I've been using them since they first came out, probably almost two
decades ago.

They save a lot of electricity-- they use what, 1/6 of the electricity?
Here in NY that's significant.

I haven't noticed any color difference-- perhaps an artist might notice
the difference but I have a friend who is an artist and he's never said
anything about the lighting in my house.

They last a LOT longer, so even at $6 a bulb (more than they cost now)
they saved money-- both on lifespan and on electricity. And I don't
think electricity is going to get cheaper over time...

The previous generation of bulb took a few seconds to get started, got
dimmer over time (but LONG after a regular bulb would have burned out
and been replaced several times-- I still have a couple of the first
generation bulbs in my basement because I'm too lazy to replace them,
and they're 15+ years old), didn't work well in the cold and were
bigger than regular bulbs.

The current generation is about the same size, the color seems okay
(maybe comparing the two you could tell the difference but you probably
wouldn't notice if someone just switched your lights without telling
you) and aren't too expensive. They also seem okay in the cold-- I put
a one in my outdoor motion detector light and it's okay (it does take a
second or two to get started when it's below 30 degrees; that's why the
other bulb is incandescent). The only issue is that they won't work
with dimmers or with switches such as X-10 that allow remote-control of
lighting and can sense when lights are on/off.

Oh, they also don't produce nearly as much heat-- so in the summertime
they'll also save on air conditioning costs (and if you're thinking
that in winter the heat isn't so bad, well, okay, they'll save you a
BIT less money because heat is good, but the price you're paying for
that bit of electric heat is quite high).

Shaun Eli
www.BrainChampagne.com
Brain Champagne: Clever Comedy for the Smarter Audience (sm) and a
thrifty person