Been looking at CFLs but with dimming capabilities, only to find that Megaman recommend their own dimmer - they don't say other dimmers won't work, just theirs is the one for the job. Snag is, it's £45.
Anyone here tried Megaman or any other make of dimmable CFL with an ordinary dimmer?
I have tried one of these:
I think "ok" (ish) would be the best description. It works and gives out a decent amount of light (more than a 40W GLS, possibly slightly more than a 60W - not the claimed 110W though). It does dim, although as others have commented its colour does not "warm" as it get dimmer.
Main "feature" I have noted is that if you run it on minimum dim (or close to) then it works for a while, overheats and goes off. (it does recover after a rest though). As long as you keep it at say 30% brightness or more it is ok. Butt ugly to look at though.
Yes, and they are need a low wattage dimmer (or loads of lamps :-)).
Many dimmers require minimum of 40w to work - many CFLs are lower than that. I tried on a normal dimmer and it was unreliable, and kept flashing. Switched to a low wattage dimmer and it was fine (for various values of fine... it's still a CFL).
Low wattage dimmers can be had for less than 45 quid though :-) Things like
Considered dimming CFLs and couldn't see the upside. Currently (hmm..is that a pun?) using 'slightly eco' halogens disguised as traditional filament bulbs. They dim fine, come on quickly, and give a nice light. Cost more to run, of course, but probably worth the extra money for ease of use and decent lighting.
Extended life. The spot fittings I've been using peg out bulbs fairly quickly. They're on all evening and the 1000hr life of a normal incandescent is becoming a bit of a pita. There are four of them, each pointing to a wall/corner and light the room quite pleasantly by wall-washing. The fittings are designed for simple spots or chrome reflectors which are on their way, eventually (a helluva price to buy as many as I need, so will just get a couple at a time). In the meantime I've been using spots and dimming them, which works quite well. As soon as I get a couple of reflectors I can use ordinary CFLs, preferably dimmable.
I looked seriously at halogens, both encapsulated and conversions, but only 2000hrs life doesn't cut it.
LEDs might cut it, but not at over ?30 per bulb for something decent.
This is an application where LEDs may become cost effective over the next couple of years (will require complete replacement of the fitting). Products exist today, but they're too expensive for domestic use at the moment.
CFLs can't work effectively in directional/reflector environments unless the reflector is much larger than the tube.
Ah, is this part of the reason I haven't been able to find a good R63 CFL?
Mine are...
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