Yes, they are more efficient.
Yes, they do last longer.
But - they are going to fill our landfills with mercury. (At least that is the way I understand it.)
Most people are not going to go to any trouble to dispose of a light bulb. They will toss it in the waste basket.
I do know that some people seem to have problems with them. Some people don’t like the light they give off.
I like how they’ve worked out for us. We have good wiring, our power coming into the house is clean and stable, and I like the fact that they don’t take 90% of the energy they use and turn it into heat. We don’t get hit by lightning strikes here so none have blown out. They don’t flicker and I can use them outside in enclosed fixtures. I even have floodlight shaped CFLs for my floodlight fixture.
So far I’ve been using them 3+ years, and so far none have failed yet.
I didn’t buy them because the econuts said to. I bought them to keep my energy costs down, and also to keep the house cooler, and cut potential fire hazards down. My energy rates have gone up every year but my bills are about the same so I consider that they have kept my bill from going up more than it would have if I stayed with regular bulbs. I also never bought these bulbs without them being on sale or getting rebates for buying them.
Actually the life of a bulb has more to do with such issues as voltage surges especially when the power company has the service drop voltage jacked up to about the upper limits.
I prefer incandescents myself but then again I have vision issues.
The statement says it makes him sick. Who are you to judge that he is not feeling well when under those lights.
I get ill under those lights too.