Flourescent bulbs suck

[iCe]

I don't use 'em... I won't use 'em. A freaking candle is better than a corkscrew full of mercury

This is going to be the way to go in the not too distant future. OLED's (Organic LED's) have been making great strides. A lot of display technology is OLED based. I don't know for sure but the iPhone is probably possible because of OLED's.

[Cajungaltx]

I'm with you Michael - they piss me off.

Seriously.

I have ALOT of my lights on motion sensors, timers, etc - because I want to CONSERVE energy - and I'm not always mindful of turning them off. So my bedroom closet - motion sensor. The babies room - timer... bathrooms, motion sensored... it's just the thing to do.

Those stupid bulbs trigger themselves, and then it's like they turn into your personal seizure causing lights... flicker, flicker, flicker...

And just for the record - they STILL freaking burn out...

Rant over... I've got to go change a stupid light bulb.

I'm slowly switching back to the old fashioned kind... screw the environment. :-)

[Jeff_Green]

I don't seem to have problems with compact fluorescent light bulbs. What kind do you buy? Where are they being used? Do you go cheap?

OLED, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Metal Halide, etc all burn out at some point. You need to do your research and find the best bulbs for your usage. You would do it for photographic lighting equipment, so why would this be different?

[iCe]

The lifespan of an OLED or LED is far, far, far longer than any other form of lighting. Lumens, or the lack of, is what holds LED's back. And cost of course.

In my line of work, if someone drops a florescent bulb it is not a good thing. Hazmat suits are donned, special containers are used, complex paperwork is filled out, and the remains are hauled to a special disposal site. The "special" site is a farce but it makes the EPA happy.

Florescent bulbs are not cool

[ChristopherCoy]

I love the corkscrew looking flourescent bulbs... for household use anyway. I love what they do to my utility bill as well!

[Jeff_Green]

Originally Posted by iCe

The lifespan of an OLED or LED is far, far, far longer than any other form of lighting. Lumens, or the lack of, is what holds LED's back. And cost of course.

In my line of work, if someone drops a florescent bulb it is not a good thing. Hazmat suits are donned, special containers are used, complex paperwork is filled out, and the remains are hauled to a special disposal site. The "special" site is a farce but it makes the EPA happy.

Florescent bulbs are not cool

I understand the "life span" of LED technology and am extremely happy to see the LED tv's on the market for as cheap as they are... it's a good thing. There will always be bigger and better technology improving our lives. That is what compact fluorescent bulbs have done. I have seen the dramatic difference that they make on peoples energy bill. They use considerably less energy for the same output and also have a much lower heat output than regular incandescent bulbs which also help to reduce cost of cooling a house.

So, from that perspective... Compact Fluorescents are cool! lol

[snydersnapshots]

Originally Posted by Cajungaltx

I'm slowly switching back to the old fashioned kind... screw the environment. :-)

I'm thinking of renting a large storage unit and filling it with incandescent bulbs before they're outlawed in 2012 or whatever it is. First of all, I don't like Congress telling me what I have to light my house with. Second, they're a pain in the butt--as we've seen here; one breaks and you have an EPA Superfund site on your hands. Since Congress told us we have to use 'em, I'm advocating sending the burned out compact flourescent bulbs to your congressman!

Not getting political here...just standing on my soapbox....

[ka5txl]

Originally Posted by snydersnapshots

I'm thinking of renting a large storage unit and filling it with incandescent bulbs before they're outlawed in 2012 or whatever it is. First of all, I don't like Congress telling me what I have to light my house with. Second, they're a pain in the butt--as we've seen here; one breaks and you have an EPA Superfund site on your hands. Since Congress told us we have to use 'em, I'm advocating sending the burned out compact flourescent bulbs to your congressman!

Not getting political here...just standing on my soapbox....

Can I interest you in a can of r-12?

[iCe]

I wonder what "global warming" generates in annual revenue...

[ramblinray]

If the end of the flourescent tube is green, it's not a mercury flourescent and supposed to be more environmentally friendly, ie no hazmat detail required. Not sure about the twisty kind but I'd think they're environmentally friendly also.

[Jeff_Green]

Why is everyone getting bent out of shape? A CF bulb goes out you toss it just like you always have. It won't hurt anything anymore than incandesents have!

[Shelby Lane]

I hate them all, and my hatred has little to do with the environment. I don't like the sound the long bulbs make, or the color temperature, or the delay when you turn the lights on. There's one in the overhead light in my son's room that I need to get rid of... maybe now is a good time to do it.

[andyz]

The CFL bulbs is what we're moving to to save electricity. And while the boxes say they last so much longer, I can't say that is true. We remodeled our kids bathroom and used these bulbs in the new fixture. Within a year one burned out. This bathroom is a minimal use room and I would be surprised if on average it was lite for more than two hours a day. For lights, that is low use. After about 18 months a second bulb went out. My son called me because he could smell burning plastic, as he described it, and saw smoke. It was the GE CFL bulb. Where the two ends of the tube enter the base it was blackened. I saw others on the web with the same problem. I emailed GE just a few weeks ago on this. No response. And I'm guessing I won't hear back from them. I could enforce the warranty - if I still had my receipt and UPC code. (How many people can give me the receipt and UPC for a light bulb purchased one to five years ago?)

We're trying to save energy, and have a box in the closet. We still use the old incandescent bulbs in 3-ways and dimmers. But I am not opposed to a better bulb.

[johnastovall]

I much prefer using a renewable energy resource for my lighting, whale oil lamps.

[Jeff_Green]

Originally Posted by Shelby Lane

I hate them all, and my hatred has little to do with the environment. I don't like the sound the long bulbs make, or the color temperature, or the delay when you turn the lights on. There's one in the overhead light in my son's room that I need to get rid of... maybe now is a good time to do it.

The compact fluorescent bulbs are also made for "instant on" capabilities, you just have to pick up the right package... It usually says "Instant On" or "Instant Start". :D

Jeff_Green added 1 Minutes and 48 Seconds later...Double Post Merged Below

Originally Posted by andyz

The CFL bulbs is what we're moving to to save electricity. And while the boxes say they last so much longer, I can't say that is true. ...

We still use the old incandescent bulbs in 3-ways and dimmers. But I am not opposed to a better bulb.

The life expectancy is diminished by repeated turning on and off of the fixture.

Also there are bulbs made for 3 ways and dimmers now also!