We might like writing about LED lights and when we saw this article about a $5 LED light bulb we got pretty excited — until we read the fine print. Less power, no mercury and a longer lifespan are HUGE selling points for LED technology all across the board but the price tag has kept many people away from adopting the technology in the home but the Pharox 200 Blu is a start in the right direction even though it only produces as much light at a traditional 20W light bulb.

The 240 lumens is pretty meager making it an option for accent lighting but not for most conventional uses. So why does this get us excited? This at least gets consumers on board with the LED train and as the technology progresses, soon enough the $4.95 bulb with be 40W, then 60W then 100W, etc. Plus it can add some heat to the other main bulb makers to produce a higher output light at a lower cost. The manufacturer also has the larger Pharox 300 Blu that pushes out 360 lumens, about what you see in a 40W bulb, for $6.95.

In the aquarium side of things, we see affordable LEDs that don’t hit the major performance numbers as the larger, more powerful fixtures but do play a role in getting the average hobbyist exploring LEDs. Whether it’s putting an affordable spotlight over a nano tank or a supplemental strip adding another color to your system, affordable and lower performing LEDs do have a place in the market. We’ll probably grab one of these and drop it into a desk lamp and wish it had more power but at least it will only cost $5.

[Lemnis Lighting via Cnet, Gizmodo]