Test results from 3 BR30 (65W, ~2700K) in 2 Caseta dimmers

I tested 3 65W-equivalent BR30 bulbs in a Caseta plugin dimmer and 2 of them in an in-wall dimmer. Here's the results.

Summary: Philips BR-30 Soft Glow is the best warm/soft BR30 bulb I've found for Lutron dimmers. There may (or may not) be the tiniest hum but it's audible to about 1', that is, only when one sticks one's head right next to the bulb. If these are going in ceiling cans, it's inaudible even with 7' ceilings, and even for table lamps it's inaudible unless the lamp is less than 1' from you. The dimming doesn't get anywhere near as low as an incandescent, but otherwise everything functions normally.

Bulbs tested

• Feit model BR30DM65/LED(C1), UPC 1780143500. This is Feit's only 2700K 650-lumen BR30 bulb as of the date of this post. Note that all "BR30DM65/LED" products are the same bulb; the "C1" just means that this SKU includes 1 bulb.
• Philips "Warm Glow" 2200-2700K model 9290011555, UPC 4667745703. This is Philips' only 2200-2700K (depending on brightness) 650-lumen BR30 bulb as of the date of this post.
• Cree "Soft White" SBR30-06527FLFD-12DE26-1-13, UPC 4966501134. This is Cree's only 2700K BR30 bulb as of the date of this post.

Test #1: PD-3PCL-WH plug-in dimmer

1. Feit: Loud buzz audible at 3', both when on and when dimmed. I'd rate the buzz intensity as 4 on a 1-5 scale.
2. Philips: Tiniest buzz; faintest when at full intensity; slightly louder when dimmed. When dimmed (ie, loudest), is barely audible at 1' and inaudible at 18". 1/5 buzz.
3. Cree: 4/5, roughly as loud as the Feit but at a slightly lower pitch.

Test #2: PD-6WCL-WH in-wall dimmer

1. Feit: Did not test.
2. Philips: No buzz at 2.5' (ie, 1 outstretched arm length from ceiling can), which is as close as I could get to the ceiling, both when dimmed and when full intensity. 0/5.
3. Cree: 5/5 buzz, very noticeable even at 2.5'.

Other: No bulbs exhibited problems with power on delay, flickering, or dimming (other than that the dimmest value is much brighter than incandescent).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by forumuser72

The dimming doesn't get anywhere near as low as an incandescent, but otherwise everything functions normally.
..
Other: No bulbs exhibited problems with power on delay, flickering, or dimming (other than that the dimmest value is much brighter than incandescent).

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One more update: after adjusting high and low trim levels per the Caseta advanced installation guide (http://www.casetawireless.com/Docume...nst.pdf#page57), dimming on the Philips Soft Glow works great.

I trimmed the low level to the point where the lights first show any illumination, and (a) that level is very dim (and very warm color temp), which is great, and (b) at that level, the bulbs don't flicker or exhibit other problems. I also set the high trim level much lower than the factory default, so the range is relatively small.

At least from my experience, I'd recommend Philips 2200-2700K Warm Glow BR30s (other than perhaps if your ears are within 1' of the lamp).