None of the ones we've got have ever refused to strike, including original Mk.1 Philips SL Prismatics.

I wish Philips made the European SL design over here. I would like one but there is really no way to operate them on 120v that I know of.

If you get any, you could always run them from a step-up transformer, I use either a step-down transformer (for the big lamps) or a Variac to run my 120V lamps. I'm fairly sure I've seen 120V versions of the Prismatics though, but I can't be certain.

120V版本的应该是电子镇流器启动，美国的120V电感镇流器版本基本都是日本制造的。

I have several Wally World brand (great value) CFLs that have 20k+ hours on them still going strong. I have one with 50k+ hours and it still burns, it’s just dimmer than the others. In fact I haven’t had to buy any lamps for inside my house in 10 years since these jokers refuse to burn out. Not to mention they run 12hrs a day in the case of my den lighting. Those run in open floor lamps base down which I’m sure helps keep the ballast cooler.

I have several Wally World brand (great value) CFLs that have 20k+ hours on them still going strong. I have one with 50k+ hours and it still burns, it’s just dimmer than the others. In fact I haven’t had to buy any lamps for inside my house in 10 years since these jokers refuse to burn out. Not to mention they run 12hrs a day in the case of my den lighting. Those run in open floor lamps base down which I’m sure helps keep the ballast cooler.

That's not bad going, don't think I've ever had one last longer than 2 or 3 years, but other than a couple of 2D fixtures in the kitchen and bathroom, I don't routinely use them any more, I'm going back to incandescents in protest at the proliferation of LED  

The simple answer is yes just keep them in a good clean dry box after 50yrs they will be worth a bomb, I have seen stuff thrown away as a kid appearing in antique shops take for example the candle stick phone or even the more common 300 type phone, worth pounds...don't throw anything away! yes I collect phones and other things since school days.

It’s funny how folks used to trash talk CFLs and here we are now talking about collecting them, lol

It’s funny how folks used to trash talk CFLs and here we are now talking about collecting them, lol

I bet if something is going to replace LEDs one day I'm sure people talk about collecting them too. When I joined here little over ten years ago people here were talking trash about HPS and they hated it because it replaced MV lights.

I've always indiscriminately collected various light sources.

I have always liked CFLs since they are kind of what I grew up with. Funny story, when I was really little (between ages of 2-4 or so) my house had CFLs that weren't instant on. I spent the first few years of my life thinking that all lights had that delay when turned on until one day we were staying in a hotel that had instant on lights. I was absolutely blown away when I first saw it.  

I'd actually consider early LED to be somewhat collectable as well.  Much like CFLs, manufacturers iterated though some designs that were bulky and expensive, but also higher quality in many ways.  As time went on, it's pretty much settled on the plastic snow cone shaped lamps and the glass filament-style.  Although I'm sure evolution will continue, it seems like LED lamps have remained largely unchanged over the past several years, and I expect these designs will be with us for the foreseeable future.

Yeah I have some early LEDs that are pretty unique like the Philips remote phosphor models both the ones with the exposed remote phosphor and the ones with the remote phosphor but behind a bulb. Also have one of the earlier Cree LED bulbs with their filament tower of LEDs.

Most of the LEDs in use are the plastic snow cone style or the filament ones, I pulled a lot of the early LEDs I have from service to add them to the collection.

Heh, I grew up with incandescent lighting in almost all household lights so I found the delayed start and long warmup from the earlier CFLs to be kinda strange actually lol