Switch Lighting is one of the companies that’s been heading up the LED bulb revolution. While it may have been forced onto us via government regulation, LED bulbs are pretty impressive—and they save tons of energy, particularly in larger installations where you have hundreds if not thousands of bulbs. Switch is known for making true LED replacement bulbs in 40W, 60W and 75W equivalents, but today they announced the SWITCH 3-Way, and earned a CES “Best of Innovations” award in the process. The bulb is the first (we’ve heard of, at least) 25/50/75 watt-equivalent LED bulb for use in three-way lighting fixtures (three-way meaning three-mode, not as in a 3-way switch for a hallway or large space).
Switch Lighting 3-Way LED Bulbs
The Switch 3-Way is the first LED bulb that works in three-way lighting fixtures to produce three levels of light. It’s a technical achievement if only because there wasn’t much attention in this area due to the advanced electronics and considerations that need to take place within the bulb in order to achieve three degrees of lighting. The SWITCH 3-Way design provides the same warm, familiar glow of an incandescent, but uses up to 80% less energy. The three power settings give users control over the amount of light, ambiance, and energy used, but with no changes in color temperature. For the first time, users can select different levels of lighting (low, medium, and high) for different applications and moods at the flip of a switch on a table or floor lamp.
This brings to mind a curious proposition: If three-way bulbs allow for maintaining color temperature across three modes of operation, could not a single bulb also allow for three different color temperatures across the same light output? We’d think so—and I wouldn’t wonder if that isn’t down the road soon for LED bulbs (imagine being able to choose from cool white or a warm incandescent-matching color temperature). I’d certainly pay a little extra for that, but perhaps I’m weird.
As with all of Switch’s LED bulbs, the Switch Lighting 3-way LED bulbs use the company’s patented LQD Cooling System, a thermal management system comprised of a coolant made of liquid silicone, and a patented, highly efficient and reliable electronic driver. Switch claims their bulbs are up to 40% more effective at diffusing heat and cooling LEDs than air-cooled bulbs.
For more info, check out Switch Lighting here.
