I like what I see, but before I plunk down 30-60 bucks per light I want to know if anyone else has used them. I hope that LED's can make it because I think they are a much better alternative (potentially anyways) than CFL's. Feedback anyone?

See if your local Walmart has the GE 10w LED Par 30 bulbs - they are $40 and have good color and brightness.

Hi, thanks for the reply. I did buy two of the walmart LEDs and they were just too dim. The philips ones are supposed to be much brighter. That's their theory anyways. They better be brighter for what they cost! Lol

Would be interested in seeing what you think of them...  I haven't used them, but I have tried the "Lights of America" brand.  Stay clear!  They lasted about 2 months and then broke- all 4 of them. 

I found this informative (if slightly biased):
http://www.eternaleds.com/The_Definitive_LED_Light_Bulb_Buying_Guide_a/220.htm

These bulbs from Array seem like the best ones out there from my research but I haven't had a chance to use them yet -does anyone have real world experience with them? http://www.arraylighting.com/products/array_par30_8.html

Whenever buying LEDs, look at the fine print for the light output  in lumens (not candelas, which is a center-spot brightness, not a total light output number.)  Then divide lumens by watts.  If the lm/w number is under 50, better CFLs are gonna beat it on efficiency.

If it's a tiny spot-lamp designed for accent lighting you can be OK comparing candela numbers with those on similar halogens.

Another important factor to look at is color rendering index (CRI)- under 80 is marginal to downright lousy, 80+ is pretty good, 90+ is awesome. The Array PAR30 is very efficient at ~70lm/w, but a CRI of 80 while fine for general illumination, isn't gonna win awards with art-lovers.  The Cree LR6R30 is less efficient at ~55lm/w (comparable efficiency to the best edison base CFL R30s) but has a CRI over 90.

Last but not least, color TEMPERATURE, makes a huge difference.  All MR and edison-base LED bulbs are based on blue LED technology, and are most efficient in the blue "cool white" end of the spectrum (5000K and up).  But food and skin tones can  look practically nauseating under very high color-temps (aquariums look good at high color temp, but we're not fish, eh?).  Most residential applications call for lower "warm white" color temps (3000K max), especially for kitchens & dining. High efficiency blues can be good for residential security lighting though.

Beyond mere brightness I demand efficiency out of an LED before I buy in.  They last damn-near forever (or at least the better ones should), so buying a lower efficiency
version now locks in the low efficiency for 10-15-20 years or more.  My expectation is that by the time the existing CFLs fail LED efficiencies will have improved, and the prices will have fallen.  Right now there are very few LEDs that beat CFL efficiencies (but some, particularly on the low-output R and PAR bulb end), but some of the MR16 etc. tiny halogen replacements that have no CFL equivalents are cost effective now in high-priced electricity markets, and will be even more so next year.

It'll likely be a long time before any LEDs beat linear fluorescent technology for raw lumens/watt though.  Where appropriate it's better to let T8s & T5s do the heavy lifting of setting ambient light levels.  But if the longevity & color rendering issues ever get resolved on organic LED (OLED) technology it could be a whole new ball game.

I have several of the Earthled lights in my home. The 'Zetalux' specifically.

http://www.earthled.com/zetalux-led-light-bulb.html

It works very well in my opinion. Quick on - no delay / works in the cold / lasts forever / impact resistant / no mercury and 64 lumens per watt (450 lumens / 7 watts = 64 lm/watt.) That's better than most CFL's but not quite up to T8 lighting (yet).

Does anyone know when we can get our hands on the Phillips entry for the "L Prize" - It is supposed to be more efficient (85 lm / watt by my calc) and the price is supposed to be lower (that was a requirement for the L prize) ----> http://www.lightingprize.org/

The CRI 80 of the warm-white Zetalux isn't bad, but it only puts out 350 lumens (50lm/w), which is below many $2 twisty CFLs, comparable to PAR & R CFLs. 

The 64lm/w cool-white Zetalux has a CRI of only 75- not terrible, maybe OK for some applications, but with a sky-blue 6000K color temp, probably not the best for ambient lighting in homes (great for accenting aquariums though!)

Still, not bad performance for a tiny-wattage LED.  If used where the directional nature of LED is an asset more than a drawback (downlighting & accent lighting) they can have higher efficacy than comparable or slightly better performing (in lm/w terms) self-ballasted CFLs.

The light prize specs have now been bumped to:

90lm/w+

CRI 90

initial lumens 900lm+

dimmable to 20% without flicker.

color temperature between 2700 & 3000K (warm white)

The PAR38 entry has to have about 12% of the center-beam intensity @ 40 degree off-axis (essentially PAR halogen photometrics) The A-bulb entry can't vary intensity by more than 10% from 0 to 150 degrees off axis (nearly isotropic except around it's base).

The MSRP for the 60W A-bulb replacement has to be under $22 for the initial release, under $15 for the second year of product life, and under $8 by year three.

There's more:

http://www.lightingprize.org/pdfs/LPrize-Revision1.pdf

I'm not holding my breath yet, but I expect to live to see it...

Lots of products coming out. Be careful. Look for lumens, warranties that back up the product. L Prize testing of Philips product will tell that story. We'll know by this time next year.

I am building now, and don't want to wait till next year...anyone want to comment on the new Philips bulb? availability, capability, etc.?

Not sure what your Home Depot has from Philips. LEDs will make it, once everyone knows quality from much of the junk that's out there. Look for lumens and warranties. Ask for the Lighting Facts label. It means the product has been tested and at least someone has verified the numbers on the package.