Several comments 1. The typical operating temperature for Led diodes is much wider i.e. most should operate between -40 to +140 degrees celsius. Real example The max junction temperature for a Cree XM-L Led diode is ~ 150 celsius or 50 above the boiling point of water. 2. There is a wide selection of LED diodes on the market with a wide range of color, efficiencies, current drive, voltage, ... 3. A LED lamp's longevity is affected by how the lamp/ fixture designer design decisions for example- i. Over driving the current at the expense of lifespan. ii. Which LED components to use - more efficient vs greater max output vs cheaper (given the anticipated production run), ... iii. The quality of the other necessary components - capacitors, resistors, ... iv. The quality of the manufacturing process. SMT (surface mount technology) consistently beats the quality of manual soldering and individual wires. 4. Active cooling (i.e. - fan) is no longer used - not effective or cost efficient, prone to failure and reduces the overall efficiency. The use of the motherboard as a heat sink/ spreader is preferred. The Switch lightbulb utilizes an inert liquid and convection circulation to sink the heat produced. 5. The pricing will drop more when the the LED diode costs are reduced as well as when lighting device designers figure out how to reduce the BOM (bill of materials) cost and simplify the manufacturing process. FWIW, the L prize bulb is not competitive with the Cree bulb (or even the newer Philips LED bulbs) from both a manufacturing and end user consumer standpoint. 6. From an electrical standpoint, the E26 connector is no less efficient than a GU24/ bi-pin connector / wire nuts. 7. The more advanced LED deployments today are done in aircraft, automotive and custom home designs where cost is less of a concern. 8. For the rest, it will take a while before more and better fixtures/ lamps designed with LEDs in mind appear since most folks are used to the traditional glass forms ( bulb, tubes).

It depends...do you have a woman who needs to put on makeup? If so get the front lit. Trust me on this LOL.

I have a sink and lowered vanity area in my master bath. I have a custom mirror treatment with wall to wall mirror and then decorative mirrors which demarcate the sink versus seated vanity area. The sink has two vintage sconces which are for styling and the seated vanity area has a lit "Hollywood style" lighting arrangement. I have a small master bath (urban high rise) and the mirrors certainly do increase the feel of space and light. Here's a picture when I was moving in

Maybe the solution would be to buy an unlit mirror, install it on a frame (i.e., not flush with the wall) and buy your own LED strips around the edges of the frame and behind the mirror. That way you'd be sure to get strips that were bright enough to illuminate the room. You could even install two rows of strips if one row wasn't bright enough. I looked at a few reviews of backlit mirrors on Amazon and the reviewers often commented that the lights weren't very bright.