Bulb-within-a-bulb protects and hides CFL spiral

I just did the math. 1.2mg per bulb translates to 380,000 bulbs to generate 1 pound of mercury in a landfill. Last I heard we are pumping tens of thousands of pounds of mercury into the air annually from power stations. We lose sight that all that mercury used to be in the ground somewhere and just as likely to be added to ground water. I'll echo others: how about a little real science in all of this?

I believe Lowe's or Home Depot recycles the CFL bulbs (we should put pressure on other big box stores, whom sell CFLs). The newer CFL should contain closer to 1.2 mg of mercury (vs. 4 - 5). I believe RHoS allows 5 mg.

As a former sales manager for GE Lighting, this is NOT new tech. This is a SKU that was in inventory five years ago. GE is always attempting to pull a premium for little upsell. Just purchaed the new T3 spiral CFL's from Sylvania. Great light, long life, super small size.

IKEA have been selling this sort of thing (in the UK at least) for a few years now. Although they resemble the incandescent lamps they''re intended to replace, the higher power ones (>15W) are still not as small - yet.

Pete is right. Testing has shown that the temperature at the base of the bulb reaches 120F when burned base down; it reaches 160F when burned base up. The life of the circuit is substantially reduced when operated base up. Base temperature can also be kept lower by mounting the bulb horizontally...

Encasing the the spiral won't help dissipate the heat but rather hinder. Heat is one of the problems why we are told not to burn the CFLs base up. Good by ceiling lights.

CFL is much more complicated device compare to incandescent one. It must cost several times more. And if built improperly (to save money) it is far less reliable and hazardous.

Does anybody really plan to drive their old CFLs to a special disposal site? I don''t think so! So where is all that mercury going to end up? In our children''s drinking water! Also, I have bought many CFLs and after a while they get dim. Really dim! Is the GE bulb guaranteed to stay bright for 5 years? Considering the total cost, CFLs are not our answer.

Sometimes these 'bulbs' are designed 'that' way because they are supposed to mimic the original bulb. We have one that looks like a spot light to look similar to a 'spot' rather than a 'twisty' in a spotlight base. Sometimes they are made so they can be used with certain lamp shades.

I've had 3 15W CFL's in outdoor fixtures for at least 3 years now, maybe closer to 5. These lights are kept on pretty much all night, year round. Figure they have over 10,000 hours on them, and they're all still working. Yes, they are a little slow to turn on in sub-freezing weather, but that's OK in this application.

I agree that these look a lot like the CFLs I''ve been using for a couple of years. I''ve had several burn out within a month or two of use. The stores have replaced them, but why the short life? They''re probably turned off an average of two or three times per day. Is is just a quality control issue?

GE may also believe that customers could be put off by revelations of unwanted UV emissions from unenveloped spirals, as per MC's previous post [www.edn.com/blog/1470000147/post/380037038.html?nid=3002], but they'd be unlikely to admit to that I guess. I do like the "hitting with a letter opener" test; I shall remember that technique for future use.

Think about the real usefulness of the 5 year guarantee carefully. The normal profile of the light output from a fluorescent lamp is roughly expotential and is at 50% at the end of life (5 years). This means that the light output is greatly decreased during the entire last 2.5 years of life. NOT what most people expect or want with a "5 year" guarantee!

CF''s, another idea that doen''t make much sense, they use much more energy to make than regular bulbs,use hazardous chemicals, and since they use so much energy to make they probaly don't save any, Not to mention the huge price, incandesants $0.96 for 4, CF's $5.99 each.

For now, these CFL bulbs are the way to go, but soon we will all use LED lighting which is much less power hungry and can give off real white light.

I've installed about a dozen CFLs in my house over the last three years and have about ten to dispose of thusfar. They are not good for many on off cycles. Thus, they are far, far less energy and environmentally efficient than a 100W bulb you turn off when you don't need it, but lasts several years. Has anyone calculated the tons of Mercury going into landiflls?

I'm sorry, I can't see what's so 'new' about this. Seen a few like this at my local Lowe's. The BIG question: will it really last the '5-year' bogus guarantee, which they're hoping you'll loose the receipt and your perseverance in trying to collect a replacement? I bet probably not.

Does it turn on just as fast when installed in a garrage at 10-23 degrees amb. temp? CFL's take forever to reach max brightness in cold temperatures!

What is so special about these GE bulbs? I bought Philips branded bulbs that hide the CFL spiral inside a bulb-like plastic housing; a 3 pack was $10 at Walmart. I've had them in a lighting fixture in the kitchen for over 2 years now. Unless I told you it was a CFL you'd never guess it was one. The only downside is this older design doesn't get to full brightness as fast as these bulbs.

What is so special about these GE bulbs? I bought Philips branded bulbs that hide the CFL spiral inside a bulb-like plastic housing