In article , Frank wrote:
David Nebenzahl wrote:
Just a small data point to throw into the ongoing
discussion/argument/fight over CFLs here.

One of the oft-heard complaints about them is that they take a long time
to achieve full brightness. I remember this when I first starting using
CFLs; at that time (ca. 2002), the best/cheapest ones 'round heah' were
the ones Ikea sold (20 watters @ ~ $5). They were basically good bulbs,
and put out lots of good light when warm, but the most annoying thing
about them was the extremely long startup time: they took a full 5
seconds to emit *any* light when first turned on, and then were only
about half brightness.

Anyhow, I just installed a new light fixture for a client, one that uses
a CFL with the bi-pin arrangement, and was surprised the first time I
flipped on the switch that it came on instantly at nearly full
brightness. Unfortunately, I failed to get the brand of bulb (it's one
of the "twisty" types). But it shows that it is indeed possible to make
a CFL that doesn't take an ungodly amount of time to get bright.

I have noticed four trends in indicators of how badly a CFL starts dim
and needs time to warm up:

1. Ones with outer bulbs tend to start dimmer and need more time to warm
up than ones with bare tubing.

2. Ones with wider tubing slightly-to-somewhat tend to start brighter
than ones with narrower tubing.

3. Ones that are more compact for their wattage have a slight tendency
in my experience to start dimmer than ones that are of larger physical
size for their wattage.

4. CFLs start dimmer and need more time to warm up where it is cooler.
If you air-condition your home to a lesser extent, your CFLs will be
slightly more warmed-up when you start them.

(Up to now I've been advising clients not to bother with CFLs in places
like closets where lights are only on for short times.)

That still makes sense to me.

I have not noticed this but I have older CFL's. I have not been putting
them in bathrooms or powder rooms because of this.

One of my powder rooms has original "super bulbs" with krypton over 35
years old.

What wattage? If they lasted so long, they probably produce about as
much light as "standard" incandescents of 30% lower wattage, or Philips
"Halogena Energy Saver" of 50% lower wattage, or CFLs of 80-85% lower
wattage. I would consider the Philips Halogena "Energy Saver" in
bathrooms where lights are usually on too briefly for CFLs to be suitable.

- Don Klipstein )