Google Groups no longer supports new Usenet posts or subscriptions. Historical content remains viewable.
Dismiss

Are name-brand low-energy fluorescent "Green" bulbs any brighter than store brand?

1 view
Skip to first unread message

Doc

unread,
Nov 29, 2008, 6:28:22 AM11/29/08
to
Just got a 4-pack of the Walmart "Great Value" version of these energy-
saver style fluorescent 23w bulbs which they claim are equivalent to a
100w incandescent bulb. Not even close. It's about like a 40w bulb.

Are the name brand bulbs of this type any better?

The Daring Dufas

unread,
Nov 29, 2008, 7:07:58 AM11/29/08
to

A 23 watt CFL lamp should put out a great deal
of light. One thing I have found when dealing
with a number of CFL lights is the fact that the
lamps have a warm up period. The colder the ambient
temperature the more time it takes the darn things
to reach full brightness. I've installed them in
the bathroom exhaust fan/light fixtures at several
business because of the long life of the lights and
soon discovered that in the wintertime it's like a
40 watt incandescent until about 10 minutes later
when it's as bright or brighter than a 100 watt
standard bulb. In the summertime, flip the switch
and it as bright as ever. I imagine that the more
expensive CFL lamps will perform better over a wider
temperature range.

TDD

J. Clarke

unread,
Nov 29, 2008, 7:54:36 AM11/29/08
to

Have you let 'em warm up--generally takes a CF a bit to come to full
brightness.

--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)


JohnR66

unread,
Nov 29, 2008, 8:07:47 AM11/29/08
to
"Doc" <docsa...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:8c5ab8af-06b7-434d...@t2g2000yqm.googlegroups.com...

I have noticed that some new CFLs will take 5+ minutes to reach proper
brightness on the first run even at room temperature. After this first burn
in, they come up to brightness normally (within 30 seconds or so) after
turning on from a cold start. The first time it happened to me I though the
bulb was bad, but the ones that did that have been fine ever since.

In a cold environment, they will be slower to warm up.


meow...@care2.com

unread,
Nov 29, 2008, 8:10:41 AM11/29/08
to

It should be very close to a 100w bulb once its had a couple of mins
to reach peak output. Maybe you've got some junk halophosphate ones.


NT

Chris

unread,
Nov 29, 2008, 10:44:49 AM11/29/08
to
I have tried several different brands and have decided to stick with Sylvania.
In a 72 degree house it takes less then a minute to warm up. For my 100w equal I
use the Sylvania CFL23EL Micromini 3000k. Works great for me.

Chris

John Weiss

unread,
Nov 29, 2008, 12:00:36 PM11/29/08
to
"The Daring Dufas" <the-dari...@wtf.net> wrote...

>
> I've installed them in
> the bathroom exhaust fan/light fixtures at several
> business because of the long life of the lights and
> soon discovered that in the wintertime it's like a
> 40 watt incandescent until about 10 minutes later
> when it's as bright or brighter than a 100 watt
> standard bulb.

I like that "feature" in the bathroom, because the light doesn't blind me as
badly when I turn it on at night...


Tony Hwang

unread,
Nov 29, 2008, 12:22:34 PM11/29/08
to
Hi,
What name brand? They are 99% made in China. For more light output try
daylight kind which has higher color temperature.

Dave Garland

unread,
Nov 29, 2008, 3:00:27 PM11/29/08
to

Well, they should be brighter than a 40W incandescent. Check the lumens
rating, that gives you a number to compare. A typical 100W incandescent
is around 1600-1700 lumens. Walmart doesn't seem to give the lumen
ratings on theirs but a Sylvania CF23EL is indeed rated for 1600 lumens.

It may take it a few minutes to reach full brightness.

But it seems like all the companies cheat on the "equivalent to" rating,
if they say "equivalent to 100W" I figure it should be a bit brighter
than a 60W.

Dave

meow...@care2.com

unread,
Nov 29, 2008, 3:01:02 PM11/29/08
to

nasty

Don Klipstein

unread,
Nov 29, 2008, 6:17:05 PM11/29/08
to
In <8c5ab8af-06b7-434d...@t2g2000yqm.googlegroups.com>, Doc
wrote:

Philips, GE and Sylvania 23 watt ones as well as those other brands
prevalent in home centers (such as N:Vision) generally achieve 1600 lumens
after warming up for a minute or two. Higher color temperature
versions achieve closer to 1500 lumens. 1600 lumens is close to the
output of a "double life" 100 watt incandescent. A "full blast" 100W 120V
incandescent achieves 1670-1750 lumens.

I like to think of 23 watt CFLs as being about halfway between a 75 watt
and a 100 watt "standard" incandescent (750 hours) in "real-world" light
output.

- Don Klipstein (d...@misty.com)

Don Klipstein

unread,
Nov 29, 2008, 6:20:03 PM11/29/08
to

My expereince is that higher color temp. ones produce slightly less
light than ones rated 2700-3500 K.
Higher color temp. ones do work better outdoors at night however,
because their spectrum is more favorable to night vision.

- Don Klipstein (d...@misty.com)

Don Klipstein

unread,
Nov 29, 2008, 6:22:15 PM11/29/08
to
In article <7f-dnb85SsunAqzU...@posted.visi>, Dave Garland
wrote:

My experience is that non-dollar-store CFLs marketed as equivalent to
100W significantly outperform 75W "standard" 750 hour incandescents rated
1190-1210 lumens.

- Don Klipstein (d...@misty.com)

Claude Hopper

unread,
Nov 29, 2008, 7:43:07 PM11/29/08
to

Get a light meter and measure the lumens of a 100 watt bulb then a 23
watt CFL after it warms up.

--
Claude Hopper :)

? ? ¥

Doc

unread,
Nov 30, 2008, 7:08:05 AM11/30/08
to
On Nov 29, 7:07 am, The Daring Dufas <the-daring-du...@wtf.net> wrote:
> One thing I have found when dealing
> with a number of CFL lights is the fact that the
> lamps have a warm up period.

Okay, I see it gets considerably brighter with time. However, this
seems like something of an annoyance if I want there to be light
*now*. Sort of like revisting TV's that need warming up or something.

clams_casino

unread,
Nov 30, 2008, 8:24:50 AM11/30/08
to
Doc wrote:

On the other hand, it has the advantage of not immediately blinding you
when you flip the light on in the dark.

It takes some adjustment, but after a few weeks, you'll probably no
longer even notice.

WDS

unread,
Nov 30, 2008, 9:20:00 AM11/30/08
to

Indeed. When we built out house my wife had them put in special
switches that slowly raise the light level because she hates being
blinded. When we started switching to CFLs on other lights we hardly
noticed.

Some brands are much quicker than others, too. And some lines within
a brand. Unfortunately no one puts "full brightness in 47 seconds!"
on the packages.

Nate Nagel

unread,
Nov 30, 2008, 9:28:31 AM11/30/08
to

Actually last time I was in Lowe's I actually did see some "quick start"
CFLs. I don't remember the brand name though, nor did I buy any, as
most of the fixtures in my house already have CFLs in them and those
that don't are a) rarely used and b) slated for replacement anyway.

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

ransley

unread,
Nov 30, 2008, 9:35:51 AM11/30/08
to

If its not bright as 100w incandesant return it, Popular Mechanics
rated them years ago, its still online but hard to find, I think in
the Home section, Consumer reports did a test. I use HD soft white, I
get a 9w that equals 40w for about 1$. The HD bulbs rated Better than
incandesant for color at Pop mech, such as how it colors your skin. I
have 60 in use and failure after 1.5 years with many in commercial use
is maybe 2. Heat is what kills the ballast, as long as they are not
sealed in an enclosure they last.

ransley

unread,
Nov 30, 2008, 9:37:58 AM11/30/08
to
On Nov 29, 5:22 pm, d...@manx.misty.com (Don Klipstein) wrote:
> In article <7f-dnb85SsunAqzUnZ2dnUVZ_qjin...@posted.visi>, Dave Garland
>  - Don Klipstein (d...@misty.com)- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

The Popular Mechanics test and maybe CR tested and published Lumen
output.

ransley

unread,
Nov 30, 2008, 9:39:14 AM11/30/08
to

I thought it was 100% china as of a few months ago

SteveB

unread,
Nov 30, 2008, 12:20:22 PM11/30/08
to

"Doc" <docsa...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:02d06d58-2b21-4096...@d32g2000yqe.googlegroups.com...

reply:

Doctor to patient, "You need to give up wine, women, and song."

Patient, "Will I live any longer?"

Doctor, "No, but it will seem like one hell of a lot longer."

All this bullshit and hooey to save a few pennies here and there, and so
little kids won't eat used up light bulbs and die.

Steve


Siskuwihane

unread,
Nov 30, 2008, 11:43:46 AM11/30/08
to

Rod Speed

unread,
Nov 30, 2008, 12:40:36 PM11/30/08
to

Because the time varys with the temperature.


Don Klipstein

unread,
Nov 30, 2008, 1:04:10 PM11/30/08
to
In <972d75c0-39ca-42cb...@v42g2000yqv.googlegroups.com>,
WDS wrote:

There is a general trend for ones with outer bulbs to start dimmer and
take more time to warm up than ones with bare tubing. Ones with outer
bulbs have their tubing designed to work best at the higher temperature
that occurs inside the bulb-enclosed ones.

- Don Klipstein (d...@misty.com)

Don Klipstein

unread,
Nov 30, 2008, 1:07:01 PM11/30/08
to
In article <ggu7v...@news5.newsguy.com>, Nate Nagel wrote in part:

>WDS wrote:
>> On Nov 30, 7:24 am, clams_casino <PeterGrif...@DrunkinClam.com> wrote:

>> Indeed. When we built out house my wife had them put in special
>> switches that slowly raise the light level because she hates being
>> blinded. When we started switching to CFLs on other lights we hardly
>> noticed.
>>
>> Some brands are much quicker than others, too. And some lines within
>> a brand. Unfortunately no one puts "full brightness in 47 seconds!"
>> on the packages.
>
>Actually last time I was in Lowe's I actually did see some "quick start"
>CFLs. I don't remember the brand name though, nor did I buy any,

They may be referring to starting instantly instead of taking half a
second or a second to preheat their filaments. They almost certainly
still need to warm up.

- Don Klipstein (d...@misty.com)

Don Klipstein

unread,
Nov 30, 2008, 1:29:32 PM11/30/08
to
In <2b372011-a3cd-4b62...@w34g2000yqm.googlegroups.com>,
ransley wrote:

I would not take lumen claims on the package as gospel truth. I have
had some fall significantly short, notably many Lights of America and
MaxLite models that I tested, and in my experience every dollar store unit
of a "dollar store brand" whose package made a claim of light output in
lumens.

Ones of "Big 3" brands (Philips, GE and Sylvania) and ones with the
Energy Star logo are more likely to be truthful with claims of light
output in lumens. I have also found N:Vision (a brand pushed by Home
Depot) to be truthful with light output claims in lumens. My experience
is similarly good with the brand available in CVS stores. I would expect
the brand pushed by Lowes to be similarly good in meeting claims of light
output in lumens.

- Don Klipstein (d...@misty.com)

meow...@care2.com

unread,
Nov 30, 2008, 1:38:47 PM11/30/08
to

Lumen output drops quite a bit throughout a CFL's life, whereas
filament lamp fall in output is much less. Consequently to get a real
equivalent one needs to start with higher lumen levels than the
equivalent filament lamp.


NT

phil scott

unread,
Nov 30, 2008, 2:17:33 PM11/30/08
to
On Nov 29, 3:28 am, Doc <docsavag...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Just got a 4-pack of the Walmart "Great Value" version of these energy-
> saver style fluorescent 23w bulbs which they claim are equivalent to a
> 100w incandescent bulb. Not even close. It's about like a 40w bulb.
>
> Are the name brand bulbs of this type any better?

full spectrum light is crucial to good health... the body evolved
needing all spectums of light (natural light) or incandescent... to be
healthy.

cool white florescent etc..and others have that problem.

a good google search....' full spectrum light, heatlh, Ott'

Phil scott

Don Klipstein

unread,
Nov 30, 2008, 5:20:17 PM11/30/08
to
In <9d18c4b1-b3fa-40a5...@l39g2000yqn.googlegroups.com>,
meow...@care2.com wrote:

CFLs when aged to 3,000 operating hours have about 10% (maybe a bit
more) loss of light output compared to that at 100 hours (industry-
standard break-in period, immediately after which their light output
is "officially" determined).

So the 1600 lumen "100 watt equivalents" can fade to about 1400-1450
lumens at 3,000 hours, and fade a little more to maybe about 1300 lumens
if and when they get to 6,000-8,000 hours or so. Even that is still a
bit brighter than "standard" 75W incandescents.

If your home is one of those where the line voltage is on the high side,
then incandescents will have much-enhanced photometric performance. Light
output from a CFL may be merely roughly proportionate to line voltage,
while incandescents have light output typically proportionate to line
voltage to the 3.4 or so power.
So if you hit a 1190 lumen 75W 120V incandescent with 124V, then you get
about 1330 lumens from that incandescent. In homes with higher line
voltage, incandescents get a "disproportionate boost" in performance - if
you are not bothered by them not lasting as long as they should.

- Don Klipstein (d...@misty.com)

phil scott

unread,
Nov 30, 2008, 5:49:53 PM11/30/08
to

addendum.... If yiou get a good daily dose of sunlight, or
incandescent bulb light, then florescent or LED wont have as much of a
detrimental effect on your health... for offices I recommend a small
incandescent light on the dest kept lit ..it supplies the full
spectrum you need. in a home an incandescent near your tv watching
chair would have a similar effect... I dont think the wattage is
crucial, 20 watts might be fine.


Phil scott

Don Klipstein

unread,
Nov 30, 2008, 6:13:55 PM11/30/08
to
In <e748a390-88b8-47f7...@i20g2000prf.googlegroups.com>,
phil scott wrote:

I've been there done that. My sensation is hype.

I have studied this area enough to be in a good position to know every
known and reasonably-theorized photoreceptor and significant photochemical
mechanism in the human body.

They are:

1. The red, green and blue cones in the retina of the eye:
Having 2 different light sources matching each other in color and
visually-apparent brightness is sufficient to achieve matching stimulation
of all 3 of those different photoreceptors by such 2 different light
sources in question. Even if one is an incandescent and the other is a
CFL with the usual spiky spectrum.

2. Rods in the retina of the eye: If 2 light sources have the same
apparent brightness and same "s/p ratio" (scotopic/photopic), then they
stimulate the rods of the eye equally.

CFLs of incandescent-like color tend to have s/p ratio about 10% less
than incandescents of same color. I don't think that is all that bad.

3. There is highly suspected to be a "cirtopic receptor" in the human
eye, influencing circadian rhythms. I hear various figures for peak
wavelength of sensitivity of that one and no figures for bandwidth.
Figures for peak wavelength tend to be in the greenish-blue to
very-bluish-green range. I suspect, in part from wide variation in
determinations in peak wavelength for sensitivity, that the bandwidth is
on the wide side - as in maybe similar to that of rods.

So it appears to me that the cirtopic receptors don't get shortchanged
much more than the rods do by an incandescent-like CFL in comparison to an
incandescent of same color and same photometrics.

4. A somewhat-suspected separate "violet cone" that has its neural output
being channeled into something like 80% blue 20% red neural channels:
I suspect that such *may be true* since I have foveal tritanopia, and I
find that defect in my vision to affect spectral pure deep blues but not
spectral violets (such as the 404.7 nm wavelength of mercury).

Should the "violet cone" actually exist, CFLs of incandescent-like color
do stimulate that one as well as incandescents do - via the 404.7 nm
wavelength of mercury vapor.

5. Suntanning/erythemic ultraviolet: Both incandescents and CFLs are
similarly lacking in production of such. Erythemic UV found in daylight
is mainly the longer wavelength 35% or so of UVB and the shorter
wavelength 25-30% or so of UVA.

6. UVA of wavelengths absorbed by tryptophan and related compounds: I
have yet to hear of anything good from that and I am aware of a harmful
mechanism from that ("nuclear cataracts" ["permanent suntanning of the
core of the lens of the eye], as well as contribution to the more-common
foggy "regular" cataracts).
Most of the trouble from this is "superlinear" with intensity of
exposure. As in if exposure intensity is cut in half but imposed for
twice as much time, you are better-off.

The main offender here for a very large majority of the population is
natural daylight. Both incandescents and incandescent-like CFLs run
low in such wavelengths and do so similarly. Non-dollar-store CFLs and
other triphosphor fluorescents of higher color temps. produce even less,
due to the blue phosphor component used in these lamps utilizing the
365-366 nm mercury spectral feature - which other fluorescent lamp
phosphors usually do not absorb. (2700K CFLs generally lack the usual
blue phosphor of "triphosphor fluorescents".)

7. There is some notation to a wound-healing mechanism using deep red
light of wavelengths around 660-670 nm.

CFLs lack that. However, the study I saw noting a proposed actual
photochemical mechanism also noted requirement of intensity of exposure to
such wavelengths, easily fallen short from by direct sunlight, let alone
home indoor lighting of any kind.

8. Acne treatment - the main acne bacterium does produce a waste product
that is converted into something toxic to that bacterium by "mid-violet"
wavelengths. Direct midday sunlight usually has enough of that to make a
difference. Indoor home lighting, regardless of type, does not.
Artificial lighting to blast acne bacteria is typically "03
super-actinic" fluorescent lamps, available from pet/aquarium shops among
some other sources. Exposure requirement is high enough to require a lot
of this - or preferably twice-daily or whatever 15 minutes or whatever
amount of time blasting acne-befallen parts of your body by such a lamp
mere inches away.

9. Photoreceptor in animals other than humans - live coral has a
requirement for deep blue to bluish-violet wavelengths.

10. Photoreceptor in animals other than vertebrates - arthropods have a
UV (probably UVA) photoreceptor in their eyes, occaisionally noted as
having peak sensitivity around 350 nm.

There are some other photochemical processes and photochemicals known to
be in the plant kingdom, and notably found absent in anything that is into
the animal kingdom enough to lack chloroplasts. (Euglenas are protozoa
with both mitochondria and chloroplasts, and were considered to be within
the "animal kingdom" until the kingdoms were redefined to make protozoa
and slime molds [masses of amoebas - prorozoa] to be not considered
animals.

Bottom line: I see "preponderance of evidence" to a great extent that
incandescent-like CFLs are not much more unhealthful to humans than
incandescents of same photometric performance are, despite the spiky
spectrum of CFLs.

- Don Klipstein (d...@misty.com)

meow...@care2.com

unread,
Nov 30, 2008, 6:53:11 PM11/30/08
to

Many of us now use CFLs rated at 10k hrs mean life, so many of them
will go on to well over 10k. Using your figures and extrapolating
wildly, at 15k hrs they will have lost somewhere vaguely in the region
of 50% output. Not that bad in most cases, but yes big drop.


NT

WDS

unread,
Nov 30, 2008, 7:12:42 PM11/30/08
to
On Nov 30, 12:04 pm, d...@manx.misty.com (Don Klipstein) wrote:
>   There is a general trend for ones with outer bulbs to start dimmer and
> take more time to warm up than ones with bare tubing.  Ones with outer
> bulbs have their tubing designed to work best at the higher temperature
> that occurs inside the bulb-enclosed ones.

Oddly the ones we have the get to full brightness the fastest and the
slowest are the ones in "more traditional" packaging (i.e., with an
outer shell around the twisty one).

BTW, one more thing to do is in a multi-bulb fixture put in one
incandescent bulb to provide immediate brightness.

Tomes

unread,
Nov 30, 2008, 9:58:09 PM11/30/08
to
"WDS" <Bi...@seurer.net> wrote in message
news:a06c930a-160a-4c31...@d32g2000yqe.googlegroups.com...

_____________________

I tried this in a multi-bulb fixture that has a ceiling fan when I first
went towards CFLs. It did make a good transition for me at the time, but
after a while I just swapped out that bulb for the CFL too. I just got used
to the lighting timing all over the house now.
Tomes

Don Klipstein

unread,
Dec 1, 2008, 1:56:22 AM12/1/08
to
In <8b76c1c2-c206-4ebd...@20g2000yqt.googlegroups.com>,
meow...@care2.com wrote:

>Don Klipstein wrote:
>> In <9d18c4b1-b3fa-40a5...@l39g2000yqn.googlegroups.com>,
>> meow...@care2.com wrote:
>>
>>>Don Klipstein wrote:

>>>>In <7f-dnb85SsunAqzU...@posted.visi>, Dave Garland wrote:
>>>>>Well, they should be brighter than a 40W incandescent. Check the lumens
>>>>>rating, that gives you a number to compare. A typical 100W incandescent
>>>>>is around 1600-1700 lumens. Walmart doesn't seem to give the lumen
>>>>>ratings on theirs but a Sylvania CF23EL is indeed rated for 1600 lumens.
>>>>>
>>>>>It may take it a few minutes to reach full brightness.
>>>>>
>>>>>But it seems like all the companies cheat on the "equivalent to" rating,
>>>>>if they say "equivalent to 100W" I figure it should be a bit brighter
>>>>>than a 60W.
>>>>
>>>> My experience is that non-dollar-store CFLs marketed as equivalent to
>>>>100W significantly outperform 75W "standard" 750 hour incandescents rated
>>>>1190-1210 lumens.
>>>

>>>Lumen output drops quite a bit throughout a CFL's life, whereas
>>>filament lamp fall in output is much less. Consequently to get a real
>>>equivalent one needs to start with higher lumen levels than the
>>>equivalent filament lamp.
>>
>> CFLs when aged to 3,000 operating hours have about 10% (maybe a bit
>> more) loss of light output compared to that at 100 hours (industry-
>> standard break-in period, immediately after which their light output
>> is "officially" determined).
>>
>> So the 1600 lumen "100 watt equivalents" can fade to about 1400-1450
>> lumens at 3,000 hours, and fade a little more to maybe about 1300 lumens
>> if and when they get to 6,000-8,000 hours or so. Even that is still a
>> bit brighter than "standard" 75W incandescents.
>>
>> If your home is one of those where the line voltage is on the high side,
>> then incandescents will have much-enhanced photometric performance. Light
>> output from a CFL may be merely roughly proportionate to line voltage,
>> while incandescents have light output typically proportionate to line
>> voltage to the 3.4 or so power.
>> So if you hit a 1190 lumen 75W 120V incandescent with 124V, then you get
>> about 1330 lumens from that incandescent. In homes with higher line
>> voltage, incandescents get a "disproportionate boost" in performance - if
>> you are not bothered by them not lasting as long as they should.
>

>Many of us now use CFLs rated at 10k hrs mean life, so many of them
>will go on to well over 10k. Using your figures and extrapolating
>wildly, at 15k hrs they will have lost somewhere vaguely in the region
>of 50% output. Not that bad in most cases, but yes big drop.

As it turns out, the "halflife" increases a little as the lamps age.
So ones that make it to 15K hours have more like 70%, maybe 75% of the
light output that they had at 100 hours. I have actual experience in an
apartment building that had CFL hallway lights and some of them lasted
that long.

I have seen a few CFLs faded to about 60% or 2/3 or so of their original
light output, after over 2 years of continuous operation. Most don't last
that long.
If one makes it in home use past the 6,000-7,500 operating hours that
they used to be rated for, then I think its owner will be quite happy with
it in terms of actually achieving the long life that they are supposed to
have. My experience seems to support a figure more like 4,000-5,000
hours, due to average ontime less than the "industry standard test
condition" of 3 hours, and average ambient temperature around the lamp and
ballast housing hotter than the "industry standard test condition" of 25 C.

- Don Klipstein (d...@misty.com)

ransley

unread,
Dec 1, 2008, 7:22:07 AM12/1/08
to
> http://www.popularmechanics.com/home_journal/home_improvement/4215199...- Hide quoted text -

>
> - Show quoted text -

How do you post links here, I always recomend them but dont know how
to post them.

Rod Speed

unread,
Dec 1, 2008, 5:21:07 PM12/1/08
to
ransley <Mark_R...@Yahoo.com> wrote:
> On Nov 30, 10:43 am, Siskuwihane <Siskuwiha...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> On Nov 30, 9:35 am, ransley <Mark_Rans...@Yahoo.com> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>> On Nov 29, 5:28 am, Doc <docsavag...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>>
>>>> Just got a 4-pack of the Walmart "Great Value" version of these
>>>> energy- saver style fluorescent 23w bulbs which they claim are
>>>> equivalent to a 100w incandescent bulb. Not even close. It's about
>>>> like a 40w bulb.
>>
>>>> Are the name brand bulbs of this type any better?
>>
>>> If its not bright as 100w incandesant return it, Popular Mechanics
>>> rated them years ago, its still online but hard to find, I think in
>>> the Home section, Consumer reports did a test. I use HD soft white,
>>> I get a 9w that equals 40w for about 1$. The HD bulbs rated Better
>>> than incandesant for color at Pop mech, such as how it colors your
>>> skin. I have 60 in use and failure after 1.5 years with many in
>>> commercial use is maybe 2. Heat is what kills the ballast, as long
>>> as they are not sealed in an enclosure they last.

>> http://www.popularmechanics.com/home_journal/home_improvement/4215199.html

> How do you post links here, I always recomend them but dont know how to post them.

Cut them off the browser address box and paste them into the post.

That doesnt always work, particularly with sites that have a session id but it does work for many sites.

Sam J

unread,
Dec 1, 2008, 5:23:41 PM12/1/08
to
phil scott <ph...@philscott.net> wrote:
> On Nov 29, 3:28 am, Doc <docsavag...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>> Just got a 4-pack of the Walmart "Great Value" version of these
>> energy- saver style fluorescent 23w bulbs which they claim are
>> equivalent to a 100w incandescent bulb. Not even close. It's about
>> like a 40w bulb.

>> Are the name brand bulbs of this type any better?

> full spectrum light is crucial to good health...

Like hell it is.

> the body evolved needing all spectums of light (natural light) or incandescent... to be healthy.

Fantasy. You do need adequate levels of natural light, but you dont need artificial light to duplicate that.

> cool white florescent etc..and others have that problem.

> a good google search....' full spectrum light, heatlh, Ott'

Just because some fool claims it doesnt make it gospel.


Gordon

unread,
Dec 1, 2008, 6:02:30 PM12/1/08
to
ransley <Mark_R...@Yahoo.com> wrote in news:d561851d-4d86-414b-8cba-
03f148...@x8g2000yqk.googlegroups.com:

> Heat is what kills the ballast, as long as they are not
> sealed in an enclosure they last.
>

Picking up on that thread...
I recently had to buy two CFLs for a pair of enclosed outdoor
fixtures. Most of the general use CFLs that I found were
not suitable. Right on the ballast they stated "Not for
use in an enclosed fixture". A few even stated that they
would not start up at cold temps. I finally found a pair
that didn't have the warning, and actually stated the
startup temperature on the package.

Gary Heston

unread,
Dec 1, 2008, 9:39:09 PM12/1/08
to
In article <slrngj72k...@manx.misty.com>,
Don Klipstein <d...@manx.misty.com> wrote:
[ ... ]

>>Many of us now use CFLs rated at 10k hrs mean life, so many of them
>>will go on to well over 10k. Using your figures and extrapolating
>>wildly, at 15k hrs they will have lost somewhere vaguely in the region
>>of 50% output. Not that bad in most cases, but yes big drop.
[ ... ]

FYI, within the last 5-6 weeks I noticed one of my porch lights was
blinking on and off--a GE FLB17 16w CF with external envelope--and
had to swap it out.

That light had been in near-continuous operation since about 1993 or
1994. It was out on Halloween nights and during a few power failures.

Calculator tells me that's over 120,000 hours. It's output had faded
quite a bit (the 75W incandescent I replaced it with was _much_
brighter--and lasted less than a month) but it was still adequate.

I'll be looking for some more of those...


Gary

--
Gary Heston ghe...@hiwaay.net http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/

"Behind every successful woman there is an astonished man"
General of the Army (four stars) Ann Dunwoody

Don Klipstein

unread,
Dec 1, 2008, 10:20:29 PM12/1/08
to
In <c5GdneB-1qNQAqnU...@posted.hiwaay2>, Gary Heston wrote:
>In article <slrngj72k...@manx.misty.com>,
>Don Klipstein <d...@manx.misty.com> wrote:
> [ ... ]
>>>Many of us now use CFLs rated at 10k hrs mean life, so many of them
>>>will go on to well over 10k. Using your figures and extrapolating
>>>wildly, at 15k hrs they will have lost somewhere vaguely in the region
>>>of 50% output. Not that bad in most cases, but yes big drop.
> [ ... ]
>
>FYI, within the last 5-6 weeks I noticed one of my porch lights was
>blinking on and off--a GE FLB17 16w CF with external envelope--and
>had to swap it out.
>
>That light had been in near-continuous operation since about 1993 or
>1994. It was out on Halloween nights and during a few power failures.
>
>Calculator tells me that's over 120,000 hours. It's output had faded
>quite a bit (the 75W incandescent I replaced it with was _much_
>brighter--and lasted less than a month) but it was still adequate.
>
>I'll be looking for some more of those...

Look at all the hardware stores you can get to - I suspect that one is
obsolete.

Otherwise use a Philips "EL/O" / "Outdoor". Last time I checked, that
was still available at Home Depot in 15 watt (optimistically 60 watt
equivalent). Get the 5000 Kelvin "daylight" version if you can - the
spectrum is more favorable to making use of night vision.

If the fixture is enclosed, Philips SLS ("Marathon" triple-arch)
non-dimmable 23 watts or less (especially 15) should work well. Go for 20
or 23 watts if you need the extra fixture heating to get adequate warmup
in the winter.

- Don Klipstein (d...@misty.com)

Tomes

unread,
Dec 2, 2008, 8:51:18 PM12/2/08
to
"ransley"...

How do you post links here, I always recomend them but dont know how
to post them.

_____________________

First do this bracket: <
Then paste in the link copied from the URL area
Then do this bracket: >
Then hit enter

You now will have a usable link in your post.
Hope this helps,
Tomes

jme...@columbus.rr.com

unread,
Dec 3, 2008, 7:51:47 AM12/3/08
to
On Nov 29, 6:28 am, Doc <docsavag...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Just got a 4-pack of the Walmart "Great Value" version of these energy-
> saver style fluorescent 23w bulbs which they claim are equivalent to a
> 100w incandescent bulb. Not even close. It's about like a 40w bulb.
>
> Are the name brand bulbs of this type any better?

For me that is a feature. When I get up in the morning and turn on
the bathroom light, I like the idea of it not blasting me until I wake
up a little.

BTW I mix traditional and fluorescent lamps. The end result is a
very good color mix, somewhere between sunlight and standard lamps.
So for the lady of the house who has makeup and clothing color mixing
to do, it is great.

John Weiss

unread,
Dec 3, 2008, 12:18:17 PM12/3/08
to
<jme...@columbus.rr.com> wrote...

> BTW I mix traditional and fluorescent lamps. The end result is a
very good color mix, somewhere between sunlight and standard lamps.
So for the lady of the house who has makeup and clothing color mixing
to do, it is great.

So far I mix them in the kitchen, where we have recessed floods. I still like
the intensity of the halogen right over the workspace of the stove and counter,
with CFLs in the other places. Also, the single halogen in each bank lights up
instantly, while the CFLs warm up, so I don't have to wait to work.


Tony

unread,
Dec 3, 2008, 1:58:47 PM12/3/08
to
On Sun, 30 Nov 2008 09:20:22 -0800, "SteveB" <toquerville@zionvistas> wrote:

>
>"Doc" <docsa...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>news:02d06d58-2b21-4096...@d32g2000yqe.googlegroups.com...
>On Nov 29, 7:07 am, The Daring Dufas <the-daring-du...@wtf.net> wrote:
>> One thing I have found when dealing
>> with a number of CFL lights is the fact that the
>> lamps have a warm up period.
>
>
>
>Okay, I see it gets considerably brighter with time. However, this
>seems like something of an annoyance if I want there to be light
>*now*. Sort of like revisting TV's that need warming up or something.

So, the problem is easily solved. Buy incandescents. CFL lights use a lot less electricity and last
years longer than incandescents. The trade off is that you have to wait a minute for the full light
to come on. If it bothers you that much, get rid of them. Problem solved. That is like saying I want
a Toyota Prius but you cant stand that you cant fit giant boxes when you purchase something from
Home Depot. Simple answer, buy a gas guzzling SUV.

Tony

GregS

unread,
Dec 3, 2008, 2:07:45 PM12/3/08
to

I will probably start using CFL's in the kitchen recessed positions after the halogen
fail. When i checked last The Home Deopot quit selling dimmer capable CFL's several
years ago, so I went with Halogen. I do like the Halogen color but some CFL's
are close. Figure $15 each for a dimmable CFL.

On another note, a GREEN label is on some 4 foot 40 Watt lamps GE Ecolux
tubes in the room here. They FAR outshine any other flourescent lamp
I have seen. They typically look twice as bright as the brightest lamp
here. They DO have a certain greenish color, and they don't have them at the Depot.

greg

Mark Lloyd

unread,
Dec 4, 2008, 10:35:58 AM12/4/08
to
On Wed, 03 Dec 2008 13:58:47 -0500, Tony <truss...@yahoo.com>
wrote:

>On Sun, 30 Nov 2008 09:20:22 -0800, "SteveB" <toquerville@zionvistas> wrote:
>
>>
>>"Doc" <docsa...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>>news:02d06d58-2b21-4096...@d32g2000yqe.googlegroups.com...
>>On Nov 29, 7:07 am, The Daring Dufas <the-daring-du...@wtf.net> wrote:
>>> One thing I have found when dealing
>>> with a number of CFL lights is the fact that the
>>> lamps have a warm up period.
>>
>>
>>
>>Okay, I see it gets considerably brighter with time. However, this
>>seems like something of an annoyance if I want there to be light
>>*now*. Sort of like revisting TV's that need warming up or something.
>
>So, the problem is easily solved. Buy incandescents. CFL lights use a lot less electricity and last
>years longer than incandescents. The trade off is that you have to wait a minute for the full light
>to come on.

I have used a lot of CFLs (of different brands) and have not had any
that take more than a second or two to come on, until recently (these
are flood lights).

> If it bothers you that much, get rid of them. Problem solved. That is like saying I want
>a Toyota Prius but you cant stand that you cant fit giant boxes when you purchase something from
>Home Depot. Simple answer, buy a gas guzzling SUV.
>
>Tony

--
21 days until the winter solstice celebration

Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"The government of the United States is not, in
any sense, founded on the Christian religion."

Bert Hyman

unread,
Dec 4, 2008, 10:55:20 AM12/4/08
to
In news:jeldj4l4uj8t4ovgi...@4ax.com Tony
<truss...@yahoo.com> wrote:

> So, the problem is easily solved. Buy incandescents

Better move quickly.

The "Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007" applies performance
standards to incandescent bulbs which supposedly will effectively ban
them in a few years.

I've tried to read it but it consists mainly of a lot of edits to
existing regulations, like this:

(1) DEFINITION OF GENERAL SERVICE INCANDESCENT LAMP- Section 321(30) of
the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6291(30)) is amended--
(A) by striking subparagraph (D) and inserting the following:
bla bla bla ...

so it's not clear to me exactly what's going on.

Still, there's the "Light Bulb Freedom of Choice Act", H.R.5616, which
claims to "repeal of the phase out of incandescent light bulbs."

--
Bert Hyman St. Paul, MN be...@iphouse.com

GregS

unread,
Dec 4, 2008, 11:04:54 AM12/4/08
to
In article <91ufj4l4tpeujlsnf...@4ax.com>, Mark Lloyd <mll...@xmail.com10.invalid> wrote:
>On Wed, 03 Dec 2008 13:58:47 -0500, Tony <truss...@yahoo.com>
>wrote:
>
>>On Sun, 30 Nov 2008 09:20:22 -0800, "SteveB" <toquerville@zionvistas> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>"Doc" <docsa...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>>>news:02d06d58-2b21-4096...@d32g2000yqe.googlegroups.com...
>>>On Nov 29, 7:07 am, The Daring Dufas <the-daring-du...@wtf.net> wrote:
>>>> One thing I have found when dealing
>>>> with a number of CFL lights is the fact that the
>>>> lamps have a warm up period.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>Okay, I see it gets considerably brighter with time. However, this
>>>seems like something of an annoyance if I want there to be light
>>>*now*. Sort of like revisting TV's that need warming up or something.
>>
>>So, the problem is easily solved. Buy incandescents. CFL lights use a lot less
> electricity and last
>>years longer than incandescents. The trade off is that you have to wait a
> minute for the full light
>>to come on.
>
>I have used a lot of CFLs (of different brands) and have not had any
>that take more than a second or two to come on, until recently (these
>are flood lights).

Mine are also floodlights. In the cold they first turn on with a dark purple, Deep Purple ?
Seems like they don't have it down quite right as far as light concentration
for more of a spot.

I have several around the house I never turn off, and one in the front yard. Its
a standard CFL inside one of those metal glass protective domes, completely
incased. I'm sure it gets hot in the middle of a summer day. I intend
on hooking up a photosensor, but that might make it burn out more
quickly. I'll find out.

Don Klipstein

unread,
Dec 4, 2008, 8:36:32 PM12/4/08
to
In <gh8v36$obi$2...@usenet01.srv.cis.pitt.edu>, GregS wrote in part:

>In article <91ufj4l4tpeujlsnf...@4ax.com>, Mark Lloyd
<mll...@xmail.com10.invalid> wrote:

>>I have used a lot of CFLs (of different brands) and have not had any
>>that take more than a second or two to come on, until recently (these
>>are flood lights).
>
>Mine are also floodlights. In the cold they first turn on with a dark
>purple, Deep Purple ?

CFLs with outer bulbs have a general trend of starting dimmer and taking
longer to warm up than ones with bare tubing. The tubing in ones with
outer bulbs is formulated to work best at a higher temperature.

>Seems like they don't have it down quite right as far as light concentration
>for more of a spot.

The light from the reflector is less concentrated, because the initial
source (spiral of tubing) is larger and less intense than a filament.

- Don Klipstein (d...@misty.com)

Don Klipstein

unread,
Dec 4, 2008, 8:38:14 PM12/4/08
to
In article <Xns9B6A64D2A68...@216.250.184.7>, Bert Hyman wrote:
>In news:jeldj4l4uj8t4ovgi...@4ax.com Tony
><truss...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> So, the problem is easily solved. Buy incandescents
>
>Better move quickly.
>
>The "Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007" applies performance
>standards to incandescent bulbs which supposedly will effectively ban
>them in a few years.

Far from it:

http://members.misty.com/don/incban.html

- Don Klipstein (d...@misty.com)

Mark Lloyd

unread,
Dec 5, 2008, 10:55:26 AM12/5/08
to
On Fri, 5 Dec 2008 01:36:32 +0000 (UTC), d...@manx.misty.com (Don
Klipstein) wrote:

>In <gh8v36$obi$2...@usenet01.srv.cis.pitt.edu>, GregS wrote in part:
>>In article <91ufj4l4tpeujlsnf...@4ax.com>, Mark Lloyd
><mll...@xmail.com10.invalid> wrote:
>
>>>I have used a lot of CFLs (of different brands) and have not had any
>>>that take more than a second or two to come on, until recently (these
>>>are flood lights).
>>
>>Mine are also floodlights. In the cold they first turn on with a dark
>>purple, Deep Purple ?
>
> CFLs with outer bulbs have a general trend of starting dimmer and taking
>longer to warm up than ones with bare tubing.

Seems true here. All the plain CFLs I've used would warm up in a
couple of seconds. The floodlights (look like regular CFLs inside
enclosures) take awhile.

> The tubing in ones with
>outer bulbs is formulated to work best at a higher temperature.
>
>>Seems like they don't have it down quite right as far as light concentration
>>for more of a spot.
>
> The light from the reflector is less concentrated, because the initial
>source (spiral of tubing) is larger and less intense than a filament.
>
> - Don Klipstein (d...@misty.com)

--
20 days until the winter solstice celebration

Macuser

unread,
Dec 13, 2008, 10:54:35 AM12/13/08
to
I personally prefer the name brands because they produce light from a warmer
spectrum, which is closer in appearance to a luminscent bulb. Cheapier
fluorescents from the dollar store are ok for the night light I have in the
front window.


--
http://cashcuddler.com

"Thrift is sexy."

Twice Retired

unread,
Dec 13, 2008, 1:12:45 PM12/13/08
to

"Macuser" <spamisa...@meat.com> wrote in message
news:%UQ0l.1386$c35...@nwrddc02.gnilink.net...

Throughout my home I have 72 CFL's of various wattages. Mixed brands, most
are indies. Color temp varies from 2700K to 2900K, equal to incandescent.
Have had 4 failures in 7 years, 2 outdoors and 2 in basement. I think
vibration may have got the outdoor ones as they are post lights. The 2 in
the basement are on 24/7 for general illumination for cats to find food,
water, and litter boxes.

Nate Nagel

unread,
Dec 13, 2008, 1:24:12 PM12/13/08
to

I don't think that cats require any more light than a dim glow
(equivalent to moonlight/starlight.) They ARE basically nocturnal
animals, after all.

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

James Sweet

unread,
Dec 13, 2008, 2:11:28 PM12/13/08
to
Macuser wrote:
> I personally prefer the name brands because they produce light from a
> warmer spectrum, which is closer in appearance to a luminscent bulb.
> Cheapier fluorescents from the dollar store are ok for the night light I
> have in the front window.
>
>


Even the "name brand" ones are made in China, though some are better
than others. The spectrum is determined by the color temperature, not by
the brand that makes them. 2700K is incandescent lookalike, 3100K is
often referred to as soft white, occasionally you see 3500K which are a
bit cooler, and then 5500K-6000K is referred to as "daylight". A few
companies charge exorbitant prices for daylight fluorescents marketing
them as some sort of magical sunlight substitute, they're no different
than the daylight cfls you can buy at most hardware stores for a few
dollars.

James Sweet

unread,
Dec 13, 2008, 2:12:55 PM12/13/08
to


Cats have far more sensitive vision than people, they have poor color
vision, and lower resolution, but excellent nighttime sensitivity. A
single nightlight is more than enough.

LouB

unread,
Dec 13, 2008, 3:50:02 PM12/13/08
to
Interesting, thanks.

Lou

Macuser

unread,
Dec 13, 2008, 7:19:00 PM12/13/08
to
As far as I know, they're ALL made in China, but I said I prefer the bulbs
be name brand because they tend to have a more attractive glow. GE and other
brands tend to be much warmer as far as I have seen. One bulb I have fires
up as a dim colored rose bulb, and then it brightens to be a full spectrum
bulb. It's pretty weird.


--
http://cashcuddler.com

"Thrift is sexy."


>

Macuser

unread,
Dec 13, 2008, 7:19:00 PM12/13/08
to
As far as I know, they're ALL made in China, but I said I prefer the bulbs
be name brand because they tend to have a more attractive glow. GE and other
brands tend to be much warmer as far as I have seen. One bulb I have fires
up as a dim colored rose bulb, and then it brightens to be a full spectrum
bulb. It's pretty weird.


--
http://cashcuddler.com

"Thrift is sexy."


>

James Sweet

unread,
Dec 13, 2008, 10:40:41 PM12/13/08
to
Macuser wrote:
> As far as I know, they're ALL made in China, but I said I prefer the bulbs
> be name brand because they tend to have a more attractive glow. GE and
> other
> brands tend to be much warmer as far as I have seen. One bulb I have fires
> up as a dim colored rose bulb, and then it brightens to be a full spectrum
> bulb. It's pretty weird.
>
>


The lamps that use a mercury amalgam rather than metallic mercury will
have mercury starvation until they warm up, so you'll get the reddish
glow of the mostly argon exciting the phosphor. The amalgam is commonly
used on lamps with higher power densities, that is higher wattage for
the size of the tube as it helps regulate vapor pressure.

Don Klipstein

unread,
Dec 14, 2008, 6:27:13 PM12/14/08
to
In article <%UQ0l.1386$c35...@nwrddc02.gnilink.net>, Macuser wrote:

>I personally prefer the name brands because they produce light from a warmer
>spectrum, which is closer in appearance to a luminscent bulb. Cheapier
>fluorescents from the dollar store are ok for the night light I have in the
>front window.

My experience of the ones from dollar stores and of "dollar store
brands" is:

1. Much more than their fair share of early failures

2. Much more than their fair share of spectacular failures (loud noises
and smoke)

3. 100% rate of those with claims of light output falling short of such
claims, in more extreme cases by a factor of 3-plus.

4. Apearance of less accountability, as in less traceability to
manufacturers. One even had a copyright claim on its package, but
lacking even notation as to who or what was claiming the copyright,
as well as apparent lack of mention of a brand.

5. Most have an outright icy cold bluish color similar to or even
slightly more bluish than the color of those "daylight" fluorescents.
This includes many (though not all, maybe not most) that come in
packages saying "soft warm white light".

- Don Klipstein (d...@misty.com)

Don Klipstein

unread,
Dec 14, 2008, 6:31:07 PM12/14/08
to
In article <gi0um...@news5.newsguy.com>, Nate Nagel wrote:
>Twice Retired wrote:
>>
>> Throughout my home I have 72 CFL's of various wattages. Mixed brands,
>> most are indies. Color temp varies from 2700K to 2900K, equal to
>> incandescent. Have had 4 failures in 7 years, 2 outdoors and 2 in
>> basement. I think vibration may have got the outdoor ones as they are
>> post lights. The 2 in the basement are on 24/7 for general illumination
>> for cats to find food, water, and litter boxes.
>>
>
>I don't think that cats require any more light than a dim glow
>(equivalent to moonlight/starlight.) They ARE basically nocturnal
>animals, after all.

Green or blue LED nightlights rated to consume less than 1/2 watt will
be plenty. They produce light of wavelengths that night vision is
sensitive to. My experience is that even dark-adapted humans can see by
those well enough to easily find objects in rooms.

- Don Klipstein (d...@misty.com)

Don Klipstein

unread,
Dec 14, 2008, 6:34:01 PM12/14/08
to

Amalgam is also used in ones with outer bulbs. In fact, some with outer
bulbs may even get a different amalgam (with greater warmup requirements)
than some without outer bulbs but still getting an amalgam rather than
pure liquid mercury.

- Don Klipstein (d...@misty.com)

0 new messages