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

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.

Reply to
Macuser
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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.

Reply to
James Sweet

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)

Reply to
Don Klipstein

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)

Reply to
Don Klipstein

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)

Reply to
Don Klipstein

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