Lumen Essence

A review of compact fluorescent bulbs 28

Worth the switch -- but which to pick?

Photo: iStockphoto

Part of our work here at Grist is to give advice to curious readers, and one thing we find ourselves saying a lot is, "Change those bulbs to CFLs!" But you can only socket to 'em so many times before such broad advice starts to seem a bit ... dim. So I've cranked up the Unofficial Grist Wringer and am ready to feed some of these notorious compact fluorescents into it, in hopes that we can offer more specific tips.

Before we get to the bulb testing, let's talk shop. How easy is it to buy these babies?

Grist's Pick

Philips soft white
$3.88 for one at Wal-Mart

Vaguely remembering that I'd seen a surprisingly vast display of CFLs at a Home Depot not long ago, and knowing they were pushing their Eco Options program, I hit the DIY megastore first. It took a long few minutes of staring to even be able to tell the difference between the many bulbs available, most of which were made by a company called n:vision. Wattage, light quality, socket size, energy and money savings over the years ... it's no wonder people are slow to cotton to this eco-option. Finally I settled on two "60-watt equivalent" bulbs, one "soft white" ($3.97) and one "bright white" ($4.97).

Then it was off to the Wal-Mart across the street -- again, figuring the store's newfound love of all things green would mean a healthy display of CFLs. The behemoth did not disappoint: I scored a two-pack of GE's "daylight" 60-watt equivalent ($6.44), a regular old GE 60-watt equivalent ($3.44), and a Philips 60-watt equivalent ($3.88). I nearly missed the last one, as its spiral shape is cleverly disguised by a translucent covering that looks almost -- almost -- like a regular old incandescent.

My last stop was Whole Foods, in a nearby plaza. My companion argued that the natural-foods giant wouldn't peddle bulbs, but I found a tiny selection right by the toilet paper. I bought one ($4.99) branded with the "365 Everyday Value" and Whole Foods logos. (After I paid for the bulb, the cashier asked me whether I wanted a bag, and I left the store bag-free. Ding! One eco-point for Whole Foods.)

The bulbs I bought are just a subset of the many available -- despite the fact that none of them can be used in dimmers, for example, there are models that can. There are also other shapes, sizes, and purposes, but I stuck with the spirals for now. Because they're fun!

So let's see how these suckers -- which all bear an Energy Star label and were all, it should be noted, made in China -- compare. My unscientific standards: What's the packaging like? How does the light look on a book page? How does it look through a lampshade? How does it look reflected on the walls and ceiling?

Here are the results:

n:vision
soft white ($3.97)/bright white ($4.97)
14 watts, 900 lumens (soft)/14 watts, 800 lumens (bright)
life: 10,000 hours
warranty: nine years (based on three hours average use per day)
website/phone for mercury-disposal info? yes
described as: "mini spiral lamp, fluorescent bulb"
smell right out of the package: plastic, hospitals

These eco-options are sheathed in recyclable #3 plastic (eeeeevil PVC). But the graphic design is colorful, modern, approachable -- and the whole thing is smaller than the GE and Philips versions. As far as performance, the soft-white version came on immediately, with a tiny flicker. The light it sent through the shade was sort of a tepid yellow, and looked the same on the book page -- not displeasing. But the light cast on the wall above was suspiciously "fluorescent." The bright-white version gave off an awful fluorescent glow -- it felt like reading in a doctor's office.

General Electric
regular ($3.44)/daylight ($6.44 for two)
13 watts, 825 lumens (reg)/15 watts, 900 lumens (daylight)
life: 8,000 hours
warranty: five years (based on four hours average use per day)
website/phone for mercury-disposal info? yes
described as: "self-ballasted lamp"
smell right out of the package: very mild mildew or leather

The packaging is a bit oversized, and the plastic isn't marked as recyclable -- kind of a big oversight for a company with so much ecomagination; also, the visible materials don't contain info on whether you can use the bulb outside or in a dimmer (that's explained inside). The regular bulb came on with a tiny hiccup, giving off a nice, warm, yellow light through the shade and onto the page. But the daylight bulb? Help! I'm trapped in the plant-growth room at the biology lab! According to GE's website, the daylight model is best for retail, hospitality, office, and restaurant use.

Philips
soft white ($3.88)
14 watts, 800 lumens
life: 8,000 hours
warranty: seven years (based on three to four hours average use per day)
website/phone for mercury-disposal info? yes
described as: "electronic CFL bulb"
smell right out of the package: no smell detected, but I might have been too busy convincing myself not to bite the outside "bulb" to see whether it was glass or plastic

GreenerChoices
Being Green Saves Green
Consumer Reports' GreenerChoices.org says changing just five often-used regular bulbs to CFLs can save you about $25 per year on electricity.

The packaging is plastic (recyclable, #1 this time) and the color scheme doesn't have the "soft" appeal of the others -- which is interesting, considering that the bulb seems pretty clearly aimed at average consumers who want a normal-looking product. Though somewhat top-heavy to screw in, this one offered a nice warm glow. It was dimmer than the others, which made it tougher to read by, but easier to look at. The bulb itself stayed cooler to the touch -- the others could be handled only by the base after even a few seconds of use. This one would be the gentlest of this bunch for lighting up a room, and presumably higher watts would make for a good reading bulb. A plus: Philips says its CFLs contain the least mercury in the industry.

Whole Foods
soft white ($4.99)
13 watts, 800 lumens
life: 8,000 hours
warranty: two years (lasts seven years, based on three hours average use per day)
website/phone for mercury-disposal info? yes, but tiny
described as: "compact fluorescent bulbs"
smell right out of the package: hint of gasoline

Made of recyclable cardboard with a small cellophane window, this package probably wins the eco-prize. The colorful box also contains a short, clear description of why you'd bother to buy the bulb in the first place: "A Cleaner Choice: Using compact fluorescent bulbs reduces the release of carbon dioxide which has been linked to global warming and sulfur dioxide in acid rain." It's also easy to open -- out of the whole pile, I went for it first when it came time to hold a bulb in my hands. As far as performance is concerned, this one was comparable to the n:vision soft-white bulb: a nice glow for reading, but a more garish hue coming out the top.

The bottom line: Based on a combination of price, warranty, quality of light, and random fancy, my top pick is the Philips soft-white -- and an important tip, whatever the brand, is to choose soft white over daylight or bright white. Shine on, you crazy diamonds.

Katharine Wroth is a senior editor at Grist.

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  1. TheSSG Posted 3:52 am
    14 Dec 2007

    Daylight Bulbs are my favoriteThe Daylight bulbs have a blue-like tinge to them, and they replicate the light spectrum of the sun.
    They take some getting used to, but they are BY FAR my favorite.  The Bright white ones look fluorescent, and the soft white ones mimic Incandescents...Incandescent light is an artificial "norm" of lighting...
    Once you adjust to the daylight ones, you'll never go back.  Colors are brighter, truer, and more vivid.  They are better for reading, writing, drawing, painting, you name it.  Of all CFL, they cause the least strain on my eyes.
    But again, they just take getting used to.  It's strange to walk into a room and have it look like it's outside...we're used to yellow or white light inside.  
    Just give them a chance!

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  2. lorna salzman Posted 4:11 am
    14 Dec 2007

    CF bulbsAre all the CFs spiral? Can you use lampshades with them? Do they fit into all standard lamp and fixture sockets? What do you do if one breaks? How soon will LED bulbs be on the market? Mayor Bloomberg just announced that all the NYC bridges are getting LED bulbs. If so, why can't everyone? Should we wait around for them instead of buying lots of CFs?

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  3. timhammond Posted 4:45 am
    14 Dec 2007

    CFL' Suck. GOOOOOOO LED'SSeriously, why are we even talking about CFL's anymore?  

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  4. Ben Rosenthal's avatar

    Ben Rosenthal Posted 4:57 am
    14 Dec 2007

    Litetronics wins eco-packaging; LEDs; Cold CathodeRecyclable PVC! Is that an oxymoron? I have yet to find a municipality that recycles PVC. Where can I ship my backstock of it?
    In my experience, Litetronics wins the eco-packaging award, with an all cardboard package. No plastic window, replaced by a photo of the bulbs likeness printed on the outside. And a cardboard insert that keeps the bulb from moving.
    Lorna: LEDs are on the market already. Marketed as EarthLED or EcoLED, you can get up to 10 watts (equivalent to a 100 watt incandescent).
    The next best technology in the CFL industry, while we wait for LED prices to come down, is the cold cathode bulb. This one supports dimming in conventional incandescent dimming fixtures. Current max wattage is 13 and I hear there's an 18W bulb on the way.

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  5. topsymax13 Posted 5:05 am
    14 Dec 2007

    n:vision bulbsI have to say that I have been seriously disappointed with the n:vision bulbs I've bought.  Three of them blew out within a few weeks (out of the dozen or so I bought).  I do live in an 80-year-old house with some admittedly sketchy electrical wiring, but I find a 25% failure rate to be far too high.

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  6. gmpicket Posted 5:29 am
    14 Dec 2007

    lighting colorI love the 5000K daylight.  It makes my home feel sunny and colors render correctly when I take indoor photos.  
    Since I switched to the 5000K daylight bulbs (over a year ago), I can't stand incandescent yellow light at all.  Ugh.  
    I generally end up ordering CFL's from the internet and I like Litetronic's bulbs best.  They make some incredibly small spirals and they claim to have very little mercury in them.  And no plastic in the packaging.  

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  7. Greta Posted 6:36 am
    14 Dec 2007

    The down side to CFLs......is that they last so darn long, you cannot justify switching to daylight balanced or LED now that those are available.  Whaaaaa! I want my daylight bulbs.
    Anyone want to buy half a dozen slightly used CFLs?

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  8. taimei Posted 6:37 am
    14 Dec 2007

    CFLs may not be the way to goI read a story in the Fall 2007 issue of (B.C.'s) Health Action Network magazine about CFLs. The article mentions a woman in Maine who had to have an environmental clean-up crew come to her house after a CFL (which contains heavy metals) broke in her daughter's bedroom. The cost? $2,000.
    Check out the article at this link: http://www.hans.org/magazine/
    Click on the Fall 2007 magazine image, and go to page 24. Then make up your mind about CFLs.

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  9. TrashTsar Posted 9:33 am
    14 Dec 2007

    For My CFLs, It's SylvaniaI have tried a wide variety of CFLs from different retailers and manufacturers in attempts to satisfy the requirements of my wavelength-conscious spouse. Most of the soft whites are too yellow, and the daylight bulbs give a weird, sterile look to things in a home setting (might be fine for a workshop, though).
    My favorite, hands down, is the Sylvania line (sold only at Lowe's, at least in our town). The packages and bulbs are clearly labeled with the color wavelengths, (2700k, 3000k, 3500k etc.).  This gives me more confidence in knowing that I'm getting the color I am looking for.  And Sylvania makes a very nice 3-way bulb that mimics a 30-70-100 incandescent.  The light quality is good and passes the "spouse test" with flying colors.  My only gripe is that the 3-way bulb is about a quarter inch too wide to fit inside some of our smaller lamp harps.

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  10. James108 Posted 2:06 pm
    14 Dec 2007

    Are LED light bulbs available yet?Like all fluorescent bulbs, CFL bulbs have a little bit of mercury in them (I know, not much).  I understand that LED light bulbs do not.  LEDs are used in many applications like certain Christmas lights, and for backlighting in a very few of the more expensive LCD TVs and monitors.  Are they available to replace regular household light bulbs yet?  If you know, please let me know at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

    //
    var l=new Array();

    var output = '';

    l[0]='>';l[1]='a';l[2]='/';l[3]='';l[21]='\"';l[22]=' 109';l[23]=' 111';l[24]=' 99';l[25]=' 46';l[26]=' 108';l[27]=' 111';l[28]=' 97';l[29]=' 64';l[30]=' 57';l[31]=' 51';l[32]=' 51';l[33]=' 51';l[34]=' 108';l[35]=' 117';l[36]=' 97';l[37]=' 112';l[38]=':';l[39]='o';l[40]='t';l[41]='l';l[42]='i';l[43]='a';l[44]='m';l[45]='\"';l[46]='=';l[47]='f';l[48]='e';l[49]='r';l[50]='h';l[51]='a ';l[52]='

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  11. James108 Posted 2:10 pm
    14 Dec 2007

    How do I delete my postI see that someone answered my question.  I should have read the entire blog first.  How do I delete my  !@#$ing post?

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  12. Delay And Deny's avatar

    Delay And Deny Posted 3:53 am
    15 Dec 2007

    What's The Frequency?

    One thing that I'm interested in, living in the Pacific Northwest where the grey inhabitants are afflicted during the long nights of winter with SAD (Seasonally Affected Disorder) is how the wavelengths of light emitted by CF differ from regular bulbs.   Just eyeballing it, it seems that IB's emit a warmer, more solar-like light...whereas, the CFs are cooler, colder.    
    It's not just about whether you can find your car keys, but the overall mood the light puts you in...

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  13. Willinois Posted 5:49 pm
    16 Dec 2007

    ChinaI'd be interested in more information on what I've read about CFL's made in China burning out faster. Does it help the environment if we have to buy twice as many when they break?  Are the extra emissions involved in shipping them overseas and making them in a nation with no environmental standards significant enough to make a point of buying American?

    Anyone have any links about those questions?

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  14. Solar John Posted 12:04 am
    17 Dec 2007

    High cfl Failure RateI've experienced a high cfl failure rate.  Checking a little more closely, I found that the bargain brand bulbs were the most likely to fail.  I now buy only Sylvania, since I've not yet had any of those fail.  http://solarjohn.blogspot.com

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  15. Howell Haus's avatar

    Howell Haus Posted 5:21 am
    17 Dec 2007

    CFL Comparison...Where's Panasonic ? Higher quality, made in Japan, and rated for enclosed fixtures (higher ambient heat ratings of the electronics, I presume). They're not cheap, but I haven't had to replace any of them in two years of use.  
    Compare that to any of these 'made in china' varieties that often fail within six months, regardless of a 10,000 hour or higher guarantee. With these devices containing mercury (and G_d knows what else), I have to assume many won't escape the landfills.
    Consider last costs - not first costs. Then, you will reconsider everything you do - and I do.
    JD Howell
    See you out there, on my bicycle of course...

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  16. christophersj Posted 10:35 am
    17 Dec 2007

    Jabailo, warm vs. cool lightJabailo, I think that the author was clear in stating that some of these bulbs were made to emit warmer yellow light.  Have you seen or tried these?

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  17. esekiel Posted 2:01 pm
    17 Dec 2007

    Wal-Mart?!?!Why are you guys at Grist condoning shopping at Wal-Mart?!?!?

    No one should be encouraged to go there!

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  18. patsijean Posted 1:02 am
    18 Dec 2007

    CFL' sWe have approximately 13 CFL's in our house and I love them.  Yes, we are seeing a reduced electric bill, and the resultant good feeling about helping the environment isn't bad either. The smaller bulbs--825 lumens-- are soft light by GE (made in China, but have never broken). We get them in packages of 8 at Sam's.  I've not noticed any difference in our ability to see as they can be quite bright.  We have two sets of tract lighting which are both halogen, but they are on dimmers so that we can manage usage.  My sewing room has 4 of the larger CFL bulbs made for sewing room, and other workroom, use so that I can see colors better.  All in all, I really like the CFL's.  But don't forget to turn the lights out when you leave the room, even if only for a few minutes.

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  19. ghostlly Posted 3:41 am
    18 Dec 2007

    Da y-OI too like the Daylight bulbs far better than the yellow unhealthy glow of a soft white. I would also recomend getting the higher wattage bulbs get the 75 or 100's so you dont have to squint in the dim lighting of a 60 watt bulb. 60 watt bulbs are far too dim to do any reading. with the 100 watt equivalent your still only using something like 26 watts. The daylight bulbs help you keep from getting depressed in the winter with the full spectrum of lighting.

    Jamie

     

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  20. Tworecycle Posted 4:53 am
    18 Dec 2007

    CFL UsageI have been using CFLs since they were introduced. In the early years they had a muddy light, delayed start, one or two with issues of overheating at the base causing the base to blacken and loosen from the spiral. In the past few years I have been delighted with the quality. The soft lights are absolutely the best if you are relaxing, watching TV or as lights in the bedroom. The 3500-4100K are the ones I use most often for general lighting so you can see to vaccum, read or any task that requires you to see the floor (cleaning up hairballs?) The really bright more blue ones are great for detail work, like refilling your toner cartridges. The brighter ones are also great in the laundry room for separating navy from black socks. We have 18 of them currently because they aren't recommended in areas where they need to be turned on and off frequently, so the closets and bathrooms are still on incandescent except for one 120LED in a coat closet. Love it,but it is too big for any of our current fixtures so it is relegated to a porcelain utility socket. I have read of dimmable cfls, but the ones I ordered from ULA (Ebay) have been disappointing. 2 of 10 failed in a 1980's Hybrinetics dimmer.I also had issues with a GL600 Lutron dimmer of similar vintage. They have, however worked quite well with Heath zenith motion detector floodlights (I used the 23 watt version cfl and had to make make extenders out of aluminum flashing to protect those longer bulbs from the weather.)The Costco cfl flood bulbs have worked well in our Intermatic timer six outlet ground stakes (dying sadly only when attacked by a renegade weed whacker)They are not rated for timers, so it was a surprise when they worked. When they finally die I turn them in to 'Hazardous Waste Disposal' at our local trash collection facility along with all the dead alkaline batteries I've saved. I really agree with all the people who say daylight are the best, I have grown to dislike the 2700K but use them near bedtime to allow our bodies to wind down. The brighter ones tend to encourage your body to stay 'awake'.

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  21. Tworecycle Posted 5:37 am
    18 Dec 2007

    Dear Greta...Wrap your cfls carefully in bubble wrap and give them to a charity. There are many low income people who would be delighted to lower their electric bill but have to make careful choices regarding the disposition of their available income. Then, run out and buy the daylight bulbs with a cheerful heart and clear conscience.

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  22. Tworecycle Posted 6:15 am
    18 Dec 2007

    Dear Lorna...CFLs are available in almost any shape you could ask for. Check on Ebay for shapes and wattages. If you prefer to shop in your community, you may want to print the pages that have lights that appeal to you and check with local shops. You may find more variety at lamp or electric/plumbing stores. As others have mentioned, there are a ton of great cfls offered on the internet by green providers. I tried to find an illustration of how to remove your lamp harp and insert a cfl if you want to use a larger cfl than is easily installed. Sometimes a socket extender is all that is required, although that might require a harp extender as well. This could possibly throw off the proportion of the lamp shade...You might try replacing one or two of your bulbs with cfls and then just wait like the rest of for led lights to become affordable and useful. Right now, the 'throw' of leds is pretty pathetic. Really bright to look at, but not so much on the surface you are trying to light. We use 12 of them in one application at work and several others at home, but my DH refuses to let me spend $90 on a single light bulb of the new LED variety. I have one of the older ones in a porch light, very 'film noir'. I have a 10 watt 14.3 oz (nearly a pound!) LED bulb in another application. When it's on by itself late at night, it's like wading through an acquarium, minus the water. According to one vendor I talked to, the problem has been that LEDs really prefer DC (direct current) to the AC (alternating current) we use in the US. They are also very sensitive to how much DC. They will burn out quickly if they receive too much...they will be brighter, but will crash faster. Although they don't use much energy,like most other bulbs they are degraded by heat and last longer in applications where they have sufficient airflow.

    They last much longer in cool applications. The LED manufacturers just have a lot of challenges with regard to bringing useful, durable lighting products to the US market. In fact, judging by the pile of non working LED flashlights I have and the number of barely functioning traffic lights (primarily the green ones) I have seen, they are having trouble bringing any reliable LED technology to the lighting market.

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  23. srschnur Posted 10:52 pm
    18 Dec 2007

    Compact flourescents & LED'sI switched to CFL's long ago.  The first batch showed arount the edges of light fixtures because they were large and clunky.  Now they fit everything, and I am gradually replacing the clunky ones as they get dimmer.  Our transfer station has recycling for flourescents.  Otherwise, never buy them.  They are dangerous for landfills.  
    I like a lot of light, and the closer to sunlight the better.  I always use the largest daylight bulb that will fit.  For a couple of lamps I had to buy a larger harp.  For one lamp that also meant buying a slightly taller shade.  I recommend Lamps Plus on line.
    The LED's are another story.  I ordered a sample pack of several sizes.  Only the largest was bright enough to illuminate anything.  Each bulb had some sort of gasket on the base that prevented its being screwed into any lamp or fixture in my house except one antique lamp.  The light is very blue and looks truly weird in that lamp.  I would say they aren't yet ready for prime time.
    Does anyone know anything about how to dispose of them?

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  24. sortashaman Posted 9:44 am
    23 Dec 2007

    CFLs and LEDsI'm switching over to CFLs in our house as much as possible.  I find I prefer the "daylight" ones for reading, writing and artwork, and use a "BlueMax" brand floor lamp (42 watt dimmable CFL fixture) for my detail work.  It does take a bit of getting used to the "cooler" color of the daylights (around 6500K temp.), and in some cases, I find the "warm" toned ones more pleasant.
    A company known as "Finelite" offers what looks like a good-quality LED desk lamp, and under-cabinet lighting.  The lamps use 1-watt LED elements, and are heavily heat-sinked, which helps prolong their lives (claimed at 45,000 hours on the site).  More expensive than the office supply cheapies, but it looks like a good product.  Hopefully, LED technology will continue to improve.

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  25. luannrudolph Posted 7:26 am
    26 Dec 2007

    taimei and others concerned about mercuryFor those that might have noticed the post earlier about the $2,000 clean-up for the broken CFL, please see treehugger.com's report on this (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/05/the_real_dirt_o.p ...). It turns out that the person giving this woman advice was not clear about how to manage this type of a spill.
    This does bring up a good point though. I have traditionally been a big promoter of CFL's. In fact, I am a member of a sustainability task force in Green Bay, WI and we recently ran a program that resulted in the sale of over 23,000 bulbs in our community. I also have them in my home. I have always endorsed them as great savers of energy and easier on the pocket.
    However, I have begun to question recently how much these new technologies are really helping. Are CFL bulbs something that we will look back on in 10-20 years and realize what a mistake they were? The questions about them being manufactured in China and containing mercury are very valid. If people do not dispose of these bulbs correctly, which is very likely, how will we account for the mercury going in the landfill.
    Bottom line is, CFL's may be a better alternative to regular incandescent bulbs, but the best answer is always USE LESS ENERGY!!!! Turn off lights when you are not in a room. Use daylighting. These habits are better alternatives than incandescents, CFLs, or even LEDs. And if you do have CFLs, please make sure you dispose of them properly. Your local hazardous waste manager can help you find out how to do that.

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  26. mrindago Posted 2:15 am
    03 Jan 2008

    uh, These things contain mercury...While they may not tax the power grid as much, therefore reducing our use of oil, coal, etc, these bulbs are made with mercury and therefore are not really that great for the environment either when you throw your old bulbs out and the chemicals leak into the soil... I've read that compared to the pollution a coal plant creates powering an incandescent bulb is more than the mercury in a CFL, however not all power is from coal. Anyhow, that's my two cents. Seems we're doomed to pollute if we want light after the sun sets.

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  27. EcoSasha Posted 3:28 am
    21 May 2008

    Daylight BulbsMy favorites are the Daylight CFL's also.  They're great for two reasons... My eye's adjust to them much quicker than the normal fluorescents.  I sometimes get the flicker affect with others.  And the color reproduction is almost perfect.  Being an artist I need to see the colors like they are supposed to be.  

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  28. tlbrown4567 Posted 5:33 am
    20 Aug 2008

    CFL are still relevantBeing that quality LEDs are still $40.00 per lamp, I would have to say that cfls are still relevant.  

    I usually get mine at home depot or Lighting Supply

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