They sure don't save me money. I have to replace them to often. And I can't see with them, either. They hurt my eyes as much as flouresent bulbs do.

Tami

She was smart not to just clean it up herself. I wonder what the bulb's box says. Can anyone tell me?

No one that I know of personally who has tried the new bulbs likes them. And the govt will force us to change by 2012??

Shirley

Here is a link that might be useful: End of the Light Bulb as We Know It

If they are that dangerous to clean up after, I don't want them. That's ridiculous. I can't believe it's even legal to have something that dangerous in the hands of the very young, infirm or elderly. All this fuss over a lightbulb to save energy, but at what expense? And I don't mean financial only, but health, too.

I'll be the old lady who has 5000 incandescent lightbulbs squirreled away in the basement, because I totally dislike the new ones to start with and now, knowing all this, I won't buy them. Also, you aren't supposed to use the new ones in closed fixtures, like the ones covered with glass, they burn out really fast. I will not be buying new fixtures to accomodate their swirly bulbs.

I have heard that they can be a fire hazard. I am another one who will be squirreling away the old bulbs until they correct them.

I have had them for a year and I haven't had to replace one yet. Maybe I live in the dark. LOL!

In the daytime, I don't use lights at all. My house is sunny. At night 1 florescent kitchen light and 1 lamp are usually on.

But, there is just the 2 of us.

Gayle

Funny thing--before DH heard the report I referenced on the radio this morning, I'd cleaned the bathroom closet. The entire top shelf is incandescent bulbs that DH has been collecting for years. We literally have hundreds of them.

I used to tell him to stop buying them and start using them up because when we retire and move in a couple of years, I'm NOT packing up lightbulbs to take with me (I threatened to throw them all out). Guess you all realize that I've changed my tune. We will be carting all those lightbulbs, in their dusty, paper sleeves with us.

I've been using them for over 2 years now...the lumen output is the same as my former incandescents (because when I buy them, I buy a good brand and look at the lumen number instead of the advertised "compares with nn watts".

No accidents, and have only replaced 1 bulb in thse 2 years.

I have several GE bulbs and have found them to be satisfactory. I don't use them with dimmers or in the unheated garage. And you cannot throw them away in the trash because of the mercury. They have to be treated as hazardous. I'm still waiting to hear how they plan on disposing of these bulbs when their use increases.

33 out of 36 of the light bulbs in our house are CFL. One is incandescent (on a dimmer) and 2 are LED. We look forward to LED becoming more available and affordable. Meanwhile we're happy with the CFLs.

The light is comperable since we also looked at lumens and type of light not just price. Buying in bulk helped the price though :) They also put out less heat than incandescent bulbs which helps in our hot climate. (If you don't think a light bulb can put out a lot of heat, you've never used an easy bake oven ;)

We've been using them for over a year and haven't had to replace any yet. Our two thermometers have way more mercury than all of the bulbs combined.

When it comes time to replace them, our county has a recycling program for them due to multiple requests from people in the county.

Nothing illustrates the old saw " a fool and their money are soon parted" better than that womans experience. And all this hysteria These new CFL bulbs only contain a miniscule amount of mercury, barely visible, and not near anything that was/is in those thermometers everyone has around their house for temperature taking and sticking in babys mouth etc.
If one inadvertently breaks you carefully pick up the pieces of broken glass and also wipe the floor with a damp paper towel. You do not vacuum it. You put all the remains and the used wet paper towel in a baggy and dispose of it where CFL"s can be returned, like Home Depot, IKEA etc.. Many retailers are now taking the old ones in for recycling.

I have several of these bulbs and really dislike the light they cast...I find it very hard on my eyes. Also my son, a firefighter, warned me never to use them in those closed mounted lights (the ones that mount right to the ceiling) as they are an extreme fire hazard.
I think I will stock pile the good oldies also!

I have them all over my house. Even in some closed light fixtures, like in the utility room.

So far, I have not had to replace any. I started buying them in 2003, and even unscrewed them and moved them with me.

Haven't looked at the link yet.

Moni

Wait, I'm confused. Are you not supposed to use them in your house in the overhead lights near your ceilings if you have coverings on them? Does anyone have a link that give specific do's and don'ts?

And why not vacuum? Is it because the vacuum will spread it or will it just stay in the vacuum and redispurse when used somewhere else? I was thinking that for the lady in the example... a good old fashioned handheld $20 dust buster could have been used to pick up the particals and then just tossed, but I wasn't exactly sure why you couldn't vacuum.

and I am wondering if using a rainbow vacuum makes a difference?

Moni

There are yellow light and blue CFL lights, some are much brighter than others. I used to change bulbs constantly until I found a bright warm CFL. My kitchen lights were put in 3 years ago and NOT one has burned out. I've have many throughout the house and the only one that has burned out was outside the front door this winter. Call me lucky but the only lights I change are small decorative lights.

I've been using them for a number of years, and only changed two in a three-light fixture recently. I do have one enclosed in a hall light, so perhaps should remove the cover.

Those of you who are using them and not had any burn out are just really lucky.

As I said, we've used only a few. And only for about a year now and we've already had to replace several because they burned out. And those that are still in use are NOT as bright as they were originally. They're noticeably dimmer than they used to be.

As to clean up--those who think it's no big deal, did you read the entire article? Her house was TESTED for mercury and the numbers for mercury in the rug were at an extremely high level. It wasn't a case of just picking up the pieces and tossing them in a plastic . Her RUG is infiltrated with the stuff and has to be removed and disposed of in a way that won't contaminate the rest of the house. Doesn't sound like a minor inconvenience to me.

I've got them outside on either side of the garage door. The one burned out already, and it's only been in since mid last summer. Also one inside my garage, and one in a lamp. Both of them are still going. When I bought them, I sure didn't know I'd have to dispose of them in a special way. Kinda makes me wonder if it's worth it or not.
Leslie

I hate them and will be stock piling the old fashioned bulbs.

Read more on this at Snopes - be sure and read it all. It pretty much debunks the $2000 cleanup. Someone just overreacted to the situation.

I really don't care for them much either, but I have one in my bathroom (talk about a bad spot for that kind of light) - it is the only bulb that has lasted. The regular kind just wouldn't last in there. This one has been going for a couple years now.

Here is a link that might be useful: Snopes - CFL

I think it is a huge over reaction.

Doesn't anyone remember as a kid breaking thermometers open
and using the mercury to clean silver dimes and 50 cent pieces?
I did it. Had mercury all over my fingers while doing it.
A few micrograms from a light bulb are not a concern to me.

I use them not just to save energy but because they
last a LOT longer and we don't have to change them often.

Pooh Bear

Same as Flamey and Frosty...

My FIL gave us a dining room fixture that only uses those bulbs. I HATE it! Everything's just too bright, and it takes forever to warm up and it flickers. I much prefer the soft glow of a regular lightbulb, and I might be one to start stocking up on them!

Love the bulbs. Gonna keep using them. The story is bunk.

You have to try a few different brands of them to find ones you like AND more importantly you have to look at what you are buying. CFL's come in different variations like "cool white" "daylight" "soft white" etc and there are HUGE differences in the type/cast of light they give off. They type of light cast is usually always noted on the package but I think and I've seen that many people don't even read the package to see what type they're buying. No wonder they get home and may not be satisfied. The "daylight" type work great in kitchens for brightening up but look too white and sterile in living room and bedroom fixtures where a regular or "soft white" CFL is better.

I dont like them ,reminds me of candlelight too dim.Were going back on this one I think..

We have replaced the majority of our old light bulbs, both indoors and out with the CFL's in our home. Been using them for about 1 year. They do take a few seconds to "get up to power" when it is cold, but it is nothing that we fret about. They give off the same brightness as the old ones and they have been saving us money on our electric bill. Of the 20+ CFL's we have none have broken and we have had to change only one. Our local hardware store recycles them as do the big box hardware stores, so getting rid of them is not a problem. We won't be going back to the old style bulbs any time soon. NancyLouise

Intherain--that flickering is a problem that no one's even touched here. Some of the new bulbs flicker noticeably--but ALL flicker to some extent, even if it's imperceptible. A dr. I heard interviewed about a month ago, said that these bulbs are definitely a problem for those susceptible to migraines--even if you don't notice the flickering with your naked eye, it's enough to bring on migraines and siezures in some people. So what happens to them when the 'big change' happens?

Last time it was migraines.
Now it's this.
Next time, those bulbs will kill us instantly the minute we flip the switch.

Is this TRULY the most dangerous thing in most homes? I think not.

Most of the stories agains CFL bulbs are bunk, as another poster has said.
I see many people in the stores, looking at the CFLs without knowing how to determine which type and size to buy....many also end up buying cheap no-name brands and then come onto the internet to complain about them.

If you purchased CFLs with the same lack of knowledge and don't read the boxes...you would all walk home with no-name 15-watt incandescent bulbs that last a week...amd then complain about them, too.

You get what you pay for.

Everyone here has been "exposed" to flourescent lighting for most of our lives.

And flourescent lighting has given me migraines for most of my life (the past 50+ years, at any rate). I've had to walk out of stores, restaurants, schools, dr's offices and hospitals because of the flourescent lighting. Now I'm going to have to worry about it in a lot more places.

I've replaced almost every incandescent bulb in my house with a CFL and have noticed a considerable savings in my electrical bill.

The one on my back patio has been on, 24x7x365, for over 3 years now.

I have others that are as old and which are still working perfectly well after being used daily.

The secret to making your CLFs last?

Buy QUALITY CFLs.

Don't buy them on price alone. If you do, you'll get bulbs made at the Chungking People's Slave Labor Camp 792.

Buy Phillips or GE.

Here's the Maine DEP's take on this lightbulb situation.

It is QUITE a bit different from what has been reported in the newspapers and World Net Daily (aka "The crappiest place on the face of the earth to expect to find news).

Here is a link that might be useful: Maines take on CFL story

Most of the light fixtures in my house take decorative bulbs. I haven't really checked, but I don't think the CFL bulbs are very attractive.

And as far as saving electricity, as long as I have a hot tub that takes a ton of electricity to heat, changing bulbs would be like drinking diet soda instead of regular, but eating a whole pizza!

(I think I'll start stockpiling bulbs also.)

Put my name to kframe's post. We have them all over the house. We've saved loads on our electric bill. Never had one burn out. Get the "daylight" ones for a better light.

I've had them in all my lamps for quite a while(2+ years), and have never had one burn out. I replace the incandescent ones with these when they burn out.

The CFL bulbs have really changed over the last couple of years. (I used to go around behind TG's back, switching CFL bulbs back to my incandecents - shhh don't tell! I don't do that anymore.)
They now make all sorts - not just the funky twirly looking ones. We have ones for celing fans that look better than incandescents.
I also hate the blue light effect, but again, you can now get different types ("warm" maybe?) that look like the light you are used to from incandecents. (which I am probably mispelling and am to lazy to look up!)
I am looking forward to seeing how the LED lights turn out. You can get them now, but they are spendy and I think in a few years we will have many more choices.

Silverdove, I'm with you. When I am driving at night, I can spot a house that uses the CFL bulbs. I hate the way they look! It really bothers me.

The first CFL that I bought, about 5 years ago, went into a table lamp by the computer, one of the kind that had the shade with a double loop of metal that pushed down over the incandescent bulbs.

After some fiddling (and without the extreme solution of hanging it from the ceiling by a thread) ... I got the shade located on the new twisty bulb.

About a month later, when I was chasing a fly, it landed on the shade, which I hit ...

... good-bye, compact fluorescent bulb (including the extra price for the extra durability)!

When they say that they replace incandescents 4 times as large a rating (i.e. 15 = 60) ...

... I say, "Bull----": 3 times - maybe.

I find that they take a second to illuminate (but I didn't plan to do a great number of things in that time, anyway) but mine seem to operate at full intensity from the start.

The flickering, if there is some, isn't apparent to me ... and I'm thankful to have had no headache in years.

I do dislike some of the type of light, but think that the "warm" or "cool white" or something might fix that.

I do have a concern, though. I've heard them advertised/referred to as to be put into a light that is seldom turned on, but stays on for a long time. My landlord says that they have one in a hallway location which they never turn off, and that it has lasted for a long time. But that several that were turned off and on a lot didn't last very well.

I go into my kitchen quite often ... was out there a short while ago ... and likely will be again soon (have some coffee that's giving me the "cool" look). The kitchen light is on, at the moment. I'd like to turn it off when I leave (and would like 3-way switches, one at each entry door), but am reluctant if it means shortening the life of the CFL appreciably. But it uses a lot of power when it just keeps running, with no entity to appreciate it but the fruit flies ... which more than negates the purpose for buying it in the first place.

By the way ...

... I need some guidance as to how to cut my kitchen/house operations into 30 - 60 - 90 second chunks, so that I can get some of them done while waiting for various screens to load completely over dial-up connection.

Maybe I could use satellite ... but I think that a look at their rates would give me a heart attack!

I saw the amount of time that I'd been on-line with my service provider a while ago, and it was over 100 hours in a month(and I must confess to not cutting it off when I'm doing other stuff on the computer, or gone to do something else around here) (and sometimes when I go to town ... or go to bed).

My friends are complaining that they can't get me on the phone.

Life does have its problems!

Hope you're enjoying your season.

ole joyful

P.S. Coffee's cold ... again! Milk, also: warm milk hits the spot in winter ... in a cool house!
_________________

Warm again, now (thankful for microwaves) ... light's still on, in the kitchen.
__________________

Coffe mug's empty, now.

o j

Joyful:

"I do have a concern, though. I've heard them advertised/referred to as to be put into a light that is seldom turned on, but stays on for a long time. My landlord says that they have one in a hallway location which they never turn off, and that it has lasted for a long time. But that several that were turned off and on a lot didn't last very well."

I have two that meet that criteria to a T -- the outdoor post light and porch light by my front door.

The post light is on an electric eye, I turn the porch light on every evening and off the following morning.

Both bulbs have been in place since 2003/2004 and are still working perfectly, going through 365 on-off cycles a year. I have not noticed any appreciable dimming of either one.

Once again, I spent the extra money and purchased a quality CFL by a name maker, not a loss leader from Home Depot.

Just wanted to post this from the GE site in regards to the "fixture" issue with these bulbs. Our fixtures that I referred to in my earlier post are the metal circles with the rim around mounted to the ceiling, put the bulb in, cover with the dome glass which fits into the metal rim and tighted the center screw. This MAY be considered what they refer to as a "canned light" as no air escapes...I know our fire department is warning people NOT to use them in this fixture type.
Here is what GE says;

Can I use a compact fluorescent light bulb in an enclosed light fixture?
Compact fluorescent light bulbs may generally be used in enclosed fixtures as long as the enclosed fixture is not recessed. Totally enclosed recessed fixtures (for example, a ceiling can light with a cover over the bulb) create temperatures that are too high to allow the use of a compact fluorescent bulb

Their website is;
http://www.gelighting.com/na/home_lighting/ask_us/faq_compact.htm#enclosed

I've been using them for around a year now, maybe longer. No blown bulbs. I decided to try them for the energy savings and because I get so sick of replacing the regular bulbs so often. They would blow out way to often. So, far none of my cfls have blown. I still have quite a few incandecents to replace around the house and have no problem doing that.

I saw a story on CNN about them in the last couple of days. The only problem seems to be when you break one and have to wipe it up with a damp paper towel and then put everything in a glass jar with a lid and take it to a hazardous waste disposal place. Actually, they said if you break one, to leave the area for about 20 minutes and then come back and clean it up.

Holy mackeral, talk about raging paranoia! Good grief. I'm not going to go into everything since most is just plain stupid myths, and you'll be far better believing the emails wanting to buy your car sight unseen or the Nigerian General who chose you to become rich, but this business of not putting in enclosed recepticles is of course more BS and can't go unchallenged. CFLs put off far less heat than incandescent and any fire fighter, at least competent one would know that heat is the biggest issue in causing the fires short of defect in manufacture. I have them in enclosed fixtures, they're far cooler than the incands they replaced and many bulbs even say they're safe to use in them if you're that worried.

Good grief. Tell a story and there's someone who will believe it, no matter how idiotic. Are you people looking for boogie men under the beds too? I looked under mine and only found mammoth dust bunnies! Evil monkey in your closet too? Chris Griffin has one, so it MUST be true. Are you people throwing out your cell phones because of the radiation being given off causing all those brain tumors? Remember that story from a few years back? Microwaves, well, the list goes on and on.

The imagination of some of the population to try to fool, and the number of people begging to be fooled, makes for a far more dangerous situation than a light bulb.

I'm living very happily and healthy with my savings by using fluorescents, and will continue to, thank you.

Myths, fallacies and naivety, OH MY!

I sent both links to DH. We will see what he has to say about it. He is an industrial electrician, so has had to go to classes about flourecent lights, among other things. I still don't like them. They give me headaches and it hasn't made any difference as to the price paid or the lumins listed on how i react to them and to having to replace them. We are still replacing them as often as we did regular bulbs.

As I've been reading this it become clear to me that we all may not be talking about the same thing.

Of all the years I've been using the WARM colored cfls, they have been cooler to the touch and they last for years. We were always changing our regular bulbs, always careful not to touch them either because the filaments were super hot. The gas in the CFL's is so much cooler that I can touch them during use and it doesn't even burn.

And contrary to the myth of not having them inside a ceiling lamp makes me question why then did they put the cfl's I bought at a lighting store, into their own flood light. I can touch those too, even after they have been on for hours!
I will say, I do NOT like the blue light, not from incandescents or CFL's. They make skin look sick and I don't enjoy the cooler they put out. The warm CFL's on the other hand, despite having a slower turn on time, are quite relaxing. It only takes a few moments the first time I turn them on and they seem to turn on quicker as the day goes on. As far as flickering, well my tv and computer has more flicker than about anything I can think of. Doesn't stop me from using them though.

To each his own, but for me, I LOVE not having to change bulbs and love the bright warm light I get from my CFLs. I even have a three way in my living room. Works fine.