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I have soft white CFLs that look identical to incandescent bulbs. I also recently bought some full spectrum 5500K CFLs for my bathroom vanity, in an effort to s
by Klinky 11y ago
I have soft white CFLs that look identical to incandescent bulbs. I also recently bought some full spectrum 5500K CFLs for my bathroom vanity, in an effort to see if full spectrum light in the morning will help my mood. A lot of the "daylight" CFLs are not full spectrum, and are a harsh blue. Things look rather natural under full spectrum once they warm up and your eyes adjust. When I turn off the full spectrum light, it is interesting to see just how yellow "soft white" light is.
- jacobolus 11y agoNo CFLs are “full spectrum”. The fundamental nature of the technology is to create a number of sharp “spikes” in the spectrum. This inevitably causes distorted color relationships relative to daylight or incandescent lighting. The bulbs also cost much more to produce than incandescents and are full of toxic mercury, and wear out much more quickly than advertised when turned on and off frequently (as is typical in residential uses). This page mirrors my thoughts reasonably well (http://www.richsoil.com/CFL-fluorescent-light-bulbs.jsp http://www.richsoil.com/CFL-fluorescent-light-bulbs.jsp). On the whole, CFLs are a handout to a small handful of rich lighting companies, sold to the public under false pretenses.
- Klinky 11y agoI am aware it's not truly "full spectrum", but it is more tolerable than the harsher bluer "daylight" CFLs. These CFLs were designed to provide truer whites for photography. They were also cheaper than buying a lightbox. Incandescent bulbs also use about 3 - 4 times the power, and burnout quite often. There is no perfect solution.
- superuser2 11y agoSoft white incandescents are warm and cozy; soft white CFLs are just yellow.