Compact Fluorescent 13 not equal to a normal 60

[allan]

I have been replacing my 60s with cfl 13 which say they are equivalent, they are not the 60 is much brighter. Has anyone else noted this?

[Mark Lloyd]

I have. I'd get a larger CFL. It still uses less electricity.

[tylernt]

Yep. When replacing a 60w bulb, use a CFL rated to replace a 75w. Works great for me.

[Buck Turgidson]

My cfls take about 15 minutes to be fully bright. Give them some time.

[Joseph Meehan]

It seems to vary greatly depending on the specific CF, the temperature, the length of time it has been on and the actual voltage.

Frankly all the CF I have bought recently seem brighter than claim to me, at least once the warm up. I kind of like that slightly less bright light and a gradual brightening.

[Just Joshin]

Some 60's put out more light than others. So best to compare lumins, also the manufactures compareison, might be an average.

Just a guess....

tom @

[Deke]

The 100s equal about a 75. The 75 equal about a 60.

Pay more and get more light.

Try to work in t8 whereever more light is needed.

[Don Klipstein]

I have found 13 watt CFL to match 60 watt "standard incandescent" at a favorable temperature and when the CFL is in newer condition and on a good day.

It appears to me that a 15 watt CFL can usually at favorable temperature match the light output of a 60 watt "standard incandescent".

Given phosphor aging and scotopic vision and fixture optical design issues, I consider it not too unlikely that you may need a compact fluorescent in the 18-20 watt range to produce as much illumination as a

60 watt "standard incandescent".

- Don Klipstein ( [e-mail])

[Don Klipstein]

That sounds unusually long to me. In my experience, CFLs usually take half a minute to a minute to get close enough to full brightness.

Outdoor types in colder temperatures can take 5-10 minutes to get warmed up.

- Don Klipstein ( [e-mail])

[Fay]

allan wrote in news: [e-mail]:

I bought some that were labeled soft white. They were not very bright. I went back and bought some labeled bright white and they are very close to the 60s I replaced.

[Frank]

You have to be careful with this, as light may be of different spectrum that you may not like. I had to put a pair of these on the porch because wife objected to light.

Also buy by lumens or light output and not advertised wattage equivalent. As others suggest, I buy the slightly higher wattage cfl's which put out more light and still save a lot of money.

Frank

[gerry]

Brightness is in the eye of the beholder!

To make the claim your CFL's make they probably do put out the same number of lumens.

But the spectra may not match what you expect or how your home furnishings are colored.

Another person might have different colored furnishings and walls... and have different color perception in their eye.

Try a different CFL with a different color temperature or higher CRI (color rendition). It might seem "brighter" to you in your environment.

gerry