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- Phil Allison
February 21, 2007, 11:30 am

** With all this politically correct hyperbole about CFLs becoming
compulsory in Australia, I could not resist checking out the lamps shelf
at the local Franklins store this arvo - saw some very cheap 13W spiral
types, only $3.39 each !!!
They were Franklin's own " No Frills" brand, labelled as being 3000K.
Now, 3000K is close to the colour temp of an incandescent bulb ( the more
common kind are 4100K ) and described as " cool white ". So I took the
punt and bought one.
It lasted about one second and failed.
But for that brief second, the light was soft and sorta yellowish.
Back it goes.
...... Phil

Re: Beware: CFL duds
"Jonno"

** Good tip.
I'll get my replacement one from the BACK of the peg.

** Had a couple of Osram brand ones where the tubes came loose from the
base.
Superglue helped them last for a bit - then total demise.
Maybe got 25 hours out of each.
But I'm an incorrigible optimist and will try a few more - before carrying
my " ultimate solution " and hording heaps of incandescents while you can
still get them.
....... Phil

Re: Beware: CFL duds

Funny, I still have a brand new Phillips CFL in the box that never worked at
all! Unfortunately I lost the receipt by the time I went to use it.
My experience with other Phillips CFL's is not much better either, but then
I think they are ALL crap!
Standard fluoro tubes seem to last forever (at least ten times as long IME)
so the fascination with CFL's has me puzzled.
MrT.

Re: Beware: CFL duds

What do you mean 'Philips seem to be good'? They are all the same. Monday is
philips day, Tuesday is osram day . . . . . Friday afternoon is coles and
woolies generic day. The only difference is the stamp they put on the
glass. Go for a tour of a lamp factory and see for yourself.

Re: Beware: CFL duds

Wow, that means there are no standards?
It can mean that they get the Philips specs and components out that day?
I can make tyres to one specification, and then the next day manufacture
tyres to another specification, High speed tyres cross ply, still made
in the same factory, but with more care and higher costs, still made in
the same factory. I dont know if that happens but it could.

Re: Beware: CFL duds

Monday is
and
True even when they made globes in AUS, more so now they are mostly made in
China.

What tyres are made in a globe factory? And you are confusing BRANDS with
TYPES. For example an incandescent edison screw globe IS still different to
a BC-CFL, *even if* it comes from the same factory.
However it is true, BOB JANE does not have his own Tyre factory. A similar
thing CAN happen with all generic/house/co-owned brand tyres as well.
MrT.

Re: Beware: CFL duds

In the UK the local Morrisons supermarket had 18W Philips CFLs originally
£3.50p, then discounted to 99p then at 99p - buy one get one free. At the
same time their own brand was £1.99p, both types have proved fairly reliable
over many months. Way back when they started selling them the price was
£6.50p, at which price it was just about worth attempting repair of faulty
units (most often the electrolytic failed). At the price they are now I just
chuck the few duds I get in the junk box incase I think of a use for any of
the parts.

Re: Beware: CFL duds

Oh look, another newsgroup 'professional' !
The office girls purchased "several boxes of four" from the local shop,
as the price looked right. Save one, all of these lamps died within 3
months of use, two of them NEVER drew any current. These lamps came
four-to-a-pack in a blue and yellow box, at home here at 0430 I can't
tell you the Chinese brand name.
These are the FACTS giving qualification to the comment, and I am
terribly sorry if they don't please you.
So, please feel free to hop back into your box whenever you are ready.
FNT

Re: Beware: CFL duds

**I've had a few CFL failures. None were Philips. All failures were
mechanical. The last one, the result of a possum jumping/falling on a
horizontally mounted cheapie (freebie, actually. I got it, along with a
bunch of others from those guys who give them away, then claim 70 Bux from
the gummint). Spend a few extra Bux and try a Philips. I like the 23 Watt
helical (though Philips incorrectly claim it to be a spiral) ones. Nice
colour temperature, good light output and mechanically robust. Chinese made
too. 6-7 Bux at Bunnings. ES or bayonet caps.
I had another thought: Will the government also phase out LED lamps? After
all, these over-priced pieces of crap are around the same efficiency as
halogens, which puts them around 20% of the efficiency of flouros.
--
Trevor Wilson
www.rageaudio.com.au
Trevor Wilson
www.rageaudio.com.au
--

Re: Beware: CFL duds

**They're inefficient compared with almost any discharge lamp. They produce
about the same (white) light as a typical halogen.
Al I ever heard was

**You're being lied to. I suggest you contact the ACCC. The whole LED thing
is a scam. LEDs have their uses, but general lighting is not one of those
uses.
* A REALLY good LED (Luxeon, 5 Watt, white) can deliver around 24
Lumens/Watt, over a 120o angle. (Coloured versions are more efficient)
* A small, 5 Watt halogen lamp can deliver around 18 Lumens/Watt, over a
300o angle (more light, due to the increased radiation angle). BTW: The
halogen requires no heat sink, whilst the LED does.
* A typical, quality CFL will deliver around 60 Lumens/Watt, over a 300o
angle.
* A typical, quality regular fluoro will deliver around 90 Lumens/Watt, over
a 360o angle (I use NEC Quadphosphor lamps which are even more efficient,
with a superior colour temperature).
All are significantly less expensive than LEDs. The energy efficiency of
LEDs is a con. When taking the angle of radiation into account, LEDs are
barely more efficient than a regular, good quality incandescent. They
certainly can't compete with Xenon or halogen lamps.
--
Trevor Wilson
www.rageaudio.com.au
Trevor Wilson
www.rageaudio.com.au
--
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