Freeaking lying CFL light bulb manufacturers

[JEDI]

package says 5yrs/6000 hrs, made by GE.

BS! mine burned out after 1 1/2 yrs.
I wrote the date on the cfl when I installed it.

it only costs $4 for a pack of 4 at walmart.
so not worth the time/effort to get a free one from the manufacturer.

 

[PliotronX]

Their lifetimes are dictated by environmental and power cycle conditions but 1.5 years is actually pretty good for inexpensive models. Most of my cheapies die faster than incandescents..

 

[SlitheryDee]

The fine print will normally say that they're assuming something like 4 hours or less use per day, so if you're exceeding that you can't hold them to the 5 year claim.

I have some CFLs that probably are going on 5 years old though. Some of those I'm sure have gotten used an average of much more than 4 hours per day. My experience with CFLs has been very good overall.

 

[LTC8K6]

package says 5yrs/6000 hrs, made by GE.

BS! mine burned out after 1 1/2 yrs.
I wrote the date on the cfl when I installed it.

it only costs $4 for a pack of 4 at walmart.
so not worth the time/effort to get a free one from the manufacturer.

How many hours?

Hours trumps years most of the time.

 

[NoTine42]

The fine print will normally say that they're assuming something like 4 hours or less use per day, so if you're exceeding that you can't hold them to the 5 year claim.

I have some CFLs that probably are going on 5 years old though. Some of those I'm sure have gotten used an average of much more than 4 hours per day. My experience with CFLs has been very good overall.

I thought short cycling (on less than 15 minutes) shortened the life more than lengthy uses.

It seems that one of my longer-lasting CFL's is on the outside of my garage. Its on 24x7
Since its only using 9w, I never bothered to install a daylight sensor.

 

[BUTCH1]

All mine croaked fairly quickly, one got to almost a year, what puzzling is that standard type small florescent bulb last's ages.

 

[pmv]

Yeah, I'm not impressed at all. Had a couple that went pop after a month. Lots of others only lasted a couple of years. And that's not including the one I managed to break while putting it in (which costs a lot more than when it happens with normal bulbs, not to mention the mercury issue).

And my power company sent me some supposed good ones for free that were supposed to be special 'no warm up period' ones, and they failed within a couple of months.

It might be a sign that the wiring isn't perfect, but CFLs seem far, far less tolerant of that than conventional bulbs (which didn't go pop any more frequentlly than normal)

 

[edro]

Was it in an enclosed fixture? That usually reduces life as well.

Also, life is a bell curve. Yours could have been an outlier... or so they will say. 🙂

 

[Vdubchaos]

What company on this planet wants to make a product that lasts forever?

Answer: none

In my experience the most reliable/long lasting product I've ever purchased was Kitchen Aid mixer, but to be honest we don't use it more than 2-3 times a week.

Everything else around me breaks on regular basis. And as I'm a big DIY I get to see how things are engineered and designed.....and let me tell you.

I see more stuff made to break than I see made to last.

Our entire system is designed around consumerism and unsustainable model. Thank Wall Street and people that want instant profit for that.

And of course, there are always those items that are tear and wear and simply will break over time.

 

[Jeff7]

I love some of the LED light fixtures:

"5 year lifespan!"


1 year warranty.

What company on this planet wants to make a product that lasts forever?

Answer: none

In my experience the most reliable/long lasting product I've ever purchased was Kitchen Aid mixer, but to be honest we don't use it more than 2-3 times a week.

Everything else around me breaks on regular basis. And as I'm a big DIY I get to see how things are engineered and designed.....and let me tell you.

I see more stuff made to break than I see made to last.

Our entire system is designed around consumerism and unsustainable model. Thank Wall Street and people that want instant profit for that.

And of course, there are always those items that are tear and wear and simply will break over time.

But oddly enough, we have rechargeable NiMH cells, and even low-self-discharge models, which should* obsolete alkalines in many applications.




* - many people see the sticker price of the batteries + charger, and instead continue to buy and throw away batteries over and over. "Long term thinking" usually means "I wonder what I'm going to have for lunch today?"

 

[MrDudeMan]

Was it in an enclosed fixture? That usually reduces life as well.

Also, life is a bell curve. Yours could have been an outlier... or so they will say. 🙂

Bulb life is described by an exponential model, not normal.

 

[kranky]

I have had some CFLs that died pretty quickly, and others go on and on. We put a CFL in our front porch fixture three years ago and that one is still going (I'm glad as it's a PITA to change). Some others didn't make it a year indoors.

I chuckle at the hypocrisy of people saying CFLs are better for the environment, when they ignore the fact you have to treat dead ones as hazardous waste.

What company on this planet wants to make a product that lasts forever?

Answer: none

In my experience the most reliable/long lasting product I've ever purchased was Kitchen Aid mixer, but to be honest we don't use it more than 2-3 times a week.

Everything else around me breaks on regular basis. And as I'm a big DIY I get to see how things are engineered and designed.....and let me tell you.

I see more stuff made to break than I see made to last.

Our entire system is designed around consumerism and unsustainable model. Thank Wall Street and people that want instant profit for that.

And of course, there are always those items that are tear and wear and simply will break over time.

I think manufacturers are simply operating in a way that reflects what consumers want - the cheapest thing possible. People want new stuff all the time, and don't care how long it lasts. They certainly can build things that last longer and cost more, but people won't buy them.

 

[mmntech]

I don't think I've ever had any problems with CFLs burning out quickly. Keep in mind though that repeatedly cycling the lamp (turning it on and off) can prematurely wear out the ballast. Especially on lower quality bulbs.

After years of using CFLs though, I'm finally sold on LEDs now that the price is coming down. Same benefits as CFLs but there's no warm up period, and they should in theory last even longer.

But oddly enough, we have rechargeable NiMH cells, and even low-self-discharge models, which should* obsolete alkalines in many applications.

* - many people see the sticker price of the batteries + charger, and instead continue to buy and throw away batteries over and over. "Long term thinking" usually means "I wonder what I'm going to have for lunch today?"

Lol. I remember having the exact same argument with my boss. He wanted to use alkaline batteries for our wireless mic packs because they were cheaper and "more reliable" in his experience. That is until he realized we were going through one battery a day, since these things were being subjected to 16 hours of continuous use. So he got some NiMH. They cost more but they last a year before they wear out and need replacing.

 

[Jimzz]

The 2 things that kill CFLs are bad voltage and turning them off/on a lot.

Check the voltage at the socket. If its not a steady 119-121 range then you need to fix that. Also if you have a bulb that gets turned on/off a lot then replace it with a LED. CFLs have a on/off life as well so for rooms like closets they may not make sense but a bedroom where you turn it on and leave it on for several hours is fine.

I have a lot of CFLs that are 7-8 years of and still going. I rewired my house after buying and have a mix of CFL, LED, and some halogen.

 

[Vdubchaos]

I think manufacturers are simply operating in a way that reflects what consumers want - the cheapest thing possible. People want new stuff all the time, and don't care how long it lasts. They certainly can build things that last longer and cost more, but people won't buy them.

MANY people do, but there is also plenty of people that don't want cheap crap and buying stuff every few weeks/months to replace.

Many Americans now days simply can't afford to rebuying stuff, problem is, companies LOVE cheap skate consumers and figured why not apply that to ENTIRE segment.

It no longer matters how much you pay, more you pay, more you get screwed and more it costs to fix/replace.

There used to be a time when you could pay more and get better quality/more long lasting stuff.

Good luck with that now....

 

[Vdubchaos]

I chuckle at the hypocrisy of people saying CFLs are better for the environment, when they ignore the fact you have to treat dead ones as hazardous waste.

"Better for environment" = just another marketing gimmick. If companies cared about environment they wouldn't produce "stuff to make money" and using EARTH resources to do so.

I won't even get into packaging (which a lot of times is simply worthless/garbage) yet it requires paint/boxes etc.

ANY company that's in business BY DEFAULT doesn't care about environment.

 

[OutHouse]

I have had some CFLs that died pretty quickly, and others go on and on.

same with incandescents. I have a 40w incandescent that I use read with at night that is at least 6 years old. and then the porch lights are not used very much but would last maybe 3 months.

 

[SlitheryDee]

I think manufacturers are simply operating in a way that reflects what consumers want - the cheapest thing possible. People want new stuff all the time, and don't care how long it lasts. They certainly can build things that last longer and cost more, but people won't buy them.

I agree with this as well. I work in a retail store and I couldn't tell you how many times I've seen people pass up a better quality, but more expensive item for a cheaper lower quality item. These same people are the ones who solemnly declare that "oh yes, they could make things last longer, but then they wouldn't get to sell you another one as soon"... Idiots. Companies DO already make that better quality, longer lasting item in 99.9% of the cases these people are talking about. They just didn't buy it because it was too expensive.

 

[Newell Steamer]

,.. impeach Obama!! Impeach him!!!shift+1!!!!

 

[Imp]

Our CFLs probably don't last 5 years, but they last longer than one on average -- way more.

I got rid of CFLs last year in my room. The two LEDs I use daily for at least 4 hours are now over a year old (~1.25 years).

 

[OutHouse]

The two LEDs I use daily for at least 4 hours are now over a year old (~1.25 years).

i picked up a 4pack of LED's from Costco last month. The packaging said they are good for 10 years... so we will see.

if they burn out in 8 years ill return them to costco and get my money back!!!,,,

lol J/K

 

[waggy]

package says 5yrs/6000 hrs, made by GE.

BS! mine burned out after 1 1/2 yrs.
I wrote the date on the cfl when I installed it.

it only costs $4 for a pack of 4 at walmart.
so not worth the time/effort to get a free one from the manufacturer.

seems that they didn't lie. you used 1 bulb for 1.5 years. that means the remaining 3 need to only last 3.5 years. i am sure they can do that!

so the packaging was right!


just depends on how you look at it




I have noticed it also matters how you have the bulb. ones that are pointed to the ceiling tend to last longer then those hanging down.

 

[PliotronX]

seems that they didn't lie. you used 1 bulb for 1.5 years. that means the remaining 3 need to only last 3.5 years. i am sure they can do that!

so the packaging was right!


just depends on how you look at it




I have noticed it also matters how you have the bulb. ones that are pointed to the ceiling tend to last longer then those hanging down.

Haha, I like it!

 

[Hugo Drax]

I had a GE CFL outside that would run 12 hours a day that lasted 6 years. I was surprised it lasted that long.

 

[ultimatebob]

It's weird... some of my CFL's have been around for over 5 years now, while others died after six months. I think that the name brand ones were the first to die, too, while the ones that I practically got for free thanks to Connecticut's CFL rebates back in 2008 are still trucking. Go figure.

Maybe Dear Leader Malloy will force the power companies to offer rebates on LED bulbs soon, so I have an excuse to upgrade 🙂