Hey!, forget the "vegetables", What's wrong America's with the even more traditional and "energy saving" "MUSHROOM" approach? Keep'em in the DARK and feed'em BS!!

second - CFL's are made just for dimmers, but they cost more

third - there are now three way [75-100-150 replacement value]

fourth - the cheaper the bulb the worse the color, and the shorter the lifespan. - case in point - Lights of America, typically the cheapest on the market, an sold at WalMart, El Crappo

fifth- there are also dedicated fixtures which use a 30 watt CFL and come in a range of styles

sixth- the MaxLite brand Torchiere style has a 55 watt fully dimmable (40-250 watt replacement value) bulb, shining straight up, and is an excellent reading lamp - no glare

last - the use of CFL's in the low-income population is MUCH greater than the Pop.. at large, thanks to the federally, and utility funded programs which place them free of charge -and not the cheapys either, PG&E is partnering with WalMart in Ca. to sell the bulbs at as low as $0.99 ea. Sylvania I do believe.

I can't stand flourescent in the bathroom (the lighting isn't right for applying make-up-something guys may not notice) and I don't like reading with them. My son is also sensitive to them, and actually does better with the lightbulbs that are supposed to have a more natural lighting (they are bluish and I can't remember what they are called) so we use those in his room.

I also don't use them in lamps/light fixtures where you see the bulb, because they are ugly.

But I can't complain either way-they are fine for some things, not so much for others.

I have a house full of these and don't mind the half-second delay in turning on and the 60-120 second delay in getting to full brightness.

I also imagine that as these become more popular (and smaller) they'll start coming in filtered colors for you light-color snobs *wink*.

I'm satisfied with these bulbs. Texas summers do dirty things to electric bills so any savings is welcomed.

BTW, I have never tried them on a dimmer switch, and I bet they’d suck.

They do. The bulb flickers on anything less than full current.

There are expensive dimmer made specifically for fluorescent bulbs, but I can't testify to them yet. I will try one when I'm finished remodeling my kitchen.

Meanwhile, I am one of those people who is appalled by the light cast by these bulbs. I do have several but they do hideous things to my wall color. One is so ghastly that I think my husband is going to find some photographic filter to mitigate the blue hue on my table lamp in the living room. It makes my yellow wall look ghostbuster green.

And I have wondered if you can't get them in both spectrum like grow bulbs to cast both blue and red spectrum, thereby neutralizing the blue. Does anyone know?

Lunacy

It might be worth giving these a shot for the porch light and similar applications.

15 in the bathrooms (I have 4)
2 in my bedroom
2 in each guestroom
4 in the kitchen
2 in the dining room
6 for the hallways
2 on the front balcony
1 on the back
1 in the garage
1 at the front entrance
1 at the back

...and probably a few more places. The only place I don't have them are the lamps beside my sofa, and the ones in my bedroom because I can't stand flourescent lights while reading.

It's all in how you present them. If you put the right casing or shade over them, I find them fine, and I'm guessing that with at least 38 of these things in my house, I'm saving one hell of a lot of money each year. I've had these things since September 2005, and have only had to replace 3. Two of those were at my entrances, where they're on much longer and in far more excessive temperature extremes.

I probably spent an average of about $10 for a four pack. $100 for most of the lights in my house. I've probably got that back already in savings. I bet the price gets cut in half as Wal-Mart pushes suppliers.

Seriously. If you're creative, you can make these things look great!

I am more concerned that retailers who seem eager to be political lately.

Ford courting the gay lobby hasn't helped them much.

Obviously you *want* to buy CFs, you just don't realize it yet.

My guess, though, is that it will prove a very unsound business strategy in the long haul.

This is typical of the "new" Wal-Mart.

Even more egregious is the fact that Lee Scott has actually embraced Communist Party activities in Wal Mart stores. He has even allowed Communists to meet openly in stores.