CFLs

[tom baker]

Any remember CFLs? I had saved these to replace all my LEDs when I move, take the LEDs with me. Now LEDs are inexpensive, have no hazardous waste, can be dimmed, so the CFLs went to a lamp recycler.

 

[Dennis Alwon]

We are always removing them from fixtures. They were brought into market as the greatest thing on earth and they were a nightmare. They didn't last and no one mentioned that they had to be recycled in hazardous waste. Millions of them must have gone into the garbage

 

[zbang]

I'm still using a bunch of CFLs in places that don't get used that often, no point in replacing them until they fail (then it's an LED).

 

[tom baker]

We are always removing them from fixtures. They were brought into market as the greatest thing on earth and they were a nightmare. They didn't last and no one mentioned that they had to be recycled in hazardous waste. Millions of them must have gone into the garbage

I agree, they weren't that good, and how many know to take to a lamp recycler? Here is my county there are only two locations that take florescent lamps, 10 per person per day.

 

[retirede]

We used to be able to take them to Home Depot pre-Covid. I’m not sure if they still do?

 

[hoody32]

Bulbs that are 6,500K and above work great for growing plants in an aquarium.

 

[drcampbell]

I'm of the generation (b.1959) that anytime anybody asks "Anybody remember ... ?" I can usually answer "yes" without reading the remainder of the paragraph.

Sure, I remember CFLs. I actually like their slow turn-on; it gives my eyes a moment to adjust while they take a moment to come up to full brightness. I bought a few of the first Phillips CFLs when they were $18 each. And even the first-generation CFLs looked a lot better than the previous options, Cool White (which made people look hypoxic) and Warm White. (which made people look jaundiced)

The marketing hype said they'd save me 75% on my lighting-energy consumption, but they only saved me about 30-40% ... I used the energy savings to greatly raise the lighting level. (and my own comfort level)

 

[Speedskater]

Gee, I remember at a Christmas party in maybe 1984, a friend who had just started working at GE Cleveland. Talking about a new florescent light that looked like any ordinary light bulb.

 

[kwired]

Sure, I remember CFLs. I actually like their slow turn-on; it gives my eyes a moment to adjust while they take a moment to come up to full brightness.

That is fine if entering a space from another dark space and turing it on.

Entering a dark space from a bright space and having that slower turn on isn't as desirable.

 

[Beaches EE]

I replaced hundreds of incandescents with CFLs over the years and probably just got to the last of them with LED replacements. As I did with CFLs, I waited until LEDs matured some before spending $$$ on them. In the early days they would tend to fail in far less than 20 years.

 

[drcampbell]

That is fine if entering a space from another dark space and turing it on.
Entering a dark space from a bright space and having that slower turn on isn't as desirable.

Fair point, but only a fast turn-on when my eyes are adjusted to the dark is painful.

 

[jim dungar]

We used to be able to take them to Home Depot pre-Covid. I’m not sure if they still do?

Our Lowes has a recycling drop off box in the front entry. Its takes rechargeable batteries and CFLs. Saw it this past weekend.

 

[kwired]

I replaced hundreds of incandescents with CFLs over the years and probably just got to the last of them with LED replacements. As I did with CFLs, I waited until LEDs matured some before spending $$$ on them. In the early days they would tend to fail in far less than 20 years.

Now that you about have all LED's they will come up with something new.

 

[petersonra]

CFLs were never the answer to energy efficient lighting for residencial use. The problem has always been like with incandescents their life span is more related to on/off cycles than to on time. The artificial times generated by the performance testing were skewed by far longer on times than is usually actually experienced in residences.

 

[gadfly56]

CFLs were never the answer to energy efficient lighting for residencial use. The problem has always been like with incandescents their life span is more related to on/off cycles than to on time. The artificial times generated by the performance testing were skewed by far longer on times than is usually actually experienced in residences.

I think that was true in the very early days, when they claimed up to 20,000 hours. More recently, they appear to have standardized on 3 hours per day, but no cycles per day that I've ever seen. At that, they are claiming, as I recall, something like 3-5 years. Even that is generous as I've had them routinely fail within a year.

 

[cwalkercomo]

We are always removing them from fixtures. They were brought into market as the greatest thing on earth and they were a nightmare. They didn't last and no one mentioned that they had to be recycled in hazardous waste. Millions of them must have gone into the garbage

Not to mention so many odd bases and sizes were introduced that stocking and replacing them were a nightmare. I cringe anytime someone brings in a GU24 base CFL