A19 vs A21 Light Bulbs Comparison and Buyer’s Guide

So many types of bulbs, so little time to choose a perfect one. They differ by base size, bulb size, form, type, wattage, luminosity, and more. Sometimes one number, one portion of an inch, can become a major factor of your final decision.
In this guide, we’ll present to you some of the best A19 and A20 LED light bulbs. Options #1 and #2 are A19 type, #3 and #4 are A21 type. In the reviews, you will find all information about the products, their lifespan, wattage, lumens, and other characteristics.

At the end, you’ll see a convenient Buyer’s Guide packed with information about A19 and A21 bulb types, why they are different, and which one to choose. We’ll see if they are interchangeable and which one is better.

Our TOP A19 and A21 Led Light Bulbs

1.SUNMEG 6 Pack LED Light Bulbs – Eco-Friendly and Long-Lasting

This pack gives you 6 powerful A19 LED bulbs to use in pendant fixtures for kitchens, hallways, living rooms, and bedrooms. They are suitable for table and floor lamps, as well as other E26 fixtures. Made of thermoplastic, glass, and aluminum, they are a good long-lasting choice if you have enclosed lighting elements.

These are equivalent to 100W incandescent lamps, they don’t flicker and deliver stable soft white light. Take note that they are not dimmable, yet you can use them with dimmer switches, given they are LED compatible. With a beam angle of 240 degrees, you get full room illumination without light dissipation to the ceiling, which is great if you have a stretch or reflective ceiling.

Major Qualities

Here are major characteristics of the product you should know about:

• Energy efficiency. As any LED light bulbs, these use about 1/10 of energy compared to incandescent lamps. They only use 11W, considerably reducing your electricity bill.
• Every bulb has a lifespan of 25,000 hours, so even if used daily, they should work for years.
• Soft white light. These lamps are on the warmer side of the color temperature scale. 2,700K is a convenient white color suitable for homes.
• High luminosity. 1,000 lm is enough to illuminate a small living room. Plus, the light turns on immediately, there’s no need to wait for it to heat and shine.
• Low heat emission. Cooler than regular LED bulbs, not to mention CFL lamps that can be an injury hazard due to their temperature.

Aside from delivering powerful light and using little energy, SUNMEG bulbs are UL certified and don’t contain toxic chemicals like mercury. Besides, due to their longevity, such bulbs reduce landfill waste.

Eco-friendliness of this brand only adds points to its rating. Nice construction, quality materials, pleasant white light, efficient lumen to watt ratio – there’s everything we need to recommend these lamps!

2.Boncoo Vintage LED Edison Bulb – Uniting Vintage and Innovations

This A19 lamp will bring you to the good old times with its vintage Edison bulb design. Looking like a traditional lamp, it has a powerful LED filament that turns on without flickering and is great for both domestic and commercial lighting. It’s compatible with most modern dimmers if they support LED tech.

Boncoo Vintage LED bulb is equivalent to a 60W incandescent one yet uses times less energy, saving your wallet. Its light doesn’t irritate or exhaust your eyes, it’s even relaxing in a way. One contributor to that is the warm white color of the lamp. 2,700K is cool enough to not make you sleepy and warm enough to create a proper atmosphere at home.

Major Qualities

Check out key qualities of the bulb:

• Vintage design. Made in Edison bulb style, it has small LED filaments almost identical by design to the old ones. You can see them well on the dimmest settings. It’s a great choice for fixtures where the bulb itself is exposed so you can see its design.
• Energy economy. This bulb only uses 6W to produce 600 lumens. It’s not enough to illuminate a whole room, but getting a pack will get you a desired brightness. In this case, brighter is better since you can dim all lamps when needed.
• The model works with most dimmers, but it’s important that they support LED tech. With some dimmers, you may see these lamps glow a little bit even on the lowest setting. It’s not a faulty lamp, just a type of compatibility.
• Nice CRI. CRI of the product is 80+, which is optimal. Such a color rendering index doesn’t make tones greyish but may not show them in full nature. 80-85 marks are common among LED bulbs.
• Great lifespan. 20,000 hours of life can turn into 5 years if you use this bulb 5 hours per day at full power. If your time needs are humbler or if you just don’t need the full brightness, its longevity rises up to 10 years or even more.
• Wide beam angle. This lamp will illuminate all sides of the room, even the ceiling, due to its 360-degree beam angle. It usually makes lighting more effective.

Should You Buy It?

We recommend the product due to its design, great features, and friendliness to eyes in particular. There’s no strobe, no flicker, you can check it by opening any camera app and directing it at the bulb. It also works with most dimmers and the transition from one mode to another is very smooth.

The lamp doesn’t emit IR or UV radiation, doesn’t cause fatigue, exhaustion, and irritation. There’s no mercury in its composition, only glass, metal, and high-quality LED technology.

3.Great Eagle LED 23W Light Bulb – Impressive Safety Certifications

The first of two A21 bulbs in this guide, Great Eagle LED bulb is very powerful. It’s safe not only for large rooms but commercial lighting at art galleries and museums as well. Such light won’t damage old expensive paintings due to the absence of UV radiation. The certification list of this product is quite impressive as well.

Equivalent to a 150-200 incandescent bulb, this one is energy-efficient, long-lasting, and very bright.

One lamp is enough to illuminate a large living room. This model is frequently used in hotel lobbies, restaurants, and sometimes in hospitals. It’s dimmable and glows in a neutral soft light (3,000K). With a 220-degree beam angle, the lamp will provide minimal shadows and a clear view of the room.

Why the product is on our list

• Energy-saving. It only uses 23W to produce 2,160 lumens, which is enough to illuminate a whole room. A standard living room requires 1,000-2,000 lumens if it’s mostly a lounge zone. This lamp saves 87% of the energy usually used on lighting.
• The bulb is dimmable for your comfort, which is good news since you might not need such a bright light all evening long. Your room can be both a relaxed lounge and an office. The lamp doesn’t need to warm up, so if you need full brightness immediately, it will give you just that.
• Wide range of safety certifications. This is a UL-listed bulb that also has RoHS and FCC National Electrical Code (NEC) only allows UL-listed bulbs to be sure the product is of high quality.
• Long lifespan. Despite its brightness, this lamp is very long-lasting. 25,000 hours equal to years of usage, even if you need the brightest setting of light 5 hours per day, every day.

Why It’s a Good Choice

Our final verdict is only decided after we make sure the lamp is safe to use. Not only this one has all necessary certifications, but it also doesn’t emit UV radiation and doesn’t contain lead or mercury. This brand offers a 3-year warranty. So, if you get a faulty one or it doesn’t work according to the specifications, you can ask for a replacement. A professional-grade product with respected credentials and great features deserves our recommendation.

4.LOHAS A21 LED Light Bulb – The Coldest Light Temperature

This A21 lamp with an E26 base is the coldest and the most powerful out of all on our list. It’s suitable for schools, hospitals, warehouses, and outside illumination. If you want to use it at home, choose your basement or another large part of the house that needs a lot of cold light.

Equivalent to 150-220W, this light bulb will save 80%+ power you usually use on lighting. The lamp doesn’t flicker and the light is quite cold (5,000K), imitating daylight. It’s very powerful yet doesn’t hurt your eyes. There’s no strobe and the light is quite soft considering such luminosity. The bulb is non-dimmable, yet you can use it with a dimmer as a switch if it’s LED compatible. Its beam angle is 240 degrees, meaning there are no annoying shadows and reflections, the light goes right where it’s supposed to.

Major Qualities

Let’s see the bulb’s powerful qualities:

• Efficient wattage to luminosity ratio. Using only 23 watts, this lamp produces 2,550 lumens of daylight-equivalent glow, which contributes to its eco-friendliness and your savings.
• Long lifespan. An average lifespan of such lamps is 30,000 hours. This is impressive, given they’re very powerful. It might work less if used long-term at a construction site, as an example. The manufacturer specifies that you shouldn’t leave it under direct sunlight or high temperature for too long since those might reduce longevity or damage the bulb.
• It’s suitable both for home use (if the room is large), commercial lighting, and outside use. It’s powerful enough to highlight architecture.
• Safe in usage. This lamp is UL listed, FCC, CE, and RoHS compliant, which makes it the most backed-up option on our list.

Aside from all the aforementioned qualities, we value that the lamp doesn’t irritate your eyes and is eco-friendly. It doesn’t emit IR or UV radiation and there’s no lead or mercury in its composition. The number of certifications makes it a reliable variant for a hospital, school, hotel, restaurant, or even your basement.

Buyer’s Guide: More About A19 vs A20 Types, How to Choose the Right One

Here we’ve prepared a short fact-check about A19 and A20 bulbs to help you choose between the two.

A19 Bulb: Everything You Need to Know

SUNMEG 6 Pack LED Light Bulbs

• High-quality materials
• High luminosity
• Lifespan: 25,000 hours

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A19 is a term describing a bulb’s dimensions. Most terms have been used since incandescent bulbs, as LED and CFL are equivalents to those by sizes, looks, etc.

A19 means:

• “A” describes the shape of such a bulb, which is classic – an upside-down pear. It’s been given the letter “A” due to being the first and only shape back in the day;
• Digits explain the diameter of the widest part of this bulb. It’s calculated in 8s of an inch for convenience. 19” by 8” equals about 2.4”, but it’s easier to remember A19 rather than A2.4, right?

The A19’s length is about 3.9”-4.3”, these sizes are controlled and checked by the ANSI C79.1 standard in North American countries. The same document specifies that A19 bulbs should always have an E26 base. But not all E26 bulbs have A19 shape.

A21 Bulb: Everything You Need to Know

Great Eagle LED 23W Light Bulb

• FCC, RoHS, UL certified
• Powerful
• Energy Saving

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“A21” is deciphered in the same way:

• “A” means the upside-down pear shape of the bulb;
• Digits mean its diameter – 21” by 8” equals about 2.6”.

A21 lamps are rarely used compared to A19-type bulbs as they are more powerful. A21s are great to use in settings where you need more light and can use more energy. This type isn’t always suitable for homes not only because it’s more powerful, but also because it uses more electricity.

In Europe and other countries that use metric system, these bulbs are referred to as A67, meaning their diameter is 67 millimeters.

All A21 bulbs have E26 base size. So, they are interchangeable with all E26 lamps that aren’t smaller in size.

You can change A21 for A19 but changing A19 to A21 might be trickier.

If your fixture is for smaller bulbs, fitting a larger one may be impossible or it may ruin the look. A19 lamp holders may not adapt to the current that A21 needs, creating even a bigger issue.

When changing any other proper-sized lamp for A21, its wattage, luminosity, CRI, and light temperature should be considered.

How to Choose the Equivalent to Your Incandescent Bulb?

As to the brightness and wattage, you can always find them on the package. LED lamps use about 1/10^th of energy incandescent ones use. A 6W lamp, for example, might have “60W equivalent” specified in its description. Such marks should help people choose the same bulb they’ve been using but more efficient.

Same situation with lumens and color temperature. A19 lamps can be 450lm or 1000lm, while A21 lamps are usually more powerful (2,000-2,500lm and more) since they are bigger. There’s more space in the bulb and more material to dissipate heat through effectively, therefore it allows more power.

Be Careful About the Choice of a Bulb

There are so many things to pay attention to when choosing a light bulb. First of all, make sure it’s an LED one. Such lamps are eco-friendly, powerful, and energy-saving. They don’t heat up a lot and are much rarely a fire hazard.

Then, make sure you remember what type of base and bulb you need. Correct measurements will ensure it fits perfectly in your fixture. If choosing between A19 and A21 lamps, we recommend the first for houses and apartments. They are less powerful, less bright, a bit smaller. Even if your house is large, it’s better to design several less bright fixtures that will illuminate it with a soft or warm white glow. Cold tones and much power are more suitable for outside illumination and places where you need extra precision of sight like schools, hospitals, and more.

We can’t say which one is the best since both types are great for their purposes. You might even need both A19 and A21: for room illumination and your garage, as an example. The most important thing is that you choose a high-quality brand that offers long-lasting, powerful LED bulbs.