"William Sommerwerck" wrote in message
. ..

The dimmable CFLs I get from eBay (love those California lawmakers!)
have PF speced 0.90. I haven't got around to testing one, though.

What brand?

ULA, made you-know-where.

My understanding is that these bulbs are being sold in California for about
$1.00 each in Wal-Marts, with subsidy from the local power company.

I bought a dimmable GE two years ago, and it worked. You get only about 10
steps, at the top of the X-10's 256-step range, but it works.

The dimmable CFs I've been using have a standard Edison base and fit in
standard light bulb sockets. They are infinitely variable over a range that
goes down to pretty dark and then nothing, to full bright.

I use a few of them around the house, driven by standard wall-plate
residential dimmers.

I'm using 48 of them in 6 chandeliers driven by standard DMX-controlled
quad dimmer packs at church. Their brightness/drive curve is nonlinear, but
useable.

As you say, the color temperature is very constant over a usable range of
intensities compared to incadescent PAR bulbs. While they start pretty much
on the dime, they do get about 50% brighter the first minute or two of
operation.

If you've got the fixtures and ballasts that are designed for them,
4-terminal dimmable flourescents are marvelous. They dim over about the same
range of brightness and as linearly as an incadescent, but with constant
color temperature.