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

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.

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

1. Much more than their fair share of early failures

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

2. 100% rate of those with claims of light output falling short of such claims, in more extreme cases by a factor of 3-plus.

1. 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.

2. 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 ( snipped-for-privacy@misty.com)

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 ( snipped-for-privacy@misty.com)

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 ( snipped-for-privacy@misty.com)