That's right, these bulbs look like the traditional filament light bulbs but use LEDs and instead of chewing 40-100W of power use less than 10W. I picked up one of the Philips 'Classic Design' LED bulbs last night to see how it holds up. At first impression the bulb looks close enough to a traditional style Edison bulb.
When it lights up, it's hard to tell the difference between it and an old style bulb, except for the fact that the LED sheets are perfectly straight versus the usually wonky filaments in old bulbs.
Unlike some of the other energy saving bulbs, this LED bulb lights up instantly. That is the major reason I actually bought it, to replace my existing bulb that takes a few minutes to get to full power. The amount of light generated by this bulb is quite decent too. It has a nice soft glow and the light isn't focused in spots, it's diffused nicely.
The bulb does get a bit warm when it's on, but nothing like a traditional Edison bulb which is impossible to touch. With the LED version I could quite comfortably hold it in my hands.
The best thing about these faux Edison LED bulbs is the industry has caught on to their popularity so you can get all sorts of different shapes and designs of them, check this link out for some great designs. The LED bulbs are more expensive than the standard bulbs but they do last longer so over time the cost is about the same.
I can see myself getting more of these in the future, probably more than I actually need just because some that are available are just really cool...like the Diamond Fireworks LED Edison bulb, who would be able to resist that?!
Good luck trying not to buy any!
-i
