LED's to me are an upgrade. I replace good grain-of-wheat bulbs with them all the time, especially after seeing the burn marks those incandescent bulbs often create from heat. I particularly like the warm white LED's. Although they're a little more yellowish, warm white LED's will closely match the wheat bulbs. Unless the screen in front of the LED is heavily defused, bright white is way too stark IMO. I usually add extra resistance in series and sometimes I also place the LED's in series to achieve the desired brightness. If you lightly sand an LED, that will also help further defuse its light. Every application is a little different, so expect to do a little experimenting first before the final install.