i have switched all my light bulbs over to cfls [i’d guess 75 of them]. i have gotten use to the dim light for the first 45 secs and am pretty happy with them.the light and coloring is pretty good .
but that said i buy my bulbs at sams ,ge brand ,i think the reg bulbs run about 12.00 for 5 and the floods are 15 for 3. they are suppose to last 5 years,well i’m not even getting close probably averaging 1.5 years.
is any body buying a brand that last that five years that they advertise? and happy with the light they put out.larry
if a man speaks in the forest,and there’s not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?
Replies
Larry,
I had one of the very first cfl's in my front post lamp. It actually lasted 12 years of every night, all night operation. It finally gave up about 2 years ago and I replaced it with a Sylvania. Well that one gave up a couple of days ago :( I also have an older one in the front "porch" light at my business...... it has been there since we moved into the building almost 5 years ago and has been on 24 hours a day every day. Dont know what brand it is.
That being said .... most of them are guaranteed to last for 7 years .... I have started keeping the receipts for any of them that I buy.
Merry Christmas,
Bill Koustenis
Advanced Automotive Machine
Waldorf Md
Yea - I got some of those smaller sized flood CFs from Sams and they didn't last very well at all. I thought maybe it was because I had them in can lights... Sorry, I can't recommend what brand is good....
I leave one light on 24/7 and I found that Sylvanias lasted about 1 year while Phillips was good for about 2 years. The ones with a separate ballast, of course, last much longer but need a different fixture.
It has been discussed several times in previous threads that CFLs won't outlast incandescents if the base gets hot. I had lousy luck with CFLs in my mom's house in her hanging kitchen lights. Not so bad in other applications.I doubt any of the CFLs are going to outlast the incandescent light burn that has been burning more-or-less continuously since 1901 in a fire station in Livermore, CA.
Edited 12/22/2007 10:39 pm ET by CaseyR
The old CFLs would have heat problems, but most of the newer ones have electronic ballasts and do just fine in enclosed fixtures. Their life may be shortened somewhat, but not enough to worry about.
If your view never changes you're following the wrong leader
I buy the "Commercial Electric" bulk pack lamps from HD. Dunno how long they last but it's a lot longer than incandescents, and the lamps are generally under $2 apiece if you buy on sale.
Note that the lamps are rated by hours (generally 10K, I think), and five years would be for "typical" service. (IIRC incandescents are typically rated for around 800 hours.) Running continuously 10K hours is 417 days, or about a year and two months. Five years corresponds to about 5.5 hours per day.
nvision
Jeff
http://www.lightvault.com/html/cfl_floods.html
I use the N-Vision bulbs available at Home Depot. They're so cheap that I don't much care if they last one year or 5 years (about $1.50 when they're on sale in a 4-pack).
That said, I've had some installed for 2 or 3 years that I use daily and they haven't burned out yet.
Edit: As for color, it is very good. They sell 2: one gives a wamer incandescent color, the other gives a much whiter light. I like the warmer light.
Edited 12/23/2007 8:26 am ET by edlee