topic Re: ••• Best Brand or Brands of CFL Bulbs? ••• in Community Chat

••• Best Brand or Brands of CFL Bulbs? •••

newziesuzie — Sun, 16 Aug 2015 07:38:24 GMT

We're in the process of replacing incandescent bulbs

with CFL (fluorescent) bulbs and I wondered have

any of you found a brand you like better than another

one?

tia!

✌️Peace✌️

Re: ••• Best Brand or Brands of CFL Bulbs? •••

Desertdi — Sun, 16 Aug 2015 07:52:58 GMT

Go to Dollar Tree.......60 equivalent are 4 for a buck. Can't beat that.

Re: ••• Best Brand or Brands of CFL Bulbs? •••

gidgetgh — Sun, 16 Aug 2015 11:15:25 GMT

It's early and I'm still a little foggy, but I "think" CFL's are on their way out and they've been replaced by LED's.

We're still using incandescents as we have a 3,000,000 year supply, but we've replaced some of our recessed lights with LED's as they've burned out.

I absolutely refused to use CFL's because of the disposal issues with them so I'll be glad to see them gone.

Re: ••• Best Brand or Brands of CFL Bulbs? •••

lovescats — Sun, 16 Aug 2015 11:33:49 GMT

Here’s how much each type of bulb would cost to purchase and operate over a 25,000-hour lifespan (about 23 years at three hours per day):

	Incandescent	CFL	LED
Approximate cost per bulb	$1	$2	$8 or less
Average lifespan	1,200 hours	8,000 hours	25,000 hours
Watts used	60W	14W	10W
No. of bulbs needed for 25,000 hours of use	21	3	1
Total purchase price of bulbs over 23 years	$21	$6	$8
Total cost of electricity used (25,000 hours at $0.12 per kWh)	$180	$42	$30
Total operational cost over 23 years	$201	$48	$38

from http://www.thesimpledollar.com/the-light-bulb-showdown-leds-vs-cfls-vs-incandescent-bulbs-whats-the-best-deal-now-and-in-the-future/

I wouldn't think a brand would make a difference since the majority are probably made in China.

Re: ••• Best Brand or Brands of CFL Bulbs? •••

CelticCrafter — Sun, 16 Aug 2015 11:57:13 GMT

I hate the CFL bulbs.

Personally I don't think they save money on the electric bill and after a while, they make everything look dim and dingy with a yellow hue.

I hoard the regular bulbs and if I see them on sale will stock up while I can still get them.

Re: ••• Best Brand or Brands of CFL Bulbs? •••

jaxs mom — Sun, 16 Aug 2015 13:22:11 GMT

@CelticCrafter wrote:
I hate the CFL bulbs.
Personally I don't think they save money on the electric bill and after a while, they make everything look dim and dingy with a yellow hue.
I hoard the regular bulbs and if I see them on sale will stock up while I can still get them.

Don't buy the warm (soft) light ones that's the light spectrum that makes things look yellow. Buy cool light instead. BTW, incandescents are warm light.

Re: ••• Best Brand or Brands of CFL Bulbs? •••

Lila Belle — Sun, 16 Aug 2015 13:32:28 GMT

I'm transitioning from CFL to LED. I really like the LED

Re: ••• Best Brand or Brands of CFL Bulbs? •••

Allegheny — Sun, 16 Aug 2015 16:13:01 GMT

Thinking about light bulb replacement makes my brain hurt. Literally. There is so much research and options, I get frustrated. We aren't using CFLs. We have started purchasing LEDs.

This all started when we got a new floor lamp for the living room. It uses 4 bulbs. Three 60W equivalent and 1-100Watt equivalent. The 60W equivalent were reasonably priced at around $5. The 100W was $22. We started having issues with the lamp, so I called the lamp manufacturer and they said the particular bulb (100W equivalent) sold to us by the store was too high of LED Wattage. It was a 18Watt LED and they recommended no higher than a 13Watt LED.

And then there are LEDs that are dimmible vs non-dimmable. And then there are LEDs that project different types of light. So you now get my drift why LEDs give me a headache.

Onward. So I had a hallway ceiling light needing new bulbs. So I got 3 LED replacements, only to discover they were the kind that had to warm up to get to full brightness. So back to the store. The next set I purchased were so bright I felt like I was in an operating room. Removed those, they're headed for the garage.

Finally, I headed to Home Depot and took the time to read and do comparison between the different bulbs. I was buying nine bulbs and didn't want to have to trot back and exchange.

To answer your original question. I like the TCP brand (that is what is in my floor lamp), Home Depot did not have them at my store, so we ended up with Phillips for the nine ceiling lights. I also have seen ads for the Cree bulbs, but haven't tried them yet.

We only have florescent bulbs in the basement and haven't tackled that yet. Note: Some utility companies give rebates for LED bulb replacements. And I wish you good luck.

Re: ••• Best Brand or Brands of CFL Bulbs? •••

JustJazzmom — Sun, 16 Aug 2015 16:05:40 GMT

When we changed out a 4 light fluorescent ceiling fixture in out kitchen to high hats or recessed lighting, we went to LED fixtures and lights. They were pricey as it was done several years ago,but worth it in terms of energy cost.

A single light over a countertop has one of the squiggly bulbs in it. Once that goes I will replace it with an LED equivalent.

When we redid our upstairs bathroom, we used recessed lights in the tub area and 2 in the room, those have LED lights in them. The vanity mirror light has the G25's and I do not like those in the LED version. The LED version has a darker white rim near where it screws into the light fixture.

I am waiting, (someday) for the 4' fluorescents in our basement light fixtures to someday have the LED equivalent made. Right now the only lights available in more energy efficiency are T8's & T5's and these fixtures hold T12's. Reading online, I am finding that to switch over to T8's or T5's with the T8's being the best for ceilings less than 12' high (the light output is negligible between the T8's and T5's with low ceilings) would also need changing the ballasts as well.

T12's are being phased out by manufacturers for the more energy efficient better T8's and the best T5's. One website mentioned that as the T12's become more scarce, the prices will rise on these lighting tubes.

So stock up on the T12's while you can or have an electrician change over your existing fluorescent light fixtures to accept T8's or T5's.

Re: ••• Best Brand or Brands of CFL Bulbs? •••

Blahblahvampemer — Sun, 16 Aug 2015 16:16:26 GMT

They're all coming out of the same factories so it doesn't matter, but you should read up on what you have to do if you break one, and how bad they are for the environment. Mercury issues all around. LEDs are better, but they still need a lot of improvement.

I'm so glad I stocked up on incandescents.

Re: ••• Best Brand or Brands of CFL Bulbs? •••

terrier3 — Sun, 16 Aug 2015 16:19:27 GMT

@CelticCrafter wrote:
I hate the CFL bulbs.
Personally I don't think they save money on the electric bill and after a while, they make everything look dim and dingy with a yellow hue.
I hoard the regular bulbs and if I see them on sale will stock up while I can still get them.

Why not buy LED's...you will save a lot of money in the long run.

Re: ••• Best Brand or Brands of CFL Bulbs? •••

nomless — Sun, 16 Aug 2015 16:35:11 GMT

I also stockpiled enough standard bulbs to last my. lifetime, I hope.

I won't use the CFLs due to the disposal issue because of the mercury they contain. Sorry, I have no interest in becoming a hazmat expert.

LEDs aren't bright enough. I don't want to live in the dark.

Best of luck to you...I hope you can find bulbs you like.

Re: ••• Best Brand or Brands of CFL Bulbs? •••

Allegheny — Sun, 16 Aug 2015 17:00:11 GMT

@nomless wrote:
I also stockpiled enough standard bulbs to last my. lifetime, I hope.

I won't use the CFLs due to the disposal issue because of the mercury they contain. Sorry, I have no interest in becoming a hazmat expert.

LEDs aren't bright enough. I don't want to live in the dark.

Best of luck to you...I hope you can find bulbs you like.

I feel the same way toward CFLs. And since you are stocked up, certainly use what you have.

I felt the same way about the brightness of the LEDs at first, but they've come a long way and I am really pleased with the brightness of the new ones. Also they do throw off heat, not as much as incandescence bulbs, but if you are using a reading lamp you can feel the heat.

Re: ••• Best Brand or Brands of CFL Bulbs? •••

sunshine45 — Sun, 16 Aug 2015 17:37:39 GMT

@nomless wrote:
I also stockpiled enough standard bulbs to last my. lifetime, I hope.

I won't use the CFLs due to the disposal issue because of the mercury they contain. Sorry, I have no interest in becoming a hazmat expert.

LEDs aren't bright enough. I don't want to live in the dark.

Best of luck to you...I hope you can find bulbs you like.

i have a huge stockpile also! every time i went to home depot, lowes, or the dollar stores i would grab a bunch. HATE HATE HATE the CFL lighting. we also use LED and flourescent lights in our home in different areas.

Re: ••• Best Brand or Brands of CFL Bulbs? •••

esmeraldagooch — Sun, 16 Aug 2015 17:46:03 GMT

I changed to LED. I get them at Costco. I like the bright white light and no disposal problems. Power bills are lower too.

Re: ••• Best Brand or Brands of CFL Bulbs? •••

nomless — Sun, 16 Aug 2015 17:47:56 GMT

@Allegheny wrote:
I felt the same way about the brightness of the LEDs at first, but they've come a long way and I am really pleased with the brightness of the new ones. Also they do throw off heat, not as much as incandescence bulbs, but if you are using a reading lamp you can feel the heat.

Thanks for the feedback that LEDs are better than they used to be. I'll give them another try.

Re: ••• Best Brand or Brands of CFL Bulbs? •••

JustJazzmom — Sun, 16 Aug 2015 18:41:24 GMT

@nomless wrote:
@Allegheny wrote:
I felt the same way about the brightness of the LEDs at first, but they've come a long way and I am really pleased with the brightness of the new ones. Also they do throw off heat, not as much as incandescence bulbs, but if you are using a reading lamp you can feel the heat.

Thanks for the feedback that LEDs are better than they used to be. I'll give them another try.

And as the technology gets better, the prices will drop lower for LED bulbs and fixtures. Several years ago, the prices at big box stores- Lowe's & Home Depot, the LEDs were prohibitive. Now at least they are more economically feasible.

Re: ••• Best Brand or Brands of CFL Bulbs? •••

newziesuzie — Wed, 19 Aug 2015 10:09:39 GMT

Thanks everybody! I'm sorry I didnt get

to come back sooner.

Great information!

I really appreciate it.

👍👍👍

Re: ••• Best Brand or Brands of CFL Bulbs? •••

hennypenny — Wed, 19 Aug 2015 16:28:07 GMT

I thought that we had stockpiled enough of the old bulbs to last us. Unfortunately that is not the case. If anyone has some to sell I am a willing buyer!!!!

Re: ••• Best Brand or Brands of CFL Bulbs? •••

anniebear — Wed, 19 Aug 2015 16:39:50 GMT

We've switched to LED's too. Be careful when you are choosing though, some new buIbs that look like LED types have the curly CFL element. I saw some at Target and almost bought them because the price was so good. They were displayed with the LED type bulbs too.