On 12/28/10 11:57 , Joe from Kokomo wrote:


fades artwork, furniture and wall paper,

Why? Same number of lumens output as the incandescents that they
replace and the same color temperature (in degrees Kelvin) of the
incandescents they replace. No scientific reason in the world why
they would make things fade faster. This "complaint" is pure
hokum.

On 12/28/2010 1:19 PM, D. Peter Maus wrote:

Actually, it's not.

Flourescents do not produce the same spectra as incandescents. They
may have the same average color temperature, but like white LED's,
with a higher blue and UV output than incandescents, the 'warm' white
color temperature, is achieved by adding red output to the phosphor
until the average color temperature is about the same as an
incandescent, and the eye can't discern a difference. The average is
the same, but the actual spectra produced are dramatically
different.

Yes, flourescents do promote more rapid fading, depending on the
pigments exposed.

Color temperature is a quantitative measure. The higher the number in
kelvins, the more blue the shade. Variations and inconsistencies exist
among manufacturers. For example, some CFLs have a color temperature of
3,500 K [relatively low UV/fading], while other lamps with a daylight
label have color temperatures of at least 5,000 K [higher blue/UV]. Your
particular mileage may vary, but fading with CFLs does not HAVE to be an
issue.

and tend to burn out at about the same rate as real light bulbs.

Not true unless you are buying the really, really cheap "Brand X"
CFLs. It is a -proven- fact that decent CFLs have a much longer
life than incandescents.

On 12/28/2010 1:19 PM, D. Peter Maus wrote:

I have had to replace my CFL's at about the same rate as average
price incandescents. Brand appears to be irrelevant. Cheap generic,
or branded GE and Philips, the failure rate is about the same.

In fact, the longest life bulb I've ever used was Halogena by
Philips. More than twice the life of any CFL's I've used, or Philips
non-halogen tungsten.

The average rated life of a CFL is between 8 and 15 times that of
incandescents. CFLs typically have a rated lifespan of between 6,000 and
15,000 hours, whereas incandescent lamps are usually manufactured to
have a lifespan of 750 hours or 1,000 hours. With -either- type of bulb,
longevity will be related to the line voltage and how rapidly the bulbs
are off/on cycled. However, given identical voltage and cycling, CFLs
are clearly superior in terms of life. It is unclear why you are having
such bad luck.