Re: Do good energy-saving bulbs exist?

["Ian Lowe" <ianlowe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Well, yeah, but it's not going to help you any...

My own experience of energy saving lights in the UK was also
pretty dismal - sickly yellow lights that take an age to come on,
and once they get there leave you wondering why you bothered...

However, when we arrived here (Perth, Western Australia), I found
a variety of lights on display in Bunnings (the Aussie B&Q) that
actually looked pretty good. our rental place had god awful 40W
bulbs all over the place, so it was darker than Batman's wardrobe,
so I took a punt..

They are *brilliant* - and completely unlike anything I had seen
before. They turn on instantly, and are at full brightness
straight away.

This lot are manufactured by 'fairway' in China (naturally), and
are 11W - they claim 60W equivelance, but they are actually a
little bit brighter than that, with a pleasing white light. They
claim a color temp of 4200K.

So, short version, yes they do exist. Where you can find them, on
the other hand... is another story.

ian.

ps> whilst I cna appreciate the intent in ditching 100W
incandescent bulbs, I think that the timing is wrong.

CFLs are not a good technology, and LEDs are 'not quite there
yet'. My boss got a torch for christmas with 5W Cree LEDs, and
holy crap - this thing would fry your retinas if you caught it on
beam... these guys are only a couple of generations away from
proper low power domestic lighting that doesn't stink.




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