CFL dilemma

Are CFL's as good as they have been portrayed to be? Not really, if you go by what some experts are saying.

Typically the published life of CFLs is not achieved. Consumers are led to believe the lamp will last from 10,000 to 15,000 hours or more. Unfortunately these numbers do not take into account the lumen depreciation over time, and leads the customer to believe that when half of the interior walls of the lamp are dark, and light is still coming out, it is still ok to use.

More importantly however, these published numbers do not take into account the fact that these numbers are usually based on a minimum 7 hours of operation per start. As a result, if the lamp is turned on and off at a frequency less than 7 hours (which seems to be the typical application for compact fluorescents) the useful life of the CFL is dramatically less.

Clearer notes on the packaging, life based on lower on/off cycles, and life based on 70% of initial lumens would result in more accurate information.

That is what some experts say. However, some argue that it all depends on the kind of chokes used - whether internal or external. the latter is said to be better in performance.

care to share your experiences with these new-age light fluorescents that have taken over our homes?