Re: Let me simplify it for you...

In article <memo.20080909105829.960B@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
prd@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx says...
It's curious that nobody mentions the thing that I find really annoying
about CFLs. I don't observer any flicker (and I would have thought it
would be more pronounced in the UK, with our 50Hz mains) and I don't hear
any noise from them.

What I do find annoying is how long they take to reach full brightness.
At night, when I go to bed, I can switch on the light in my bedroom, walk
across the room to close the curtains, and it's still not light enough to
read by. Seems to take about five minutes for it to warm up.

People probably accept that as a given. Yes, they're entirely unsuited
for lights that get flicked on and off at brief intervals, like in a
bathroom or wherever. If you have one in such a location it's more
efficient to never turn it off - it'll last longer that way, too.

Plus they don't work well when it's cold.

But that's not my main objection to them. Nor even the fact that I feel
they're really bad for my eyesight that's already lousy. My main
objection is that under the agenda of saving some energy, we've managed
to replace a damn near harmless piece of glass and wire with a bulbful
of poisonous substances that require special efforts to recycle and a
hazmat team to clean up after if they break. Ok, no one really calls a
hazmat team to clean up after one, but there are special considerations
and most people are not aware of them.

Mind you, I have put CFLs in every light socket in the house that takes
the standard UK bayonet fitting light bulb. I find that when they do
warm up to their full brightness, the light is a lot less harsh than an
incandescent to my eyes.

Now that I don't get. The incandescent light is a lot easier on my eyes.
CFLs even at full brightness make me feel as if my eyesight is on the
verge of slipping away. (Possibly because I _can_, just barely, see the
flicker) I can't read by that light, nor can I feel comfortable. I have
CFLs in my front hall, and kitchen, for general lighting, but for close
work, reading, and mood lighting I always use incandescents. Perhaps you
mean, incandescents without a matted bulb are harsh?

rgds,
netcat
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Eco Warriors My Arse
    ... tell me where the 100W of energy emitted by an incandescent light bulb goes if not into the fabric of the building. ... When it came to the overall quality of the light, all the CFLs scored ... They strobe, can't be dimmed, don't fit in most fittings, and take an age to give full brightness. ...
    (uk.media.tv.misc)
  • Re: Going back to candlelight
    ... To answer your question, they have a two-year warranty, which is based ... let me say AGAIN that I'm not recommending these lamps as a ...  I'm simply pointing out that there is no ban on incandescent ... Frankly, whether someone wants to use CFLs, incandescents, T8 ...
    (alt.home.repair)
  • Re: New GE Incandescent Lamp Technology
    ... I correctly identify the type of source, CFL vs. incandescent? ... Using my glasses I can almost immediately tell whether the source is a CFL vs ... There are some CFLs with color that is "adequately incandescent" (not ... trend of 2700K CFLs with magnetic ballasts to be slightly more ...
    (sci.engr.lighting)
  • Re: Going back to candlelight
    ... replacement for CFLs -- nothing I've said here even remotely suggests ...  I'm simply pointing out that there is no ban on incandescent ... lamps; rather, that Congress will require incandescent lamps meet a ... lumens per Watt (lpW) by 2010, then doubling to 60 lpW two years ...
    (alt.home.repair)
  • Re: Bit OT. CFLs revisited.
    ... These have now been replaced by lamps with a similar form factor, ... I find that the light quality from CFLs varies widely, some are junk, some ... I no longer use any standard incandescent lamps in my house ... I still despise an outright ban on anything of the sort, tax them, fine, but ...
    (sci.electronics.repair)
Loading