I had one with bad solder joints that I repaired and is still working.

I had a few where the starter filament on the CF tube went. I have
not had one last anywhere near 7 years. They are used outside and on
all night every night.

Anybody know how much it matters if they are mounted base up or base
down regarding both light output and relibability. Base up seems to
work better but I don't have any real data.

Mark