Feit Electric PAR38 LED 16-Watt Indoor Flood Light Review

Our review of the Feit Electric PAR38 16-watt LED finds it weak when compared with other similar indoor flood light competitors.

Feit Electric PAR38 16-watt LED Indoor Flood Light

The Feit Electric PAR38 7-LED 16-Watt Flood Reflector is a relatively bright flood light intended for indoor use. This is a big bulb with a fairly strong light source—which uses more energy than smaller LED floods, but still saves several times the wattage of a halogen flood light.  Its manufacturer, Feit Electric, has emerged as one of a handful of industry leaders in LED bulb technology. Like Philips, GE, and Sylvania, Feit has produced standard incandescent replacements and is also working on downlight technology.

Today’s review takes a look at the Feit Electric PAR38/HP/LED 7-LED 16-Watt Flood Reflector bulb based on five components: Design (10 possible points), Light Quality and Details (25), Brightness and Dimming (25), Efficiency and Safety (15), Warranty and Durability (25). We assign points to each section, and at the end of the review, summarize our findings and provide a final rating (out of 100) and recommendation.

Design (10 out of 10):  The Feit Electric PAR38 7-LED 16-watt bulb is a large fixture, much as its hefty name suggests. The Feit PAR38 has a crisp, clean exterior, with linear metal exterior wrapping around the bulb. This simple, attractive design shouldn’t attract many stares—probably the best quality a light bulb could have.

Light Quality and Details (22 out of 25):  At 3,000 K, the Feit Electric PAR38 16-watt bulb produces a light that is a bit warmer than the Philips PAR38 16-watt competitor. However, it still does not produce as warm of a light as halogen floods, which can get as low as 2800K, light of a soft warm color. The Feit Electric PAR 38 bulb’s CRI rings in at 80, a far cry from a halogens or incandescents that typically read around 100 CRI.

Brightness and Dimming (19 out of 25):  At 725 lumens, this bulb gives off the brightest light anyone can currently obtain from an LED flood light. Feit claims that its PAR38 16-watt LED bulb replaces a 75-watt halogen PAR38 bulb. This might be a bit of a stretch, as the typical PAR38 halogen bulb emits around 940-960 lumens. However, some LED technologies on flood lights have been able to utilize reflection within the bulb to strengthen light output by maximizing its directional capacities. The Feit Electric PAR38 16-watt bulb still falls short of the 75-watt halogen, but not by as much as the gap in lumens might lead one to think.

Continuing with the trend of indoor LED downlights, this bulb is also not dimmable. Keep reading future articles to see if any LED downlight has accomplished this feat so far.

Efficiency and Safety (10 out of 15):  While the Feit Electric PAR38 16-watt LED bulb is mercury-free and lacks UV emissions, Feit does not claim lead-free status for this bulb. Philips advertises its PAR38 bulb as lead-free, and Feit should have no reason not to do so. For this reason, we have to take away some safety points.

In terms of efficiency, we’d like to see this bulb have a slightly higher light output for the 16 watts going in. While 16 watts is low for an incandescent or halogen, it is still quite high for an LED. The 75 watt halogen “equivalent” is several hundred lumens brighter than Feit’s PAR38 bulb. While some of this can be made up for in superior direction of the light rays, consumer reports indicate that this bulb does not live up to its potential brightness.

Warranty and Durability (18 out of 25):  Feit Electric “guarantees” 30,000 hours on this bulb, but backs it up with only a two-year warranty. For comparison’s sake, Philips provides a six-year warranty on its PAR38 LED downlights. LEDs are usually more durable than incandescents or halogens, so it will certainly last you longer than an incandescent that dies at the earliest vibration. Even still, a good warranty is a great way for a manufacturer to communicate confidence in their product, and Feit is still lacking in this regard.

Dimensions and Weight: Base - E26 base, Length - 5.35 in; Diameter 4.8 in.

The Feit Electric PAR38 16-watt LED a pretty big bulb, so keep in mind that your fixture will need to carry the extra weight.

Cost and Availability: This bulb’s price varies, and like many other LEDs, it is strangely cheaper at stores than on Amazon.  You can find it for $44.98 at Lowe’s, $67.99 on Amazon (or possibly cheaper if a used bulb is up for sale), or $44.90 on Attic Trunk.

Overall Rating and Summary (79 of 100):  Overall, this bulb scores a 79 out of 100, or “C+” on our ratings scale. We ultimately were not impressed by the relatively high energy input that provided a medium light output. The Philips PAR38 outshone this light—not by much, but enough to keep the Feit PAR38 16-watt in the “C” range. A longer warranty and more honest advertising about what heavy metals are included in its bulbs would definitely catapult the Feit PAR38 to the next level in our ratings system.