Light Bulb Replacement
I want to use brighter bulbs in my light, but it says not to use a bulb than the specified wattage.
We recommend that you use a bulb that is not greater than the specified wattage. The reason being is the wiring in the fixture is designed for the specified wattage. Using a higher wattage bulb could result in the fixture catching fire (due to the wires not being thick enough for a higher wattage bulb) or permanent damage to the light (because electronics over heated from higher wattage bulb).
They say that LED bulbs should last 20+ years. I barely got 5 years out of the one I installed.
Under the tested circumstances, LED bulbs do last longer than CFL (Compact flourscent) or incandescent bulbs. However, in the typical household, those bulbs will last a shorter amount of time because of several reasons.
Short or Frequent Cycles
LED bulbs are designed to run for long durations, typically several hours at a time. When used in short durations, like few minutes at a time, increases the wear and tear on the electronics and fans (in some cases) of the bulb.
Electronics Go Bad
LED bulbs have electronics inside of them that reduce and regulate the voltage that is sent to the bulbs. When frequent or short cycles are done, those electronics are being turned off and on, thus experiencing wear and tear. After so many on and off cycles, the electronics go bad and you have to replace the entire bulb.
Some of the white bulbs have a blue-ish tint while others have a red-ish tint. Why is that?
There are various colors of white on the color spectrum. These colors are identified by their Kelvin number. Incandescent bulbs are around 3000 Kelvin while the sunlight is around 6000 Kelvin.
The lower the Kevlin number, the more red-ish color the bulb will give off. These are known as "warm white" or "soft white" bulbs.
The higher the number, the more blue-ish color. These are known as "cool white" bulbs.