Stupid pointless CFLs

[Steve Firth]

Today, pissed off with the gloom emitted by CFLs, I did a test replacing downlighters with halogen and LED bulbs.

I didn't hold out much hope for the LEDs, 3W as replacements for 14W CFL in a fitting that used to provide good light with a 25W E25 reflector bulb. The halogens were 20W.

Best bulb of the lot the 3W 16 x LED. Really bright. Good light dispersion and a revelation after the poxy CFL. That's nailed the coffin on the CFLs, living room now brightly lit with just 12W instead of inadequately lit with

56W of CFL.

Anyone who bangs on at me about how great CFLs are in future will leave with one stuck up his arse.

[brass monkey]

I have a 25W one in a standard lamp, just about adequate. But yes, on the whole they're crap.

[meow2222]

So you didnt use enough wattage, and theyre all bad because of that. I'm totally convinced.

NT

[brass monkey]

Steve is correct, they're crap unless you use a string of them. As normal replacements they don't cut it (unless you replace 40W candles with 25W CFLs 'ish). In toilets they're completely useless (unless you know when you'll be piddling and switch on beforehand).

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

And you now have some readily to hand. An easy way of disposal, but might take some time.

[charles]

you obviously had some very bad CFLs. I find that those made by Megaman are good. 4w 'golfballs' give out as much light as 25w tungsten - when in a globe shade it is difficult to tell the difference. their 7w display lamps are also good. On the other hand I loathed the Powerlink 7w "candle" type that I had in the ceiling fittings here. They were supposed to repalce

40w tungsten and didn't. I now use 28w halogen.

LEDs are fine for spotlights (if you can afford them), not sure about them for 'all round' illumination, though.

[Brian Gaff]

Ah, if these are the horrible green dotty effect ones then I sympathise. I cannot stand them in houses. Now I cannot see but I do have light perception and these el cheapo ones give me a headache. They seem to create a kind of dotty haze of interference in my retinas. The more expensive ones that are white do not seem to do this at all. Thus Its either the el cheapo electronics or the phosphor that is to blame. Brian

[Brian Gaff]

I think in downlighting systems, LEDs have the advantage as they can all emit in the same direction. For all around lighting the cfl is probably still better from the watts standpoint assuming the white sort not the orrid dotty greeny ones.

Brian

[Terry Fields]

There was a recent sub-thread on the topic of the various merits of tungsten vs. CFL vs LED on uk.legal.

Apparently some chap with a drawer full of free CFLs couldn't work out that over the lifetime of the LEDs, the CFLs were costing him money, let alone being able to see better after the inevitable CFL dimming took place and the all-too-frequent first-use failure of his free CFLs.

Terry Fields

[GB]

Philips Tornado bulbs are very good, too, but not cheap. 2 seconds to turn on, then very bright.

I agree that a lot of CFLs are crap, particularly the ones that used to be sold for 10p as some sort of energy efficiency drive.

[sm_jamieson]

I have found that the exposed spiral type 25 watt versions seem to be fine wherever they come from. The cheepos from tescos before the subsidies ended are OK for us, used to replace 60 watt tungsten.

I also have some free 11W stick types, and they are about as bright as a wax candle and take 30 seconds to get there. I have one in the under stairs cupboard and it is just about satisfactory !

Unfortunately my pile of 60W tungsten also from tescos seem to be crap and only last a couple of months - I wish I'd stockpiled with something decent like Philips.

Simon.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

And the amount of energy they save in a toilet - where the light won't be on for long - totally pointless. Yet because they have such a poor performance, many only fit them where they aren't much used, like toilets and cupboards, etc.

[Huge]

I went back to GLS lamps in both toilets for this reason.

CFLs are ideal in the loft, though - the long lifetimes mean I don't have to get up there to swap them very often, I don't have to look at them, the poor quality of the light doesn't matter and they don't waste as much 'leccy when I forget and leave them switched on for days. (ObDIY; I really must put a repeater lamp in the upstairs hall ceiling. A mains neon would be ideal.)

[Nick Odell]

Yes. It was when I discovered that I must have left two 100w bulbs burning in the loft for about three months that I became an early convert to CFLs. Needless to say, I never forgot again about swithing off the loft lights.

Nick

[PeterC]

Oi! I got a shed-load of 10p CFLs from Morrisons (in fact, IIRC, some were as much as 5p) and they were all Philips Genie and are very good.

I agree that the ones with dubious provenance are crap - Prolite for instance.

[Brian Gaff]

Yes these free ones you get sent by energy companies are worth every penny you pay for them.

Brian

[SteveW]

We have three 9W GU10 CFLs in one toilet and three 50W GU10 Halogens in the main bathroom. The CFLs are preferable for a nocturnal visit, as by the time they've reached full brightness, your eyes have had chance to adjust; the Halogens are preferable for all other purposes. I do like LED lighting, but it's not quite good enough yet - at least at an affordable price.

SteveW

[Tim Streater]

[snip]

Oy Mr Meow-Mix, jew think you could stop using whatever shit newsreader you are using now and start using a proper one, that doesn't double and quadruple the lines like the above?

And d'ye think ye could also learn to snip? (and Steve too)

[Old Codger]

I have a stock in all the required sizes that will last me for some years.

Not if you actually wish to see anything. Pukka fluorescent tubes are the thing.

[Scott M]

Yes, there's no way a CFL would run for 3 months solidly without failing!!

Scott