Compact Fluorescent Bulbs Don't Work - Who's Saving Money?

[JUNIUS]

My experience with compact fluorescent bulbs is that ever manufacturer lies. This is done with the intention to foist upon the public - the cheap, inferior, (surreptitiously made in China under license of a name brand), junk - in the name of saving God's green Earth. Yes they are saving green - but it's your money they are saving - not the Earth.

I have never found one bulb from any manufacturer that ever lasted the many thousands of hours as claimed. Some did last longer than others; and I had one that did last three years; but recently I had one that burned out and gave off a burnt smell in a matter of 30 minutes.

They are too expensive to not last as advertised. (in some cases - close to $4 each, but since have become a bit cheaper).

But what really shocked me was last week FOUR CFL bulbs in my house (all from the same manufacturer) died simultaneously - What are the odds?

The only thing I can muster up as to why this happened is that my wife's father had just passed away, and the ghost of my late father in law chose to give a sign of an afterlife via blown out bulbs by power surge. (this is not the first time I have had ghosts in the house wiring after a death in the family - but that's another story).

I suppose that the manufacturing company does not warranty against ghosts, so I am out of luck - and no one (including me) ever saves the receipts very long, or they get lost in a "junk drawer."

The only way to get any restitution is to purchase new bulbs and use that receipt on the exchange for the bum-bulbs. Yes it is a bit unsavory; but not as dishonest or as unsavory as being ripped off and lied to by the manufacturers. It's time for a boycott.

I am tired of being robbed. I too will begin to hoard (like the Germans) the old tungsten bulbs.

Here are some articles that support my claim that CFL are high priced $hit:

THE FUTURE OF CFLs.
...A couple of years ago I went on a binge and replaced a whole bunch of incandescent bulbs in our house with CFLs. Unfortunately, I discovered that their burnout rate was surprisingly high. Out of 20 bulbs or so, I think I had to replace four or five within 18 months. CFL expert Michael Siminovitch confirms that my experience wasn't just a fluke:
http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2009/01/future-cfls


Do New Bulbs Save Energy if They Don’t Work?
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/28/busin ... .html?_r=1

Germans Hoarding Traditional Light Bulbs
Jul 30, 2009 ... "The unpopularity of the energy-saving compact fluorescent bulbs that will ... found that 16 of the 32 bulb types tested gave up the ghost after 6000 hours ... LED Bulbs 60% Failure Rate · The "promise" of LED Lighting ...
http://vu1corp.blogspot.com/2009/07/ger ... light.html

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[outsider]

I've had one in the living room light that we burn every single night of the year since 2006, probably has about 5000 hrs on it. I worry about the disposal of the burned out ones, they have mercury in them, don' they?

[jacobclear]

Well there you have it, must be the ghosts and not the bulbs. =P

[Charl]

Does it have anything to do with the frequency that you turn the bulb on or off? I have one in the laundry area that burns out regularly as it is only on when I load and unload laundry, short periods of time. However others, like one I leave on all night by the stairs/bathroom/ nasty step in the landing last longer.
CFL bulbs contain mercury and should not be disposed of in regular household garbage they should be recycled. Overall they are better for the environment but not perfect. (something forumites could note in argumentation on environmental issues, there are few black and white arguments on environmental issues, picking on an imperfection without looking at the whole is juvenile argumentation)
http://www.epa.gov/waste/hazard/wastety ... /basic.htm