* 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

* 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.