CFL Light Bulbs

[Winnow]

http://www.popularmechanics.com/home_jo ... tml?page=1

All about Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs



I'm going to try out the N:Vision (10,000 hours instead of 8,000 so a little more expensive) since they seem to be rated pretty well and are easy to get at Home Depot.

Anyone have these yet? I wanted to wait and get LED White lights but they don't seem to be dropping into the reasonable price range yet.

[Winnow]

I currently have a DAYLIGHT reading lamp which I like. It produces "5900K six color amalgam blend" which is supposed to be exactly like the lighting you see during the day outside.

It's great but real light like that makes the colors you're used to seeing indoors look much different so it takes some getting used to over the old bulb lighting you're used to.

For some reason, the 5900K bulbs are much more expensive than the ones I linked above.

CFL BACKGROUND

Color temperature: The lower the color temperature, the warmer the light. Warmness (red) or coolness (blue) can be measured in degrees Kelvin by a chroma meter. We observed a temperature of about 2700 K for soft white bulbs, whereas "daylight" bulbs measured around 3400 K — real noontime sunlight ranges from 5000 K to 6500 K.

Edit:

Here's a review by a lady that is more concerned about "soft" light so she goes for the non daylight bulbs. I think most would probably go for those but I like stuff to be daylight even if it makes stuff look strange to those used to warm fuzzy yellowish light that warps colors.

http://www.grist.org/advice/products/2007/12/14/

Another opinion:

With Phillips Marathon series right behind it. Costco has/had these in stock a bit cheaper than what the N-visions are going for. Plus, I own about 10 of both brands and prefer the Phillips Marathon for their yellowish color (the N-vision is more softish white)

Out of 10 bulbs, 1 n-vision went out (returned to HomeDepot). None of the Phillips have experienced any problems yet.

UPDATE: Also, I agree with the other FW posters here. The N-visions are a tad slower to reach full brightness. The Phillips Marathons are better overall bulbs IMO, but if you need ones with the smaller bases, the N:vision is the only choice. IKEA also sells another type of CF that has a smaller base (this one worked for my moms room when no other would)

To summarize:

1) Best overall "standard" edison base bulb == Phillips Marathon @ Costco (dirt cheap)
2) Second "standard" edison base bulb == N:vision HomeDepot (based off this deal)
3) "A-type" (I just made this up) smaller bulb base == N:vision home depot
4) "B-type" (I just made this up, too) even smaller bulb base == IKEA
5) If you need "globe" style bulbs, Costco HAD (read: HAD) 4 globe style bulbs for $2.75 after PG&E instant discount. I scored 2 boxes and all of them are working great)

Note that the IKEA bulbs are a lot slower than either N:vision or Phillips Marathon series, but if you NEED those sizes, you don't have a choice.

Also, forget buying CF bulbs online -- the shipping is a ripoff. Follow my advice and remember -- ANY CF bulb is better than an incandescent. For reading, stay with Phillips Marathon

I might just pick up some Phillips when I go to Costco next time.

[Winnow]

I grabbed the following today at lunch while at Costco:

10 Pack 13W (60W) CFL Light Bulbs $8.69 (after $5 off local power company instant savings)
6 pack 23W (100W) CFL Light Bulbs $8.99 (after $3 off local power company instant savings)

Pretty cheap. the 60's were less than $1 each. I think most local power companies are offering some sort of savings through Costco. If not, add the $5 and $3 respectively.

I didn't see the Phillips so I bought FEIT brand. I don't think these are the best CFLs. I'll probably pick up a pack of N:Vision CFLs from Home Depot to compare them with. I didn't see 100W equivalents for N:Vision searching though.

I'm going to put the 6 100W CFLs in my bathroom light fixture and check myself out in full CFL bluish light glory. Running 600W of lighting for the power output of 138W seems like a good deal even if you don't look as nice as if you had that yellowish lighting from normal bulbs.

This might bring new meaning to "mood lighting". if you want to look good, lower the temp of the lighting when you have guests! If you want to see how you really look outside of a bar, raise the temp of the lighting!

[Syenye]

We use the GE (non-daylight) ones. I really can't tell the difference as far as the lighting goes. I like a yellowish tint to my light. Natural light burns.

The only difference I really see is with the indoor floods (90-watt equivalent). I only had to replace one of four in my kitchen, and it starts out dimmer than the other three, then gets much, much brighter.

[Winnow]

Update on my CFL Light Bulb experience:

The 13W (60Watt) bulbs were fine. They turn on almost instantly but there is a slight (less than second) wait period which didn't bother me. 13W/60W aren't that bright but neither are their old school equivalents. (not supposed to be) I put these in the night stand lamps in one of my bedrooms. They work great.

The 23W (100Watt) lambs were excellent. Two of my bathrooms a have six light sockets above the sink/counter. I didn't realize that I only had 40W bulbs in them so when I fired up the six 100W's it felt like I was in one of those light therapy rooms that Scandinavians have to spend time in so they don't kill themselves during the long dark winters. Bright!

Again, there is a slight delay before they pop on and it takes about 30 seconds for the 23/100's to get to full brightness. They are bright to begin with but the change in brightness over 30 seconds is noticeable. The pure white light is outstanding (IMO). Upon reflection, the old yellowish lights in the bathroom gave the feeling that you were looking through a fine mist of piss. Too yellow!

The amount of light pumped out (600 W equivalent) for a mere 138 actual Watts is impressive. A+ for the 23/100's from Costco. The 13/60's are alright as well.

[Winnow]

Another update. Not one 23w (100W) CFL bulb has been lost since buying them. (now 14 months old and used multiple times every day) Six are in one of my bathrooms where the lights are turned on and off frequently.

Today, a waspy looking creature got loose in my living room. I destroyed two lamps in the process of killing it. I think I killed it, I haven't found the body yet. Both lamps had CFL bulbs in them. I knocked one lamp off it's perch, more than three feet above the ground, it came crashing down, destroying the lamp shade and metal that holds the shade in place and knocking the metal bulb holder thingy out of it's socket, bending the metal so it wouldn't go back in. After all of that trauma, and repeated blows with a large Road Atlas paperback book and several wild swats with an old T-Shirt, the CFL light was still on!

The other lamp also took heavy damage from the Road Atlas and T-Shirt swinging. It too was destroyed and eventually fell about two feet, but the CFL bulb remained on in that lamp as well!

I never did get a clean shot at the wasp creature. I won the war but it was costly.

[Xouqoa]

Another update. Not one 23w (100W) CFL bulb has been lost since buying them. (now 14 months old and used multiple times every day) Six are in one of my bathrooms where the lights are turned on and off frequently.

Today, a waspy looking creature got loose in my living room. I destroyed two lamps in the process of killing it. I think I killed it, I haven't found the body yet. Both lamps had CFL bulbs in them. I knocked one lamp off it's perch, more than three feet above the ground, it came crashing down, destroying the lamp shade and metal that holds the shade in place and knocking the metal bulb holder thingy out of it's socket, bending the metal so it wouldn't go back in. After all of that trauma, and repeated blows with a large Road Atlas paperback book and several wild swats with an old T-Shirt, the CFL light was still on!

The other lamp also took heavy damage from the Road Atlas and T-Shirt swinging. It too was destroyed and eventually fell about two feet, but the CFL bulb remained on in that lamp as well!

I never did get a clean shot at the wasp creature. I won the war but it was costly.

I've been using CFL bulbs for several years, and have only had a single bulb burn out in all that time.

Also, suck wasps and stuff like that up in your vacuum, using the extendable arm. Much easier than trying to swat them, especially if you have a Dyson.