June 13, 2011.

It poured buckets here last night but only for 30 minutes or so and then the heat all just went away.

A couple of years ago we finally got tired of chasing our tails and plunked down the big bucks for a trio of high quality Alpenglow lights.

Alpenglow basically had 2 styles that were offered in a variety of finishes. After several attempts at buying suitable reading lights from various manufacturers we were hoping for the best when we ordered our Alpenglow LED reading lights. The things were freaking astonishing. They use virtually no amps, which makes the amp nazi (me) happy, the quality of the materials was first rate and they’re super bright.

The light fixture we chose for the main salon light was only offered with a fluorescent bulb. It has 2 different intensities and is just what we had in mind.

So this week when the halogen bulb dome light in the galley shit the bed we decided to upgrade to an LED bulb. After a quick trip to West Marine we found ourselves in possession of the lastest and the greatest in LED bulb technology.

The word that comes to mind after installing this new bulb in the galley was…..disappointing. Yeah, it’s LED, it uses no amps but the $40 bulb really didn’t blow us away with the amount of light that it produced. So we decided to see what was new at Alpenglow. Fortuitously, they now offer the same fluorescent fixture we have in the salon as an LED fixture. Great, send us one.

It was a bit pricey at $125, but I really can’t complain about the price when I consider the amount of light this thing sheds.

This new LED overhead light is like turning on the sun, it is bright! I really can’t call it pricey when you consider the other LED fixtures on the market. Do not waste your money on any other lights, trust me, you will save money over the long run because these lights are so far superior to anything else that we have seen. The good folks at Alpenglow are a small family business who builds the lights to order, they try to ship your order within a few days, plus they are really nice people. The Alpenglow fixture also came with the option of red LED’s, which we didn’t order, but that is what they shipped us. Since the fixture is right near the bottom of the companionway steps we can leave the red light illuminated while underway at night. It’ll be safer going below at night without destroying our night vision. Bonus.

Alpenglow rocks......