Does anyone else hate these CFL lightbulbs, or is it just me?

Shadow_Ferret said:

This is an interesting question. Do they make decorative CFLs for special purpose lighting, like chandeliers? What about refrigerator bulbs? CFLs are not supposed to be used in the cold, so they can't be used there or outdoors where I live.

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I'm not sure about chandeliers, but yes they do make specialty CFL's. I get CF floodlights to use outside. They are the same size and shape as a regular floodlight. The compact flourescent part is housed inside. And I think I remember seeing some special ones for other types of lighting situations.

Shadow_Ferret said:

Well, they SAY the CFLs are supposed to last, but I've already replaced them several times in our rec room in the last few years. Don't seem to be lasting that much longer to me, and they're more expensive.

But as I said, the new LED lights are supposed to last a gazillion hours.

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Most of mine lasted 7 years. I think I still have a few of the originals. I did break one but nothing leaked out. It was just glass all over.

Maybe it's your wiring or how many things are on your breakers. Or the fixtures.

JennaGlatzer said:

Haaaaaaaaaaaaate them. They make me nervous and edgy and I can't eat when I'm sitting under them. No kidding.

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It's the radio waves. You have to hum countercyclic to the waves to negate them.

KTC said:

Actually...that's our one exception too. Our en-suite bathroom has a 5-light globe fixture thingy too. We just didn't replace the globes with those monstrosities because, well, they're monstrosities.

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Ack. I have 6 bulb 'hollywood' vanity bars. I keep waiting for the bulbs to burn out so I can get new fixtures. I moved in here in 1998. The house was built in 97. Those damn things will never die!

I have half of them unscrewed because the power co. gets too much of my $$ as it is. Sleezy varmints.

Maybe. Sounds like you have a new house. Mine was built in 1956. Although I think the rec room sconces are much newer, maybe 10 years or less.

7 years. Wow. The only one that lasted that long was the one I put in our closet back at our apartment. But I hardly ever went in my closet.

Shadow_Ferret said:

Maybe. Sounds like you have a new house. Mine was built in 1956. Although I think the rec room sconces are much newer, maybe 10 years or less.

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My house was built in 1950. The wiring in it was bad. If the rec room was put in by a do-it-yourselfer, then having the wiring checked would be a good idea. *shudders at the memory of wires only connected with electrical tape* Can you say "fire hazard"?

Shadow_Ferret said:

Anyway, if you want to conserve energy and get awesome lighting, go with the LED lights. Except they're expensive. About $20 a bulb. But they last like a million times longer than regular bulbs. So the initial outlay is expensive, but over the long haul, you'll actually save money. Me? I'm way too cheap to fork over $20 for a bulb.

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Give it a little time. Over the past couple of years, the LEDs being used have gotten tons brighter, and the weaker LEDs have gotten way cheaper. I imagine in a few more years, it'll be the same. Plus, when everyone starts making the shift to LED, increased supply is going to drive down the price.

IMO

In the meantime, I'll stick to my CFL usage.

Chumplet said:

I find the wattage to be too bright for the bathroom. I have one of those 5-light globe fixtures that require 25-watt incandescent decorative bulbs. If I put a florescent equivalent in each one, I'd burn out my retinas because each bulb is equal to a 40-watt bulb. I wish I could find some 7-watt bulbs to replace the globe lights that don't last more than a month or so.

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That's strange. I try to put a 60W CFL into the same spot as I had a 60W incandescent, and it doesn't seem nearly as bright. They even advertise that the 60W CFL is the "equivalent of" something like less than 20W, so my guess is that they're brighter than the same "equivalent" wattage, but dimmer than the stated wattage. Maybe?

For my outside lights, I had to go to a 100W or 150W CFL to get enough light output. It was still the equivalent of a 40W bulb compared to the 75W incandescent I had.

Beach Bunny said:

My house was built in 1950. The wiring in it was bad. If the rec room was put in by a do-it-yourselfer, then having the wiring checked would be a good idea. *shudders at the memory of wires only connected with electrical tape* Can you say "fire hazard"?

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Actually, I can see the wiring on the other side of the wall. It all looks fine. My FIL, who's one of those do-it-yourselfer types, didn't see anything wrong.

And why would bad wiring cause CFLs to burn out but not the incandescents?

Mr. Susie luvs 'um, has one in the kitchen. Me, not much.

Shadow_Ferret said:

And why would bad wiring cause CFLs to burn out but not the incandescents?

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Incandescents have metal filaments. Do CFLs have filaments? I do not know.

Different size wires can carry different loads. Many older wiring systems aren't up the the loads of microwaves, dishwashers, hairdryers, etc.

A wire is a wire, true, but what they are made of (copper vs. aluminum et.al) and the size can make the difference.

I'm not an electrician (and I hate that sort of thing) but I had to learn it somewhat for my illustrious career fixing nav systems. :p

Count me is a "don't like 'em"

We tried to be good environmentalists. Really, we did! But I swear, they've been nothing but a pain in the arse since day one. The first pack we bought only had one functional bulb out of three. Second pack, same thing. (Because, like Jamie, we obviously have more money than we know what to do with.) Next, we brought the ladder into the foyer to replace that bulb with a happy little energy saving one, and it burned out the next day. Then one in the kitchen did the same thing the next day. Did I mention just how tricky it is to replace the bulbs in the light fixtures we have in this house? (We purchased all the fixtures off a clearance table as temporary ones to get us through the inspection. At an average of $2 per fixture, we were robbed.)

Honestly, I think it's kismet. I'm just not meant to have energy saving light bulbs. Gimme my $1.50 pack of Wal Mart brand bulbs any day.

A buck fifty?

Youz bin robbed!
98 cents down here.

Shadow_Ferret said:

You will be assimulated.

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Bah! That was gonna be MY line!!!

Unique said:

A buck fifty?

Youz bin robbed!
98 cents down here.

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Actually, I was taking a stab in the dark. I dunno the actual price so mine are prolly about the same. Blue pack and 4 pretty little bulbs that work. That does it for me.

My jaw hit the floor when I saw the price of the two boxes of non-working energy savers. Because I loooooouuurve throwing away money.

Bravo said:

you will learn to tolerate them.

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And that's by order of Congress, which banned incandescent bulbs last year. The ban starts on 2012 with 100 watt bulbs, and bans every wattage by 2014. So you might want to buy a lifetime supply the year before. Or else go back to candles.

Perks said:

But I swear on my seventh rib, I hate these CFL lightbulbs.

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My landlord has equipped all the sleeping rooms that are lucky enough to have a wire dropping from the high ceilings with those CFL's. It looks like a bad DQ cone hanging by it's claws in a cavern. And my poor eyes are strained to the max. Hate 'em. Absolutely positootly.

Here is the Bulb Cam! showing the longest continuous burning incandescent light. Supposedly it's been burning non-stop for 105 years.