I had trouble with a few in the past - "Lights of America" brand, which were made in China or worse. Pure junk. They didn't last 6 months.
However, the GE and Phillips brand CF lights I've bought are lasting quite a while. I had one old GE (one of the early ones from the 1980's) that lasted about 20 years, and it was used regularly as my night light.
GE and Philips were the ones lobbying to outlaw the regular lighbulb.
Florescent= patent payments
Incandescent = no patent payments
essentially this is a financial subsidy via regulation.
The floriescent can’t stand on its own in the free market.