What ever happened to the cfls you could by a few years ago that very much resembled a standard light bulb? All I can find now are the spiral shapped cfls
@mewhor GE makes a CFL that looks just like a old-style Type A bulb. (You can get them a Target.) Most home centers sell a slightly larger CFL that has a glass bulb.
I`ve still got 4 of the GE bulbs i bought in 1990, they are the lantern type, very large and, very heavy. The cost of each lamp was £ 11.49p but, it would be hard to find any now. I can buy the newer stick ones in the Pound shop and, get a pack of 5 for £1 but, if i change electric supplier i can or, used to be able to get them free. I`ve got a cupboard full of these bulbs that i`ll never use - i won`t live long enough to use them all.
i still have a 1992 Philips 15W CFL with the huge-ass transformer ballast around.
no problems whatsoever. fires up quick and every time. even the ends of the CFL tube are barely gray.. so not really much wear on them.
almost all the new ones with electronic ballasts are more or less crap.. the longest i've had those last was 4 years. usually the ends of the tube go near black before they fail.. excessive voltage or current kills them (coming from the cheapo electronic ballast failing)
@JoeF5050 The Panasonic was still made in Japan...but not sure about now...a few years ago I had noticed the Panasonic brand was made in Japan.....also Aerotech CFL brand CFL are pretty decent, they also light up more light around the area, if you notice the spirals have thick coating in the bottom area making that area dimmer, the Aerotech CFL doesn't have that issue and has a much better shape!
@kidwithcoolroom1 not sure about the 80s version, but I remember the early 90s ones....they were as high as 18-25 bucks! The mid 90s were more of 11-16 bucks Late 90s were cheaper and then they got even cheaper...
Those older CFL were kinda more expensive, in fact some were a lot more.....but quality was top notch!
The ones sold in mid 1990s (1995 etc) were really good and didn't flash a lot like the older lamps in the video...One of the very good CFL that I still have are Philips Marathons...(3 U shaped tubes) Some are still made today but slightly lower quality though...
The irony was the lights of America brand ones they used to carry which were actually made in the USA where really good and actually would last for years.
The made in china bulbs are so bad you might as well switch back to incandescents.
nope the older style was very reliable and actually lasted OVER the rated hours too, the one in the middle had about over 10 years of life! They were only made up about 3 electrical parts or so, the ballast, the tube and the starter and ran cooler...very simple preventing fires while todays are too complicated and is too ....the twisty are actually not 100% efficient and actually not made well, for example look at the bottom of the "twisty style" youll see thick coating where it doesn't light...
I had no idea that newer CFLs can catch fire. I have some but I ALWAYS buy name brand so I shouldn't have trouble. My GE bulbs have been in service for 3+ years so far and one is NEVER shut off.
GE seems to be one of the most reliable ones, however there we a FEW GE CFL fires reported found at the webpage called Impact Televideo which showed all the CFL lamps that were victims of fires reported...some CFL pics looks NASTY. also my recommendation to prevent fires is to use CFL ONLY base down (meaning spiral pointed up and the screw in base down) Most of the CFL fires happened while they are base up (example screwed on ceiling, not table lamps)
These preheat compact fluorescents are good stuff and they last a while too! They're also a lot more rugged and when they do burnout, they just keep blinking. Nothing like those spirals you see today. Now, if they started making the spirals with good preheat ballasts instead of the cheap electronic ones they have, then the move to change to CFL would be much better.
@DavidFromAE Do you think a rapid start magnetic ballast would be best? as people are unhappy with the startup time so i've heard (personally I like a lot of blinking and buzzing from switch start lamps).
CFL light bulbs are amazing and a truly wonderful technology whose time has come. The reason why so many CFL bulbs we get are junk is because they are all made in China. If they were made in the US, Germany, or Japan, then we wouldn't be having any of the problems we have with them today.
That is totally correct! Now for the today's ones...the European version CFL uses 220 volts (due to their power systems are 220 volt 50 hz) and their CFL actually has less parts inside (some of theirs are made in china) but they don't have the fire problem due to less parts....in the USA 120 volts somehow isn't really enough to power up a electronic CFL...so a small electronic step up transformer is STUFFED in the CFL which increases the risk! Easier to use magnetic CFL
electronic parts crammed in small plastic container and cheaply made is what is causing them to catch fire....most of the time it's not the lamp part, its the electronics inside that happens....if you do a google search "impact televideo CFL" you'll see lots of recalls and scary pics of CFLs smoked (you can also image google search)...now wanna see the scariest one of all? Google or Image Google "Air Raid Sirens CFL" and look a the first link (scroll to the top and read the story) Scary eh?
Wow...I didn't know modern CFLs were so prone to overheating and possibly catching fire. I do have at least two no-name dollar store CFLs that I now plan to get rid of somehow. I know I can't throw them away like a regular incandescent lamp.
I know! Also some people lost houses from CFL such as google "Cumberland MD CFL fire" and google "whitehorse CFL fire"
so far if you really need to save energy...I would buy the GE Circlines that still has magnetic ballasts sold in Home Depot....they look like a ring shaped fluorescent lights..and best yet you can replace the lightbulb itself but keep the plastic part when the bulb goes bad..
to properly get rid of them, you will have to go somewhere, can't do it at home, so what you would have to do is go to a hardware store such as Ace, also i read Home Depot will accept them to recycle, and give it to the people who work there and they should know what to do...(but not all hardware stores probably do any of this but now days most should) also another place is recycling center.
Yeah I agree...too much hassle for a CFL...I would be OK with it if they made them the way they did
i think its a waste of money. contain a lot of mercury and flicker a lot. the best is the latest n:vision bulb.
poiiihy 4 months ago
Why do I hear the words hello! Hello!! Hello!!!"...hello (three voices)
LifesHardLessons 1 year ago
0:07 Bink!
FoamPackingPeanuts 1 year ago
What ever happened to the cfls you could by a few years ago that very much resembled a standard light bulb? All I can find now are the spiral shapped cfls
mewhor 1 year ago
@mewhor GE makes a CFL that looks just like a old-style Type A bulb. (You can get them a Target.) Most home centers sell a slightly larger CFL that has a glass bulb.
1tatscca 6 months ago
I`ve still got 4 of the GE bulbs i bought in 1990, they are the lantern type, very large and, very heavy. The cost of each lamp was £ 11.49p but, it would be hard to find any now. I can buy the newer stick ones in the Pound shop and, get a pack of 5 for £1 but, if i change electric supplier i can or, used to be able to get them free. I`ve got a cupboard full of these bulbs that i`ll never use - i won`t live long enough to use them all.
smoothfags 1 year ago
i still have a 1992 Philips 15W CFL with the huge-ass transformer ballast around.
no problems whatsoever. fires up quick and every time. even the ends of the CFL tube are barely gray.. so not really much wear on them.
almost all the new ones with electronic ballasts are more or less crap.. the longest i've had those last was 4 years. usually the ends of the tube go near black before they fail.. excessive voltage or current kills them (coming from the cheapo electronic ballast failing)
Knaeckebrotsaege 1 year ago
i like cool
firelitealarms997 1 year ago
I didn't know they manufactured this stuff in the 80's. I guess I was too young to notice.
vmelkon 1 year ago
@JoeF5050 The Panasonic was still made in Japan...but not sure about now...a few years ago I had noticed the Panasonic brand was made in Japan.....also Aerotech CFL brand CFL are pretty decent, they also light up more light around the area, if you notice the spirals have thick coating in the bottom area making that area dimmer, the Aerotech CFL doesn't have that issue and has a much better shape!
jecwhiz 2 years ago
@kidwithcoolroom1 not sure about the 80s version, but I remember the early 90s ones....they were as high as 18-25 bucks! The mid 90s were more of 11-16 bucks Late 90s were cheaper and then they got even cheaper...
jecwhiz 2 years ago
Stay away from Walmart's Great Value brand of CFL's. Major fire risk.
deadendersblog 2 years ago
not surprised....you get what you pay for..]
Those older CFL were kinda more expensive, in fact some were a lot more.....but quality was top notch!
The ones sold in mid 1990s (1995 etc) were really good and didn't flash a lot like the older lamps in the video...One of the very good CFL that I still have are Philips Marathons...(3 U shaped tubes) Some are still made today but slightly lower quality though...
jecwhiz 2 years ago
@deadendersblog
The irony was the lights of America brand ones they used to carry which were actually made in the USA where really good and actually would last for years.
The made in china bulbs are so bad you might as well switch back to incandescents.
Membrane556 1 year ago
@deadendersblog - Let me guess ... did you put a box of matches on top of your lamp with the CFL bulb burning?
kreuztraeger 11 months ago
nope the older style was very reliable and actually lasted OVER the rated hours too, the one in the middle had about over 10 years of life! They were only made up about 3 electrical parts or so, the ballast, the tube and the starter and ran cooler...very simple preventing fires while todays are too complicated and is too ....the twisty are actually not 100% efficient and actually not made well, for example look at the bottom of the "twisty style" youll see thick coating where it doesn't light...
jecwhiz 2 years ago
I had no idea that newer CFLs can catch fire. I have some but I ALWAYS buy name brand so I shouldn't have trouble. My GE bulbs have been in service for 3+ years so far and one is NEVER shut off.
BPatches701 2 years ago
GE seems to be one of the most reliable ones, however there we a FEW GE CFL fires reported found at the webpage called Impact Televideo which showed all the CFL lamps that were victims of fires reported...some CFL pics looks NASTY. also my recommendation to prevent fires is to use CFL ONLY base down (meaning spiral pointed up and the screw in base down) Most of the CFL fires happened while they are base up (example screwed on ceiling, not table lamps)
jecwhiz 2 years ago
Yeah the one I have on all the time is on a torch lamp.
BPatches701 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Also I think the fires are more common in the older styled CFLs instead of the twisty kind like I have.
BPatches701 2 years ago
Uh no the old ones are reliable and DO NOT catch fire they are made of metal and glass
SilverlinerOV50 2 years ago 3
These preheat compact fluorescents are good stuff and they last a while too! They're also a lot more rugged and when they do burnout, they just keep blinking. Nothing like those spirals you see today. Now, if they started making the spirals with good preheat ballasts instead of the cheap electronic ones they have, then the move to change to CFL would be much better.
DavidFromAE 2 years ago 2
@DavidFromAE Do you think a rapid start magnetic ballast would be best? as people are unhappy with the startup time so i've heard (personally I like a lot of blinking and buzzing from switch start lamps).
Do you have resonant start ballasts in the US?
P42STUFF 2 years ago
CFL light bulbs are amazing and a truly wonderful technology whose time has come. The reason why so many CFL bulbs we get are junk is because they are all made in China. If they were made in the US, Germany, or Japan, then we wouldn't be having any of the problems we have with them today.
kingjayapala 2 years ago
That is totally correct! Now for the today's ones...the European version CFL uses 220 volts (due to their power systems are 220 volt 50 hz) and their CFL actually has less parts inside (some of theirs are made in china) but they don't have the fire problem due to less parts....in the USA 120 volts somehow isn't really enough to power up a electronic CFL...so a small electronic step up transformer is STUFFED in the CFL which increases the risk! Easier to use magnetic CFL
jecwhiz 2 years ago
I didn't even know CFL's were made in the 1980s. I thought they were a very recent technology.
BTW, how can a modern CFL catch fire?
EncoreEnterprisesLLC 3 years ago
electronic parts crammed in small plastic container and cheaply made is what is causing them to catch fire....most of the time it's not the lamp part, its the electronics inside that happens....if you do a google search "impact televideo CFL" you'll see lots of recalls and scary pics of CFLs smoked (you can also image google search)...now wanna see the scariest one of all? Google or Image Google "Air Raid Sirens CFL" and look a the first link (scroll to the top and read the story) Scary eh?
jecwhiz 3 years ago
Wow...I didn't know modern CFLs were so prone to overheating and possibly catching fire. I do have at least two no-name dollar store CFLs that I now plan to get rid of somehow. I know I can't throw them away like a regular incandescent lamp.
EncoreEnterprisesLLC 3 years ago
I know! Also some people lost houses from CFL such as google "Cumberland MD CFL fire" and google "whitehorse CFL fire"
so far if you really need to save energy...I would buy the GE Circlines that still has magnetic ballasts sold in Home Depot....they look like a ring shaped fluorescent lights..and best yet you can replace the lightbulb itself but keep the plastic part when the bulb goes bad..
jecwhiz 3 years ago
Is there a proper way to throw away CFL bulbs?
EncoreEnterprisesLLC 3 years ago
to properly get rid of them, you will have to go somewhere, can't do it at home, so what you would have to do is go to a hardware store such as Ace, also i read Home Depot will accept them to recycle, and give it to the people who work there and they should know what to do...(but not all hardware stores probably do any of this but now days most should) also another place is recycling center.
Yeah I agree...too much hassle for a CFL...I would be OK with it if they made them the way they did
jecwhiz 3 years ago
Wow! It's like a mini blink-fest!
brianfromLI 3 years ago
now THAT was awesome!! I love those older preheat lamps. Those would probably outlast any CFL made today,
dieselducy 3 years ago
oh YEAH! They have been proven to last LONGER than the RATED hours too! I have seen some in service for over 10 years! No way todays ones do that!
jecwhiz 2 years ago