Spiral Florescent's @ Sam's Club

brettw22

I thought it was fluke pricing, but out here in UT they have an 8 pack of the GE 13watt mini-spirals for $2.87........that's $.34 each which is stupid cheap. They've been this price for about the past month......

Check at your local Sam's to see if they're offering the same deal. They have 6 packs of the full size for just under $5 or so. They have a few different pack variety but the steal to me was the 8pack........

These are the plastic blister pack type of packaging, which is not listed on their website and what's on their site is priced a hell of a lot higher than they're going for in the store.

I know, mercury, worse for the environment, etc............they're cheap, I'm happy.....you can be happy too....... ha.

kgingras

brettw22 wrote: »

II know, mercury, worse for the environment, etc............they're cheap, I'm happy.....you can be happy too....... ha.

I'm not sure its as bad as you think. I've been using them more and more especially with the newer generations. From Poplular Mechanics:

About 50 percent of the electricity produced in the U.S. is generated by coal-fired power plants. When coal burns to produce electricity, mercury naturally contained in the coal releases into the air. In 2006, coal-fired power plants produced 1,971 billion kilowatt hours (kwh) of electricity, emitting 50.7 tons of mercury into the air—the equivalent amount of mercury contained in more than 9 billion CFLs (the bulbs emit zero mercury when in use or being handled).

Approximately 0.0234 mg of mercury—plus carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide—releases into the air per 1 kwh of electricity that a coal-fired power plant generates. Over the 7500-hour average range of one CFL, then, a plant will emit 13.16 mg of mercury to sustain a 75-watt incandescent bulb but only 3.51 mg of mercury to sustain a 20-watt CFL (the lightning equivalent of a 75-watt traditional bulb). Even if the mercury contained in a CFL was directly released into the atmosphere, an incandescent would still contribute 4.65 more milligrams of mercury into the environment over its lifetime.

Complete article is hear - http://www.popularmechanics.com/blogs/home_journal_news/4217864.html

ben62670

Sweet deal Brett. I wish I was still a member:(

mmadden28

Last year, when faced with $500 a month electric bills, I went through the kick of replacing almost every bulb in my house with the CFLs. Its a smart idea. Especially when the Mom-in-Law is constantly leaving lights on :mad:.
I replaced everything except for the ones that have a dimmer, and some (but not all) of the outdoor lights. I did put one dimmable CFL on the front porch.

For the most part its fine, but some of them just take too long to get up to full brightness. I've noticed a big difference between different brands, and also difference depending on the mounted position of the bulb. Vertically (right side up or upside down) such as in lamps or recessed, the bulbs seems to take the longest to get to their full brightness, horizontally as in ceiling fixtures, they are fully lit almost immediately. Sometimes I don't mind the slow increase, esp in the bathroom, when at night they won't be so suddenly harsh. Its only about 30+ seconds, but its noticeable.

I even replaced the little candelabra lights in the bathroom vanities. The Mrs. won;t let me touch the ones the Chandelier though-I can understand-I did put them on a dimmer though. I put all the Holiday candle lights as well as most exterior lighting on timers or X10 controllers to limit when they are on and not just wasting away during the day when nobody is home or when they're not needed.

I don't know how much I've saved because I've made so many other changes as well such as putting in an efficient pool pump, as well as many other factors that prevent me from making a direct comparison to previous years, but my bills are lower overall. Whether or not I can calculate a difference, I get the warm and fuzzy feeling knowing that I am cutting way down on my carbon footprint. :cool: Oh and I'm saving money to buy high power amps :eek:;) (that I can leave running all day long when nobody's home so I can burn in this or that)

Everybody just has to remember, and it's the same with certain kinds of batteries, that the CFL's can't be just thrown in the trash like incandesant bulbs. They need to be properly disposed of because of the mercury.

AsSiMiLaTeD

So am I the only one who just doesn't like the light output from these bulbs? We buy the Reveal bulbs from GE and we like them. I'm sure they use up alot more electricity and don't last as long, but I'll pay a little extra to not feel like I'm living in a supply room in the back of the building.

Maybe I'm missing something and they've changed, but last time I tried using these I didn't care for the light output.

bobman1235

You may want to try a few different brands, as just like with regular bulbs there are a bunch of varieties with different light outputs.

You don't buy a 100W bright white incandescent and then swear off all incandescents because it's too bright, you just buy a 60W soft white and are happy. Same goes with fluorescents.

Pauly

read this and rememberd this video. Love the guy in the background cracking up.

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mmadden28

AsSiMiLaTeD wrote: »

So am I the only one who just doesn't like the light output from these bulbs? We buy the Reveal bulbs from GE and we like them. I'm sure they use up a lot more electricity and don't last as long, but I'll pay a little extra to not feel like I'm living in a supply room in the back of the building.

Maybe I'm missing something and they've changed, but last time I tried using these I didn't care for the light output.

I forgot to mention that in my post-
I resisted for the longest time because of the undesirable lighting, but I found certain brands have lighting, that if you didn't know it, looked just the same as incandescent. I saw one at my in-law's house. I didn;t notice until I actually saw the bulb and inquired as to where they got it. I tried it and was happy-that's when I started trying different brands and found some were horrid, but some fit the bill quite nicely. If I remember correctly, the ones I like most are the NVision's from Home Depot. They have three different varieties or color temperature levels; Soft White, Daylight and Bright White. IIRC I like the green package which I think is the Soft White. The Bright white was more like the traditional fluorescents. They also have different wattages available. I think the Walmart brands worked well as well.

As bobman said-You just have to sample a couple different brands and types. Don't buy stock until you've tried them out first though.

gwh

I have them in every fixture, makes me feel like I'M sticking it to the man (figuratively speaking).:)




G

mmadden28

gwh wrote: »

I have them in every fixture, makes me feel like I'M sticking it to the man (figuratively speaking).:)

G

Wasn't that in a commercial for CFLs? Or was that some different product. I remember a junior employee talking to the big boss or something.

Kex

AsSiMiLaTeD wrote: »

... Maybe I'm missing something and they've changed, but last time I tried using these I didn't care for the light output.

The ones with an exterior "shell", usually shaped like a normal bulb, are the best IMO (the "spiral" is hidden inside). Also, lights under shades will work very well, since the shade will take away the fluorescent coloration of the light. The cost savings can be quite substantial, although buying these the special ones (with the exterior shell) will increase the initial cost. IKEA, of all places, has a good selection of the good ones, but they won't be as big of a bargain as those Sam's Club packs that were mentioned in the OP.

gwh

Wasn't that in a commercial for CFLs? Or was that some different product. I remember a junior employee talking to the big boss or something.

Beats me.

Joe08867

Kex wrote: »

The ones with an exterior "shell", usually shaped like a normal bulb, are the best IMO (the "spiral" is hidden inside). Also, lights under shades will work very well, since the shade will take away the fluorescent coloration of the light. The cost savings can be quite substantial, although buying these the special ones (with the exterior shell) will increase the initial cost. IKEA, of all places, has a good selection of the good ones, but they won't be as big of a bargain as those Sam's Club packs that were mentioned in the OP.

I was going to mention the exterior shell ones. We use thes in our bathroom where you see the bulb and they look almost identical to incandescent bulbs.

We have them in every fixture except the Kitchen Ceiling fan (May try the newer Shelled ones) and Dining room Chandelier (Takes a smaller bulb).

Face

Joe08867 wrote: »

We have them in every fixture except the Kitchen Ceiling fan (May try the newer Shelled ones) and Dining room Chandelier (Takes a smaller bulb).

The smaller bulbs are also available, they're just much more expensive.

Joe08867

Thanks Face. The cost is justified by how long they last and the energy saved as far as I am concerned.

I will have to look around.

mmadden28

Joe08867 wrote: »

...

We have them in every fixture except the Kitchen Ceiling fan (May try the newer Shelled ones) and Dining room Chandelier (Takes a smaller bulb).

Just keep in mind they can't be used on a dimmer. They do make some that are dimmable, but so far I've only seen the flood light version and its much more expensive.

zingo

We have all CFLs in our apartment and it gives us a great electricity bill. I know that we lost some of that cost buying them, but they do last longer than the filament and I'd rather see a lower monthly bill than dropping some money one day at the store.

I also use 3-way dimmable CFLs and I'm surprised how well they work. They were a little more money, but the only option for one of our floor standing lamps.

mmadden28

That's cool that they make a 3 way dimmable now.

Hmm. When you say dimmable, do mean because its 3 way or because it can be used on a dimmable wall switch?

Joe08867

It's a three way bulb Low, Medium, & Bright. It isn't dimmer switch compatible.

brettw22

While they can take a minute or two to get to full brightness, I like the light from them and often times it's brighter than standard bulbs.

I ESPECIALLY love them in my bathroom (which used to have those globe bulbs) because they don't heat up, it's more light, and seems like it's more true light.

Face

A heads up on the dimmer bulbs. Even though the package may say it can be used with a dimmer switch, they sometimes flicker.

zingo

One of my favorite parts of CFLs in the full spectrum version. The light they put out is fantastic and makes my place feel so much lighter.

Kex

brettw22 wrote: »

... I ESPECIALLY love them in my bathroom (which used to have those globe bulbs) because they don't heat up ...

Good point: they don't give out much heat!