With ban looming, a bulb stockpile comes to light

Kevin Szmyd became obsessed with incandescent lightbulbs in the spring, a few months before new federal regulations effectively banned them in favor of more energy-efficient LEDs. Facing the prospect of losing access forever, he had a bright idea: He would stockpile as many lightbulbs as possible before the Aug. 1 cutoff.

He told The Washington Post. "I'm trying to get a lifetime collection before the ban."

Szmyd, 25, spent about six weeks and roughly $1,700 hoarding more than 4,800 lightbulbs, a stockpile he estimates will last him some 75 years. Szmyd, waxing eloquent about how light bulbs are the gold standard at producing a sunlight-quality color, whereas LEDs … often they're casting out more of a bluish-green light, which is just terrible." He talks about lightbulbs the way audiophiles insist that vinyl produces better sound than CDs or streaming services. WP 25Se23