The outdoor lighting around my house draws from three different circuits, which gave me a natural test bed for LED bulbs. Over the last twelve months I installed five different brands across porch, garage, soffit, and dusk to dawn fixtures, and logged failures, color shift, and dimming behavior. Here are the bulbs that survived the year and the ones that did not.
| Bulb | Type | Rating | Color temp | My rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philips Ultra Definition PAR38 | Flood | Wet | 2700K | 4.6/5 |
| GE Reveal A19 Outdoor | General | Damp | 3000K | 4.4/5 |
| Cree Lighting BR30 | Recessed | Wet | 2700K | 4.5/5 |
| Sylvania Ultra LED Dusk to Dawn A19 | Auto sensor | Wet | 2700K | 4.3/5 |
| Feit Electric LED BR40 | Recessed flood | Damp | 3000K | 4.0/5 |
Philips Ultra Definition PAR38
The Philips PAR38 went into my driveway flood fixture and survived a winter that included two ice storms and a stretch of below zero nights. Color rendering is excellent at CRI 95, which made the brick on the front of the house look like the real color it does in daylight. Eighteen hours of daily on time across summer brought no measurable lumen drop. This is the bulb I would buy first for any open weather flood.
GE Reveal A19 Outdoor
The Reveal A19 is the one I put in the covered front porch fixture, because the warm color rendering matched the brass finish well. The damp rating is appropriate for a covered application but I would not use it under an open eave that gets blown rain. Over the year there was no visible color shift and the bulb still hits its rated lumens. The base feels lighter than the premium picks, but it tightens normally.
Cree Lighting BR30
The Cree BR30 went into recessed soffit cans and is the only bulb in the test that is wet rated in the recessed format. The light spreads wider than a PAR, which is what you want under an eave aimed at a walkway. Cree’s warranty is the strongest in this group at five years, and I have used Cree bulbs elsewhere that survived past their stated life. No issues this year.
Sylvania Ultra LED Dusk to Dawn A19
The dusk to dawn A19 has a photocell built into the bulb, which sounds gimmicky until you realize you can drop it into any fixture and skip the switch. I put one in a side yard fixture that I never reach to flip on, and it turned itself on at sundown every evening for a year without intervention. Sensor accuracy was good even on cloudy afternoons. Just confirm the bulb is mounted so the sensor sees actual sky.
Feit Electric LED BR40
The Feit BR40 is the budget pick and it earned a mid pack rating mostly because of value rather than performance. The bulb dimmed visibly after six months in daily use, and the color shifted slightly cooler than the original 3000K. For a covered porch with light duty cycles, that is acceptable. For higher use locations, the premium picks pay for themselves in not having to climb a ladder twice as often.
How to Choose
Pick by rating first. Wet rated bulbs cost a few dollars more and handle anything an exterior fixture will see. Match the bulb shape to the fixture, since a PAR throws focused light and an A19 throws wide. Stay between 2700K and 3000K for residential, and check the CRI value, which says how accurately colors render. A CRI of 90 or better is worth the upgrade for any front of house location. Skip smart features on outdoor bulbs because connectivity reliability in winter weather is still mixed. A reliable photocell dusk to dawn bulb solves the same problem with fewer failure points.
Frequently asked questions
Are damp rated and wet rated LEDs the same?+
No. Damp rated is for covered exterior fixtures that do not see direct rain. Wet rated bulbs can be exposed to rain directly. Use a wet rated bulb in any open downpour location.
Do LED bulbs flicker with photocell switches?+
Cheap LEDs do, because photocells need a small standby current. Look for photocell compatible on the label or step up to a name brand bulb to avoid the strobe effect at dusk.
What color temperature works best for porch lights?+
Most testers prefer 2700K to 3000K outdoors because it matches incandescent warmth. 5000K is too clinical for residential use unless you are lighting a workshop or driveway.