Thread: Eco Light Bulbs

Originally Posted by Nuckle

And I have cfl's in my house that are 10 but i have also had them fail in 6 months. I have incandescent builds that are 7 +.


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It isn't as if they can't make incandescent bulbs that wouldn't fail either. The technology is out there, but bulb manufacturers rely on products failing over time. They also have a specific failure rate in testing that they strive for to make sure you are "mostly" happy, but have to purchase the occasional replacement.

I seriously doubt GE, Sylvania, Philips, or other bulb manufacturers operate with six sigma processes, which means 3.4 defects per 1 million of opportunities. All processes for where I work are designed around the six sigma methodology, but it is pharma/healthcare, so process failures can make people sick or even take someones life. The light bulb industry... I just don't think they care to invest in process improvements like these.

A lot of companies actually offer warranties knowing very well that their product will fail. It is often cheaper for companies to offer repair/replacement than to invest in higher quality control. Most companies invest in automation in order to make the manufacturing process as inexpensive as possible, so in the event of a failure, they will just repair/replace it free of charge.

Light bulbs are so cheap, even if there was a warranty, most people wouldn't want to go through the process of getting a repair/exchange. They just buy a new one, and the manufacturers likely expect that same behavior.

I had good luck buying the multi-pack CFLs at Sam's. I replaced as bulbs burned out and for 5 years I had one bulb failure out of 15-20 and it was in a ceiling fan that vibrated a lot. When I moved the new apartment had recessed lighting in the dining room and it took 5 minutes to even feel like it was on. I was happy with the cheap bulbs I bought but some of the others have disappointed me.

I bought my first LED bulb this week and put it in a lamp. It is very bright and the light isn't bad with the lamp shade on. I might not like it in the ceiling fan where it is exposed. It was $20 for 1100 lumen 75W equivalent uses 14W. Hopefully the LED works good. I might buy a few more brands and try them out. I want some that will look nice in my fan. That would be a good article...

Originally Posted by Nuckle

I have 35 recessed cans on dimmers in mine. I have yet to find a CFL that looks good as well as works well with a dimmer.


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I never thought about the dimmer. I don't have a dimmer on my recessed lights, just on the foyer, dining, and kitchen hanging fixtures. Those, of course, all have incandescent lights. I have LEDs in the fan in my bedroom and I can't stand it. They are bright as hell, but they don't seem to actually light up the room very much.