We were told (lied to) that CFLs would last many times longer then incandescents, whic justifies the higher costs.
My experience with CFLs is that they last just about as long, or maybe slightly less, than incandescents. Thus, the extra cost is not justified. I later learned that you need to keep the CFLs on all the time to acheive the added life, which can negate the hyped electricity savings.
CFLs are a poor replacement for outdoor lights (porch garage, etc) as they take at least 10 minutes to become fully bright in cold weather.
CFLs are not available for specialty applications (decorative lighting, appliance lighting).
And they represent a lead-poisoning hazard if they break.
I tried CFLs. I don’t like them. I might try LEDs for some of the harder to change bulbs, but I am done with CFLs.
CFLs contain mercury, not lead. They contain far less mercury than the straight tube florescent used for many decades.