In , TKM wrote:
(edited for space)
"Bob Adkins" wrote

I use Sylvania and GE, and sometimes they go out within a month. I do
have 1 good CF that must be 7-8 years old, but most don't last a year.

What brands could you recommend that last longer than Sylvania and GE?

Any CFL brand that is Energy Star listed has to have lamp life tested and
the data supplied to Energy Star periodically to keep the listing. Energy
Star requires testing of other performance data too. See:
http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partner...s_prog_req.pdf

I would like to add: Watch out for overheating CFs by putting them in
small enclosed fixtures and in downlights. Many CFs don't take this well,
and there is a general trend that this is worse with higher wattages.

Some actually rated to take the heat of recessed ceiling fixtures are
Philips SLS non-dimmables up to 23 watts.

I consider it notable that when I see recessed ceiling fixtures in
commercial buildings with CFs, the bulbs usually do not have built-in
ballasts and will not screw into "regular sockets". The ballast is
somewhere else in the fixture where it will not get as hot.

- Don Klipstein )