Founder | BPI® Energy Auditor Certified Professional
Your outdoor security matters, and there are fewer better ways to illuminate an area than installing bright flood lights of the PAR38 caliber. An efficient flood light shines brightest throughout the night without the risk of blowing off.
The best PAR38 flood light is the Sunco Lighting LED with 2,800 lumens. However, if you’re looking for the ideal PAR38 light to replace your halogen lamp, go for the equally bright LEDVANCE Sylvania Night Chaser. It has a luminous intensity of 2650.
Other energy-saving PAR38 bulbs to consider are:
● Best Colored PAR38 Flood Light: BlueX LED Par38 Flood Red
● Best-Rated PAR38 by Customers: Cree Lighting PAR38 Weatherproof Outdoor Flood
● Best Long-Lasting PAR38: GE Ultra Bright LED Light Bulbs
Above is just a snapshot of the top PAR38 lights for your outdoor area. We’ll discuss them at length below, so join us as we delve deeper into the topic.
What Does PAR Light Stand For?
Let’s start with the basics. What does PAR mean in PAR38, and what does the number represent?
PAR is an acronym for a parabolic aluminized reflector. The bulbs feature a reflector and unique lens that facilitate directional lighting, which is the primary application of the bulbs.
Also, the body is shorter in PAR bulbs than in their BR light bulbs counterparts.
So how do PAR bulbs compare with BR bulbs? Check out the table below:
| PAR Bulbs | BR Bulbs |
| They feature a parabolic aluminized reflector (PAR), have a bowl shape and are relatively less deep than BR lights. | They feature a bulged reflector (BR) to increase the amount of light they dissipate, hence their bulged shape. |
| They have quite a narrow beam angle to facilitate directional lighting. | The bulbs provide relatively wide beam angles. |
| They provide soft light that further features a sharper edge than BR bulbs. They’re more prone to creating shadows than BR bulbs. | They illuminate a soft light to view an extensive area with minimal shadows and limited edges. |
And what about the number that comes after PAR? Well, the number indicates the lamp’s diameter to 1/8ths of an inch. So, for instance, PAR38 means that the lamp measures (1/8 x 38) inches in diameter.
The Top PAR38 Flood Lights in 2023
Best Overall PAR38 Flood Light: Sunco Lighting 2800 Lumens Outdoor LED
We rank this bulb as the top PAR38 flood light primarily because of its out-of-this-world brightness of 2,800 lumens.
Other outstanding features you can’t help but fall in love with are:
● The bulb includes a dimming option. You can set it to your preferred mood and ambiance.
● The bulb is also weatherproof and ideal for rainy nights and any weather you throw at it.
● It also features a UL certification, a mark of its excellent quality over conventional incandescent and CFL lights.
No products found.
A pair of these bulbs go for $24.99; given their outstanding qualities, they’re worth every penny.
Where to Buy: Amazon
Best Halogen Replacement PAR Flood Light: LEDVANCE Sylvania Night Chaser LED PAR38 Light Bulb
Halogen bulbs are good, but LEDs are better.
The LEDVANCE Sylvania Night Chaser is extra bright with a luminous intensity of 2650 lumens. In addition, the bulb further features an Energy Star rating, which further indicates its excellent quality.
No products found.
Moreover, it yields a 3000K white light temperature, arguably similar to natural daylight. This bulb gives you great illumination at relatively lower energy use than halogen lights.
Where to Buy: Amazon
Best-Priced PAR38 Flood Light: Philips 90W Equivalent Bright White (3000K)
This top-ranking PAR 38 flood light has a high luminous flux of 900 lumens.
In addition, you can dim the 90-watt flood light to your liking, which is imperative in saving energy when you don’t want to use it.
No products found.
Most importantly, the flood light retails cheaply at $19.99 for a pack of two quality bulbs. This is definitely a bargain that’s worth trying out.
Where to Buy: Amazon
Best Colored PAR38 Flood Light: BlueX LED PAR38 Flood Red
A colored flood light adds some vibe to your outdoor space. What more perfect way to do it than with the energy-saving red light bulbs from the Bluex Bulbs Store?
It’s an 18W bulb that will save you a lot in terms of electricity costs while at the same time giving you loads of benefits over the average incandescent bulb.
Other outstanding properties of the flood lights include:
● It’s great for creating a celebratory mood during the night.
● The bulb is also perfect for Halloween parties and other celebrations you want to host in your yard.
● Moreover, it emits an illumination of 1,500 lumens that you can always dim to your liking.
● The bulb is a safe alternative to mercury lamps as it won’t release hazardous materials into the atmosphere if it breaks.
● Like all LEDs, this bulb will last longer than any conventional lighting fixture (at least 10,000 hours). So, it significantly saves you immensely on new bulbs.
No products found.
Lastly, the bulbs retail in various colors, so you can buy the ones you like for a cost of $24.99 per pack of two.
Where to Buy: Amazon
Best PAR38 Flood Light in Customer Reviews: Cree Lighting PAR38 Weatherproof Outdoor Flood
The customer is always right, and this bulb perfectly epitomizes this saying as it has attracted top reviews on Amazon. Why is that so? Check out these key features:
● It has a wattage of 19 watts, so it barely consumes electricity while yielding a light of 1,200 lumens.
● The bulb is also fit for all-weather use as it’s primarily weatherproof.
● It also has a quality white light for outdoor use and can last up to 25,000 hours (quite a lot more than some of the bulbs we’ve covered!)
The bulb also retails cheaply at $9.99 on Amazon, although its primary downside is that it comes in one pack.
No products found.
Where to Buy: Amazon
Best ULTRA LED HO PAR38 Flood Light: SYLVANIA ULTRA LED PAR38
With 25 watts of high-lumen output, the bulb is one of the best PAR38 lights with COB technology. It’s also a top-quality bulb with an Energy Star rating and is CEC California compliant.
You should also invest in it if you’re looking for a long-lasting PAR38 lamp, as it can take up to five years before replacing it.
Further features of this top-rated bulb include an E26 medium base, a brightness of 2,500 lumens, and a CRI of 81. It’s one of the best bulbs for flood lights and outdoor lighting applications.
The all-weather bulb also comes at a relatively affordable price of $15.99. However, unlike the rest of the flood lights we’ve covered, it’s not dimmable.
No products found.
Where to Buy: Amazon
Best ECO LED PAR38 Flood Light: SYLVANIA ECO LED PAR38 Light Bulb
Why use the 90-watt incandescent lamps that suck up 10 times more energy than these two bulbs that require just 14 watts to produce 1,000 lumens? These are arguably the top energy-saving option, primarily because of their limited power use but also because they’re long-lasting.
Each bulb can last up to 7,700 hours and is easy to install, unlike conventional bulbs, thanks to their E26 screw base.
Nonetheless, they are not dimmable. You cannot buy them if you’re in California, as Amazon doesn’t ship them there.
No products found.
Where to Buy: Amazon
Best Long Lasting PAR38: GE Ultra Bright LED Light Bulbs
Now listen to this; these bulbs by GE can last up to 22 years. Sounds far-fetched, right? Well, it’s true if you limit their use to three hours daily.
That’s quite impractical, considering these are outdoor use bulbs you leave on all night.
So are they genuinely long-lasting? GE is a top electronics manufacturer, and while these bulbs may not reach the lifetime that the company claims, there’s no doubt they’ll outlast the others on this list.
Moreover, they’re dimmable, which increases their lifetime. The lights are also somewhat shatter-resistant.
They are also the brightest PAR38 bulbs we’ve covered so far, yielding 3,000 lumens from a wattage of just 32 watts.
No products found.
Where to Buy: Amazon
Best Pack PAR38 Flood Lights: Sunco Lighting PAR38 LED Flood Light Outdoor Bulb
Does the number of lights per pack matter to you? If they do, these Sunco outdoor bulbs are the ideal choice for you. A pack of the lights has six dimmable, all-weather bulbs for outdoor use.
You can install them in your driveway, garage, or other outoor area requiring a narrow-beam-angle light.
Moreover, they have the Energy Star and UL certifications as proof of their excellent quality.
The bulbs also come with a five-year warranty.
No products found.
Where to Buy: Amazon
Best Decorative PAR38 Flood Lights: LOXYEE PAR38 LED Flood Blue Light Bulbs
These LOXYEE PAR38 bulbs are the go-to lights if you’re looking for the perfect outdoor decorative lights. They’re available in a variety of colors, including orange, green, and blue.
Although non-dimmable, the bulbs use just 20 watts to yield a luminous intensity enough to replace several traditional incandescent bulbs. They are also long-lasting and thus will save you a lot in new bulb acquisition costs.
Nonetheless, each differently colored bulb has a unique price, so you must consult the seller on the price depending on the type you want. Besides this, they’re the best decorative PAR38 bulbs in the market.
No products found.
Where to Buy: Amazon
Bestselling PAR38 LED Bulbs
Aside from the list above of what we found to be best, I’m only one person. The people have spoken, so I wanted to also include the list of the five bestselling PAR38 LED bulbs on Amazon as well:
No products found.
Final Thoughts
Now you have a comprehensive list of the top PAR38 flood lights for outdoor illumination.
Of importance is to choose the bulb that best fits your needs. Also, when gauging the bulb’s brightness on any day, use the luminous intensity rather than watts.
Attainable Home, LLC participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, where some of the links in our articles earn us a small commission. Feel free to use them or not, the pricing does not change either way, but it does help support the team here.