I agree, I’ve had the same experience. This is all BS, it’s a scam. I agree with some of the posters that if you get the right type of light, they are kind of okay, and don’t give off that unnatural and unpleasant greenish or bluish tinge.
What I detest about the fricking things is that if you turn them on, sometimes it takes a while for them to reach a stage where they give off all like they should. That irritates me, especially when I go out in my garage and switch on the light and fumble around for a while until the thing actually gets warmed up.
This is all just another reason I detest and hate liberalism and nanny statism.
CFL not bright enough? Go up one wattage (use a 15-watt CFL instead of a 13)
Don’t like the color? Try a different color.
Had one that didn’t last as long as promised? You should have saved your receipt and taken it back for a replacement.
None of the CFL’s you buy last? Quit buying cheap, off-brand bulbs.
CFL’s too expensive? Are you kidding? According to the U.S. Department of Energy, each CFL saves the consumer $35 over the life of the bulb compared to using (and replacing) incandescent bulbs. Remember, 90 percent of the energy consumed by incandescents is wasted as heat, not light.
But I live in a cold climate, heat is good, right? Surely there are more economical ways of heating your home than running light bulbs?
Sticker shock still got you down? Look for sales. Better yet, watch for rebates from your utility company. Some electric companies will even give you some bulbs.
CFLs won’t fit your fixture? Shop around. There is probably one that will (they’ve gotten smaller, you know). Or, worst case, don’t use a CFL in THAT fixture.
CFL’s don’t work in ceiling fans? Sure they do. You just have to buy the right ones.
CFL’s don’t work in the cold? OK, use an incandescent bulb in your outdoor fixture. You have permission.
But they contain mercury! Please, you probably work in an office or store with the entire ceiling lined with traditional fluorescent light bulbs. You’ve been existing underneath a sea of mercury for 40 years and you’re now just starting to care? Give us a break. Hell, if we were talking about mercury in fish, you’d be telling us about how you used to play with the mercury from broken thermometers and it never hurt you . . .
LEDs will be better: OK, great. When they become widely available at an economical price, use them.
OK? Does that about cover it? I have never seen a case where so-called “conservatives” were so committed to wasting money. It’s just hard-headedness. CFL’s are a great improvement over 140-year-old technology. Yeah, they look funny. Yeah, they’re different. Get over it. They’re better and they will save you money. Besides, if we don’t start saving energy soon, you’re going to be faced with a lot worse choices in your life than whether to use curly bulbs.