CFLs that start out bright

[David Nebenzahl]

Just a small data point to throw into the ongoing discussion/argument/fight over CFLs here.

One of the oft-heard complaints about them is that they take a long time to achieve full brightness. I remember this when I first starting using CFLs; at that time (ca. 2002), the best/cheapest ones 'round heah' were the ones Ikea sold (20 watters @ ~ $5). They were basically good bulbs, and put out lots of good light when warm, but the most annoying thing about them was the extremely long startup time: they took a full 5 seconds to emit *any* light when first turned on, and then were only about half brightness.

Anyhow, I just installed a new light fixture for a client, one that uses a CFL with the bi-pin arrangement, and was surprised the first time I flipped on the switch that it came on instantly at nearly full brightness. Unfortunately, I failed to get the brand of bulb (it's one of the "twisty" types). But it shows that it is indeed possible to make a CFL that doesn't take an ungodly amount of time to get bright. (Up to now I've been advising clients not to bother with CFLs in places like closets where lights are only on for short times.)

[Frank]

I have not noticed this but I have older CFL's. I have not been putting them in bathrooms or powder rooms because of this. One of my powder rooms has original "super bulbs" with krypton over 35 years old.

[DerbyDad03]

re: I have not been putting them in bathrooms or powder rooms because of this.

My bathrooms and powder rooms have *always* had dimmers in them.

There's nothing worse than 200 watts during a 3AM pee trip.

I love the slow-start CFL spots in my kitchen for the same reason - no, I don't pee in the kitchen! - It's worth the wait in the evenings as a trade-off for having nice soft, slowly increasing light on dark winter mornings.

If I need more light faster, I have other lights I can flip on. I would hate to experience the full brightness of my 3 spots all at once.

[sligoNoSPAMjoe]

Personally I like the lower start up brightness. In the middle of the night when I turn the light on, it is nice not to be blinded.

I do mix lamp types, 50% CFL and 50% tungsten. The color mix is very good.

[Pete C.]

I've not noticed CFLs with long startup periods or long warm up periods in any I've used in the past 5 years or so. I do remember those issues with the early ones, but all I have purchased in recent years are probably

[Don Klipstein]

I have noticed four trends in indicators of how badly a CFL starts dim and needs time to warm up:

1. Ones with outer bulbs tend to start dimmer and need more time to warm up than ones with bare tubing.
2. Ones with wider tubing slightly-to-somewhat tend to start brighter than ones with narrower tubing.
3. Ones that are more compact for their wattage have a slight tendency in my experience to start dimmer than ones that are of larger physical size for their wattage.
4. CFLs start dimmer and need more time to warm up where it is cooler. If you air-condition your home to a lesser extent, your CFLs will be slightly more warmed-up when you start them.

That still makes sense to me.

What wattage? If they lasted so long, they probably produce about as much light as "standard" incandescents of 30% lower wattage, or Philips "Halogena Energy Saver" of 50% lower wattage, or CFLs of 80-85% lower wattage. I would consider the Philips Halogena "Energy Saver" in bathrooms where lights are usually on too briefly for CFLs to be suitable.

- Don Klipstein ( [e-mail])

[The Daring Dufas]

I remember back in the 20th century when we had insecticides that actually killed insects and lights that came on instantly. Now the lights come on so slow that the roaches don't scatter.

TDD

[Percival P. Cassidy]

We have LED night lights in our bathrooms. No need to turn a light on at all for those night-time gotta-go moments.

We have CFLs in the kitchen, but I'm thinking of replacing them by LEDs because I don't want to have to wait a few minutes before I can see the coffee pot.

Perce