Good thing for halogens (hopefully they won't explode!), but bad for CFLunatics. Where will Walmart get its generic bulbs?

I wouldn't be surprised if Walmart stopped carrying generic CFLs as a result of this. They could find another supplier, but it probably wouldn't be worth it since other manufacturers will likely follow GE in discontinuing CFLs.

I picked up 1 box of these at Home Depot and I am quite pleased with them.  Also, I've been picking up 60 watt LED replacements from Home Depot, COSTCO, and ACE hardware, they are under $3.00 each with the heavy discounts being offered.  I am quite happy to retire most of my CFLs

http://www.cnet.com/products/ge-bright-stik-led-3-pack/

The only CFLs I think are pretty good are Circline adapters, which really aren't even CFLs. I think all the others (yes, including magnetic PLs) are mediocre at best.

This was not a big suprise. I have to say I probably dont miss CFL's almost at all. Probably other big manufacturers will follow soon but there may be possibility that CFL will remain available in some developing markets where that small price difference between led and cfl is relevant. Ofcourse there will be smaller manufacturers that will still produce cfl's but Im pretty sure that at some point, LED's will also tackle those away. IMO there is just no any benefits in CFL over LED.

I think cheap LEDs will take over developing markets too. The Chinese stuff is unbelievably cheap.

Initially, even electronic CFLs proved their longevity, with the Osram Dulux EL and the Philips SL*E, lasting the claimed lifespan of LEDs (The Philips PL-E*T in my kitchen of my father former apartment, never reached EOL, and lasted all the period that my father lived in the apartment (>10 years)(I was me that did falsely didn't asked my father to move the lamp to its current appartment). But as their cost was prohibitly high (₪100 average here), manufacturers began to cut their cost at the expense of reliability, as well as moving to manufacture in China. Also, small chinese manufacturers began to produces crap CFLs, so now the CFLs often outlived by the old incandescent lamps.

LED lighting began to appear only in the end of the first decade of the 2000's, so it still not proved as lasting as long as the old low power LEDs for indicators and segemented and DMD displays. So I think that in this field, the 2014 Nobel prize in physics awarded for the invention of the blue LED too early (And to the wrong scientists), and mainly to find a way promote the marketing of the LED lighting in a more legitimate way, which is actually a form of product placement.
But I think that even if LED won't last long, it will still be maintenance free: Most LED fixtures aren't or are very expensive to be serviceable, meaning that if the driver or the LEDs failing, it would be too expensive to repair the fixture, so most people would replace the entrie fixture. With the old lamp technology, the fixture itself can last forever, as the lamp is the main part to be replaced, and in discharge/fluorescent lamps, the magnetic ballast and the starter/ignitor can also be replaced by the maintenance. This isn't going to happen with LED fixtures.

Not sure how I feel about this CFLs are horrible things but LEDs are worse I think they should stop making both and go back to filament lamps but something tells me that ain't happening

I think CFLs are good - the properly made ones. Especially when i had a GE one last 9 years in intermittent use

CFLs do what they are supposed to : Get energy efficient light in existing simple light socket. And they do it well, the good CFLs last acceptably well and provide the same good light as Triphosphor FL in general

LEDs : The filament lamps are nice, but i would not put them everywhere - To me, their spectral content is not appropriate for big part of general purpose lighting. They do have their place tho

I would say that the problem of CFL is it's size. In many fixtures cfl's fits poorly due to it's bigger size. There are small cfls yes, but it's difficult to make them last long as the ballast will run so hot due to more compact size. Also enviromental temperature does not effect LED's light output as it does with cfl (or any other fluorescent lamps). Led's also lights up instantly unlike cfl's (especially really compact ones).

Also enviromental temperature does not effect LED's light output as it does with cfl (or any other fluorescent lamps).

LEDs aren't less sensitive to high ambient temperatures than CFLs. At high temperatures, their efficiency and lumens drops, while the lifespan shortens. In oven like application, LED have much shorter life than incandescent, and a similar efficiency of a candle.
This is only in low ambient temperatures, that LEDs aren't affected like CFLs, and in fact performs better than CFLs.

Quote from: Roi_hartmann on February 03, 2016, 06:35:13 AM

Also enviromental temperature does not effect LED's light output as it does with cfl (or any other fluorescent lamps).

LEDs aren't less sensitive to high ambient temperatures than CFLs. At high temperatures, their efficiency and lumens drops, while the lifespan shortens. In oven like application, LED have much shorter life than incandescent, and a similar efficiency of a candle.
This is only in low ambient temperatures, that LEDs aren't affected like CFLs, and in fact performs better than CFLs.

Thats true. I did look at this matter at the view point of my location. Living here at north actually prevents effectively using CFL in many places outdoor/unheated areas. There have been some low temp rated cfl's but usually "open" (so with bare tube) ones still have significan lumen drop when it's cold. Shielded one where tube itself is inside plastic cover usually suffers heat stroke in summer time. I have also seen some LED lamps that are advertised for low temp outdoor use but I have no idea how those will differ for normal ones.

All LED lamps are suitable for low temperatures. If there are specific LED lamps for low ambient temperatures, they would just have minor heatsinking to lower their cost, as the cold air, cools them sufficiently without the need for complex heatsinking.
The cover of most covered CFLs, are mainly for decoration, but can be used as a protection from cold air.

The thing in having multiple lighting technologies available is, no one can cover all applications well. But each covers some applications exceptionally well

The CFLs are not different :

There are lanterns where the common CFL is too big, and lets assume it is still an E27 with straight 240V supply, you are left to choose from Incandescent, Retrofit Halogen, LED, some small CFL that still might just fit, maybe something else. There are many other lanterns where CFLs fit and even bigger CFLs would fit

There are applications where not the split second staring and not the couple min warmup of CFLs are not acceptable. Use something else. There are other applications where you could not care less

And there are the applications where the requirements are :

 - Existing 240V supplied E27 socket, changing is not an option
 - Light that does not overload cells in the eye, even on very prolonged everyday exposure over many years
 - "Fair enough" degree of energy saving, does not have to be extreme, but not to use as much energy as an Incandescent or Halogen

No other lamp can, or will in the near future, beat the CFL here



The oven is extreme example. And i sure hope you dont propose CFLs as a better solution for the oven ....

But in the oven there is simply no good reason to use anything but Incandescent. The oven contains a 3KW heating element. The 15W extra heat from a 15W lamp (which efficiency is close to 0), are 1. too little to matter, 2. add to the heat in the oven anyway, so whats the problem. They cannot even be considered "losses" as with a lamp in a more standard application



The "cold rated" LEDs may have some differences i can think of :

They may be more condensation proof than other LEDs. Consider a "sealed package" LED lamp, switched on in a very cold environment. But unless it is one of the "LED filament" lamps it cannot be really sealed - The air inside the enclosure will exchange with the air outside, especially when it expands and contracts from temperature differences. So moist outside air will come in too. This lamp is powered on in a cold location, then switched off. The air inside contracts and pulls outside moist air, then the moisture rapidly condensates on the inner side of the enclosure. If one of the sides is the back of the LED panel PCB for example, there is your short circuit or corrosion damage..

They may have no electrolitic capacitors, or some special capacitors more suitable for cold temperature. Those dont perform well in the cold - High ESR, possibly worse self healing properties, ....