LED filament bulbs: what are they, what types are available and how do they compare?

Vintage LED filament bulbs create a cosy, laid-back atmosphere perfect for decorative lighting in the home or in bars or entertainment venues. The main things you need to think about when choosing an LED filament bulb are:

• the shape you want—this affects how the light fits in or adds to your current decor more than anything
• the colour temperature you want—lower means more warm and amber
• how much you want to spend

Jump to:

• Getting the vintage effect—understanding colour temperature
• E27 LED filament bulbs range specifications
• Dimmable LED filament bulbs range specifications

What is an LED filament bulb?

An LED filament bulb is designed to imitate the original Edison filament bulb—the first kind of light bulb—using LED technology. If you want to learn more about the first Edison lights, bulbs.com has a great guide to the history of the light bulb.

Lots of vintage or antique lights are in the filament bulb style. This is what they look like:

The main features are:

• the distinctive warm-yellow glow they emit
• the visible long, winding filaments in the glass

They can come in lots of different shapes including globes, squirrel cages or teardrops. 

LED filament bulbs were developed to solve the problem of using traditional carbon filaments and modern tungsten coil technology, both of which aren’t energy-efficient. Instead, LEDs are lined up in a row inside an LED filament bulb to imitate the effect of the traditional filament while using less energy than the original version.

Getting the vintage effect: it’s all in the colour temperature

One of the main reasons to buy filament bulbs is to take advantage of the warm colour temperatures they provide, so it’s worth understanding that for a really warm-yellow or orangey glow you want a lower colour temperature.

These aren’t the normal colour temperatures you’ll be used to from everyday light bulbs—the light emitted is much warmer. Think rich yellows, ambers and oranges that make a really cosy atmosphere.

Warm means yellow/orange and feels cosier but less bright*

Cold means nearer white or daylight and can seem brighter*

*Technically it isn’t “less bright” or “brighter”—that’s to do with lumen output. So the industry uses colour temperature to describe the difference between a normal bathroom light and a cosy living room light where the actual lumen output (the technical “brightness”) is the same.

What colour temperatures look like—a simple chart:

We’ve written a guide to colour temperatures that tells you a little more about how they work.

What are you choosing between? E27/ES vs B22/BC

Bayonet cap (B22/BC)

A bayonet cap is 22mm in diameter (hence why it’s sometimes called a B22/B22d) and is fitted by pushing and twisting it into place.

E27 Edison screw (E27/ES)

An E27 is a type of Edison screw. It’s 27mm in diameter. There are different sizes of Edison screw but the E27 or ES is the most commonly used in the UK and Europe.

Mygreenlighting.co.uk has a great page explaining the differences between all types of Edison screws.

LED filaments are made in standard sizes so can be retrofitted into your current light fittings.

Before you choose your bulb you need to know the following:

• LED filament bulbs are often used for decorative effect. That means they can be designed to be less bright so you can stand to look at them without hurting your eyes. The best indicator of brightness is lumen output, not wattage.
• The vintage feel of the bulbs is achieved through the colour temperature. The colour temperature of LED filament bulbs sits within a much warmer range than everyday light bulbs.

E27 LED filament bulbs

Osram 1906 LED vintage gold filament range—non-dimmable:

Unique shapes:

Dimmable E27 and BC LED filament bulbs

One of the great things about new LED filament bulbs is that dimmable bulbs are available, so you can easily change the ambience of your room. The same rules apply to dimmable filament bulbs as to other LED bulbs—you need to install and use a specific dimmer switch instead of a regular switch or else they won’t work. Find out how dimmable LEDs work on the linked page.

Bell LED vintage filament globe range E27s/ES:

Bell LED vintage filament squirrel cage E27/ES:

Bell LED filament BC range: