GE 13-Watt Energy SmartTM - 8 Pack - 60 watt replacement
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Our Price: $8.54 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $8.49 (click here) Category: Tools See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of GE 13-Watt Energy SmartTM - 8 Pack - 60 watt replacement
Customer Review: CFLs save energy, but have problems
Summary: 3 Stars
Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL bulbs) do use significantly less energy than incandescent bulbs (IC bulbs), so if you eventually replace all your burned out IC bulbs with CFL bulbs, you will see a decrease in your electric bill. However, CFL bulbs are more expensive, so it will take a while to recover their higher cost with your savings in electricity. And there are some other problems:
1. These GE CFL bulbs do NOT last five years in normal use like GE claims, so their long-term cost advantage over IC bulbs is not as great as advertised. The five years is a dubious GE advertising claim which is apparently based on continuous usage, that is, never turning the light off. I have bought a few packages of spiral GE CFL bulbs over the last few years, and at least half of them have burned out - well before the five year claim.
2. CFL bulbs need to warm up. When you first turn the bulb on there is a slight delay before any light is produced (less than one second). Also, there is a short time before it comes up to full light output, although this has improved in the latest bulbs. However, if you are using them outside or in a garage, this warm up period can be a few minutes if it is cold.
3. If you break the bulbs, they release a small amount of mercury vapor into the surrounding area. The federal and state governments and GE say it is a tiny amount, so you shouldn't be worried. But they also say that the bulbs are considered unsafe to put in landfills, so you are supposed to double bag all broken CFL bulbs, store them away from children, and take them somewhere that can dispose of them properly. (There is only one store in my area that takes them.) So I guess they are not a health problem according to the government, but then again, they are.
Because of this, an inexpensive regular IC bulb or rough-service IC bulb is better than a CFL bulb for use in applications where the bulb could often break, like in a "trouble light" (a portable work light with a cord).
4. The electronic parts in a CFL bulb can get hot and fail prematurely in some applications. Inside the base of the CFL bulb are some electronic parts. If you mount the bulb with the base up inside a recessed lighting fixture or in any fully enclosed fixture with no ventilation, these electronic parts will get hotter than usual, and the bulb won't last as long.
5. The light from CFLs has a different hue than the light from IC bulbs and does not look as natural, meaning that the colors you see on objects in the room don't look quite right compared to natural solar light. This is particularly true when compared to the IC bulbs from GE and Sylvania that are advertised to produce natural-looking light. While older CFL bulbs looked noticeably blue, the light has improved significantly in the newest GE bulbs. However, most people can still notice a difference from IC bulbs.
6. In any case, politicians are going to force you to buy these bulbs whether you like them or not. The U.S. Congress passed legislation that will soon effectively outlaw IC bulbs, except for certain high and low wattage bulbs, and some other specialty IC bulbs.
IMPORTANT SIZE NOTE: Because of the plastic base which houses the electronic parts, these 13 Watt GE CFL bulbs are about 3/4 inch longer than the 60 Watt IC bulbs that they are supposed to replace (with about the same amont of light output). So if you are putting them in a very small lamp or light fixture, they may stick out slightly and look a little odd. Also, GE also makes larger 26 Watt CFL bulbs (to replace 100 Watt IC bulbs). These are about one inch longer than 100 Watt IC bulbs.
Customer Review: Cheap, not greatest light quality but they work
Summary: 3 Stars
Did I mention they were cheap? Just under a buck a piece. They seem to fire up rather quickly, and don't seem to need the "warm up" time that some CFL bulbs do. 3k-ish light temperature...typical budget bulbs that appear fairly yellowish but (should) last for several years and cut costs over incandescent bulbs.Customer Review: Clean(er), Beautiful, White Light.
Summary: 5 Stars
Great product. Everything it is described to be. Beautiful, bright, white light. Easily replaces a 60 W bulb (I think it is actually brighter, due to the fuller spectrum light of these compared to incandescent bulbs).Customer Review: Contains toxic chemical
Summary: 1 Stars
These light bulbs contain mercury, which can cause brain damage or kill you. They also destroy the environment by leaching mercury out of landfills into your groundwater. The light isn't as nice as incandescent bulbs, and it will give you migraines. They don't give off enough heat to warm up your room a little, which means they are less pleasant at night and in the wintertime and you will have to run your furnace more, negating some of the energy savings.
Customer Review: Different colored bulbs
Summary: 4 Stars
I agree with some of the other reviews about the bulbs not matching colors. I only had one that didn't match with the rest. It wasn't really a problem for me since I put the oddball in the laundry room and you can't beat that price!