Costco Vs Home Depot: Who Sells The Better LED Light Bulb?

According to the US Department of Energy, LED light bulbs (incorporating light emitting diodes) use at least 75% less energy than the traditional incandescent type and last up to 25 times as long. If you'd like to investigate why, there is plenty of useful information on the difference between these two types of light bulbs. However, for this article, we're going to accept the basic benefits of the technology and look at examples from two leading retailers, Costco and Home Depot, to assess who sells the better LED bulb.

There are a number of LED lighting options, including string lights, spotlights, etc., but we're focusing on replacement light bulbs. The kind of everyday item any homeowner needs to change from time to time, and something you likely have in a cupboard or drawer somewhere. When you go shopping for LED light bulbs, you'll want to check things like color temperature, lumens, and wattage equivalents because these may not be what you're used to. You'll also want to know how to tell what LED light bulbs are compatible with classic fixtures.

Armed with that information, you should be able to choose the model that suits your needs, but will you find it at Costco or Home Depot? It will, of course, depend on which bulb you're looking for, but if we had to pick a single best store for LED light bulbs, it would be Home Depot. Let's take a closer look at why.

Costco is known for very competitive prices. An 18-pack of A19 bulbs (the standard size in many US homes) is under $40. They get a 4.8-star rating from 257 customer reviews. Yet surprisingly, over at Home Depot, you can get a 24-pack of the same size LED light bulbs for under $30. They get a 4.7-star rating from 245 customer reviews. So there's little to choose in terms of how people feel about them. The brands in question are Feit and Sylvania, and both have solid reputations.

For a direct comparison, we chose the Philips Hue 75W White Ambiance 4-Pack, which at Costco is $79.99. These are smart LED light bulbs that can be controlled via Bluetooth, app, or voice, and hence the price increase. However, Home Depot has them at $59.78. So although it may not always be the case, prices for LED light bulbs at Home Depot are often lower than at Costco.

What about choice? A search for LED light bulbs at Costco gives 15 results. Over at Home Depot the same search produces more than 2,600 results. Not all are replacement bulbs, but when you're looking at how to choose the perfect lighting for your space and you need LED light bulbs, it seems you're much more likely to find them at Home Depot than at Costco. Finally, almost all Costco LED light bulbs are only available online, while Home Depot usually has hundreds in store.