CFLs and utility lights

Ed in Tampa · Post by **Ed in Tampa** » Fri Oct 21, 2011 12:40 pm

This months Popular Mechanics Mag Nov 2011 on page 74 details a new LED light from Phillips Ambient LED. They call it the first credible LED replacement for the most common light bulb in America, the 60 watter.
Its output is 800 Lumens on 12.5 watts of power and they use various phosphors to produce a hue very similar to the old 60 watter.
Expected life span 25,000 hours or 25 times a incandenscent light.
Cost $25

If this is real I suspect CFI replacements for incandenscent light bulbs will be the old 8 track tape decks of the lighting world.

heathicus · Post by **heathicus** » Fri Oct 21, 2011 1:19 pm

$40 at Amazon. For one bulb. Compared to $10 for a 4-pack of incandescents my eyes love (GE Reveal) but will soon be banned thanks to those boneheads in DC.

For $40 you can buy one bulb, or you can buy 16 soon-to-be illegal bulbs...

I wonder what GE's profit margin is on that $40 bulb compared to those $2.50 bulbs and if it has anything to do with them lobbying congress to ban the cheap bulbs...

Ed in Tampa · Post by **Ed in Tampa** » Sat Oct 22, 2011 1:54 pm

heathicus wrote:$40 at Amazon. For one bulb. Compared to $10 for a 4-pack of incandescents my eyes love (GE Reveal) but will soon be banned thanks to those boneheads in DC.

For $40 you can buy one bulb, or you can buy 16 soon-to-be illegal bulbs...

I wonder what GE's profit margin is on that $40 bulb compared to those $2.50 bulbs and if it has anything to do with them lobbying congress to ban the cheap bulbs...

Why would you buy it from Amazon when Home Depot sells them for $24.95?
If you haven't learned Amazon is more often a rip off than a bargain.

berry · Post by **berry** » Sat Oct 22, 2011 4:08 pm

I use standard 4 foot T12 mostly. I replace one fixture with a unit that uses T8 4 footers I like very well, but I'll wait until the ballasts go before investing in any more. I also use CFL's in fixtures like this

[ATTACH]14540[/ATTACH]

I have 3 of these and move them where I'm working, hanging from the ceiling. During the winter I sometimes replace the CFL's with incandescent to get the heat output. I don't heat my basement. I even have a small halogen lamp that I hang from the ceiling.

In the garage i use only incandescent because the CFL's don't always fire in the colder weather. If I'm finishing out there I have a 1000 watts of halogen, hanging from the joists, I can plug in.

I find CFL's very effective sources. We use them in most rooms in the house.

Here's a great read on the history of this subject from The Christian Science Monitor.
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2 ... light-bulb

Have a wonderful Saturday.