My lamp has a label on it that says Max 6.5w 120v 60hz, but I have bulb that I wanted to use that is 9w LED. The bulb that was in there before was also an LED 6.5w.
Would I be able to use a 9w LED bulb in this lamp or would it be too risky?
Electrical – Can i use a 9w led in a 6.5w lamp
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I'm assuming this is a 100 watt equivalent bulb, that is actually only running 18-20 watts. Using a 100 watt equivalent will be safe as they run much cooler than even an incandescent.
Here's a photo of the bulb in question:
I have that same bulb and when used in a shade that hides the bulb itself, it does radiate similarly to an incandescent. The bulb has an array of small LED's around the edge that light up the thicker ridge of plastic, it essentially looks like a bright tube of evenly lit light, so the light radiates in all directions. However, the thinner plastic in the middle isn't lit. Since the entire ring is lit starting from the bottom of the bulb and the ring is wider than the base, some light is radiated downwards, but like a traditional bulb, more of the light ends up going upwards since the base blocks some of the downward lighting pattern.
This unusual shape can be visible in a lamp with a translucent shade or in a fixture where the bulb is exposed. In a lamp with a traditional paper (or paper-like) shade that is nearly opaque, this type of bulb has a very even light distribution.
Here's the light at a low dim level, showing the LED's around the ring:
But when the light is at full power, they all blend together and project light evenly, lighting up the entire "tube".
I tried these bulbs in a bathroom fixture, but discovered that the translucent shade on the fixture was transparent enough that the bulb shape was quite visible, so I replaced them with more traditional looking LED bulbs.
Since the floor lamp you're using has the bulb above eye level, as long as the shade is sufficiently frosted to prevent the bulb shape from showing through, it should work well.
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Best Answer
Well, it's not likely to set the lamp on fire. That used to be the concern with people over-lamping incandescent fixtures; you'd see a ceiling light with scorched wires and a now-brown "60 watt max" sticker - they had used 100W bulbs there.
The issue with LEDs is the ability of the LED to cool itself. Unlike incandescents which are deliriously happy inside an oven... LEDs are electronics, like a CPU or video card, and need to keep inside a working operating temperature.
The manufacturer is probably concerned there isn't enough airflow around the bulb to keep a larger LED cool, and that will cause premature failure of the LED. (like the way you could fry a CPU if the heat sink got loose, though today, they just downclock to a crawl). LED lights lack the sophistication to "down-clock" aka "dim", because that costs money, so they just burn out.