CFLs do fade over their lives more than incandescents do. CFLs, like fluorescents, also are dimmed by non-optimum temperature.
Maybe the 40 watt candelabra-base incandescent replaced by the CFL was subpar as far as incandescents go - and incandescents that are subpar as far as incandescents go are almost as easy to get as subpar whatever-else.
I have a lot of experience with "dollar store CFLs". I have purchased quite a few, mostly to gain ability to truthfully say that it is my actual experience that these tend to be stool specimens. I state my experiences including test results in:
- Above-average rate of early failure
- My only experience of a CFL filling a room with smoke
- Above-average rate of visibly malfunctioning early short of failure
- My only experience of a CFL easily coming apart
- My only experience of a CFL having something loose rattling inside
- My only experience of a CFL being DOA
- Color is usually "icy cold daylight bluish white", even for some in packages saying "soft warm white light"
- Most of the few warm-color ones have lousy color rendering similar to the lousy "old tech warm white" even worse than "old tech cool white"
- 100% rate of ones making claims of light output falling short of claims, in a few cases so badly as by factor of about 3
- Accounts for over 97% of integral-electronic-ballast CFL models I have seen without notation of UL listing or "FCC ID"
This does sound like an application that took until now for someone to mention in the bits of Usenet where I look: Need for light and extra heat in one room of a house. During heating season here, it may make sense to use incandescents - even ones of subpar efficiency, such as "vibration resistant industrial duty" which have compromised efficiency and are among the many exempted by the upcoming USA 2012/2014 "incandescent ban".
- Don Klipstein ( snipped-for-privacy@misty.com)