs flicker forever (2 to 3 seconds) I know that doesn't sound that long but I have literally turned on the light, it flickers I grab what I needed and turned it off before it stopped flickering. I thought I would try one of these Silverlite LEDs and see how it works. It came fast and in good shape. I tried to install it but it wouldn't fit or so I thought. After looking at it for a bit I realized that the GX23 socket in the light fixture could be removed. Inserted the Silverlite LED light then clicked the GX23 socket into place. For two of the fixtures I left the ballast in place and one I removed to see if there was any difference and there wasn't. All lights came on fast without any clicking, flashing or long delays. These are a little brighter then the CFLs which is good. All in all these, for me where truly plug n play. I had them all installed before I received the notification from Amazon stating that they where delivered.

I have mixed feelings about this product. The first set I bought were used in my bathroom light fixture. They worked great, instant on, brighter than the originals, I was very happy. I had specifically used these bulbs because I wanted an LED replacement, but I rent an apartment and am not in a position where I could remove the ballast. Apparently, I got lucky with the first set and the bathroom fixture has a magnetic ballast. When it came time to replace the bulbs in the living room fixture I happily ordered another set. Well, not so lucky this time. The bulbs flickered, sputtered, and then burned out (complete with burnt plastic and smoke - see pictures). After that I re-read the ad. It does say specifically for use with 'magnetic ballasts'. It would have been nice if they had mentioned that it DOES NOT WORK WITH ELECTRONIC BALLAST! a little more prominently (and will catch fire). Other than that, it is a good product. Anyway, $25 worth of dead bulbs later and now it looks as if I have go back to crappy CFL's.

I just installed these bulbs about ten minutes ago, so time will tell. But so far they're loads better than my old GS23 fluorescents! The fluorescents were: loud and buzzy flickery harsh, blue-ish light These LEDs are: silent non-flickery warm, slightly yellow light In other words, you get all the benefits of incandescent light, with all the efficiency of LED bulbs! They went straight in the sockets; I didn't remove the ballast at all. I was skeptical of that one, but they do indeed work great with a ballast. And like I said, they don't buzz! I like 'em so much I'm buying two more cases. They're not cheap, but they'll last, and I'm not above calling this a quality of life issue :)

Best bulbs to place over the bathroom and kitchen areas as recessed replacement lights. The CFL bulbs have proven to be quite expensive to replace as our family keeps turning them on and off, burning them out within a few months time. Time to switch out with LED, in hope they will be much better in the durability department. At 25W, CFL couldn't match the 7W LED. 7W @ 5000K is perfect for just nightlighting in the kitchen. Not too bright, not too dim. If you're using over the bathtub as a mood light, go for something warmer in the 3500K at 4W to 5W. But if you're using it for single light lighting in the bathroom, 7W @ 5000K is a good start. I would say 10W to 15W @5000K or 8W to 10W @ 6000K. Of course, each person has his/her personal preferences. Remember, the light is facing 1 direction (outwards/sideway). If it's sitting above you, Most of the brightness will be hitting the metallic sidewall before the reflection provides the downwards brightness. Not a whole lot of option at this moment for GX23 (2-pins) version. You may need to properly measure the amount of headspace for the light to be inserted. At 5.9 inches (not 5.7 inches), I have to push the mounting bracket out of its retainer groves upwards. The light rests above my glass cover, but still fits inside the housing.

The electrical connections line up and fit BUT the plastic at the base is so large that the bulb will not fit in place. Compared to the original CFL, the base is huge. I can not use this.

Very good product. We tried this in a wall sconce and it worked fine. We landed up going with a different brand after testing only because the color of the light was a little cooler than another we tried. In short, it does exactly as it is advertised to do. Plug and play, and saves around 12W while giving off more light than the CFL it replaced and our fixtures run 24X7 so they will payback in about 8 months from energy savings over the CFL bulb. The only thing I cannot attest to is its life and whether it will really last 50,000 hours. Seems like a hard claim to support with new technology since 50,000 hours would be about 5.7 years and I don't think these have even been around that long to know they would last. But assuming they would last 5X longer than CFL they pay for themselves in replacement bulbs alone.