In tonight’s broadcast, NBC Nightly News had a segment on the popular compact fluorescent light bulbs, or CFLs, used in many homes and offices these days. These lights have been sold as the best light bulb option because they are widely-considered to use 50% less energy than an incandescent bulb, thereby being more environmentally friendly. However, as Coast LED Knife Blog readers know, these bulbs do in fact pose an environmental risk.
The technology in these incandescent bulbs utilizes mercury which has been shown to cause kidney and brain damage. Though only small amounts of the neurotoxin are in any one bulb, it is still enough to contaminate large amounts of drinking water if exposed. The segment included an interview with a woman who called poison control when she dropped one of her CFLs. She was told that clean-up would be possible, for a fee of $2000.
The simple facts are that LED lights are more powerful than the average incandescent lights and they last longer. Not all LED light manufacturers are equal, however. To maximize the benefits of a LED flashlight, headlamp or other light, make sure to stick to the top of the line brands that use the best LED light bulbs available. Of all the LED light manufacturers out there, one of the very best is 
Without getting all technical and scientific on you, I wanted to give readers a better sense of just how LED bulbs work. In a standard incandescent light bulb, there is a filament that carries electricity, which as a result causes them to emit light and heat up. Most of these filaments are hair thin and very fragile. A sharp blow to the bulb may not always break the bulb casing but it can still break the filament inside. After a while, the filament becomes weak with use and will break on its own. This is not the case with a LED or light emitting diode.
