3 ms·

For a lot of us, CFL is not progress but simply inferior to incandescent.

• _delirium 13y ago
  In what way? I used to think that when I first tried them ~6 years ago, and switched back to incandescent. But I tried again ~2 years ago, and now I can't tell the difference between a name-brand CFL and an incandescent bulb. Visually appears to have the same color temperature, no flicker, instant-on brightness. I'm sure there are still low-quality off-brand CFLs that take time to get to full brightness, but it's been years since that was true of the good ones. The only cases where I don't see a CFL replacement yet are decorative clear lamps where the filament being visible is part of the aesthetic.
  • iSnow 13y ago
    * To me, they just look dark. A 60W-equiv rated CFL is never as bright as a 60W incandescent, more like 40W when new. * There are notable gaps in the spectrum causing color distortions. CFL light mostly features a greenish or violet shade and looks "hollow". Tungsten and halogen are way better, even after 20 years of CFL development. * Most, even the more expensive ones are not really instant-on. They reach their max brightness after some time * As I regularly switch off lights in rooms that are empty, they tend to fail rather fast.
    • tsotha 13y ago
      That last one is the killer for me. CFLs don't get anything like their rated lifespan unless you leave them on all the time. In my experience they burn out faster than incandescents.