"Stephen" wrote in message
...
On 18 Feb 2009 09:38:15 GMT, Huge wrote:

You may get 4x equivalence if you're
lucky, but it's closer to 3x in a lot of cases.

Don't shoot the messenger! I'm just telling you what was on the box.

I have bought some 8w and 11w cfls to try. From my *very limited*
experience with a *few* bulbs it seems that the 11w bulbs light
instantly whereas the 8w do take a fraction of a second to light. I
can't understand why there is this difference between the two
"wattages" since they are the same make. However the delay with the 8w
bulbs is no worse than the other makes I have used in the past and
certainly a lot better than the CED offerings at Toolstation which
take 30 seconds to light!

I have used the 8w in small bedrooms and 11w in larger rooms: big
bedrooms, lounge, etc. I haven't noticed a difference in light output
but I know that cfls are emotive on this newsgroup so all I can say is
that this is IMHO and YMMV etc.

11w seems to be a standard rating for CFLs yet the next rating down
varies between manufacturers: some offer 8w bulbs and others offer 7w.
I wonder why there is this inconsistency. Still I guess 1w per year is
probably neither here nor there.

One last question: what is the storage life of CFLs? IE life when sat
on a shelf, not plugged in. If I bought a spare box to take advantage
of the offer, would they still work in five or ten or twenty years
time or does something happen to them with age?

These won't exist in five years time.