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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to really really dislike energy saving lightbulbs..?

46 replies

LoisGriffin · 16/02/2009 17:45

So I have to pop into dd's bedroom to change sheets/find something. I turn on the light. About five minutes later it's light enough to see but it's a horrible gloomy light.
I put old style planet killing energy draining lightbulb in place. And I turn light on. I can see immediately!! In and out in the smallest amount of time I can bear to spend in there.

OP posts:
ahappymummy · 16/02/2009 17:46

aaaarggghhhh! im so happy to find some1 that hates the bloody things 2! i swear they make my vision go a bit squiffy...

Kathyis6incheshigh · 16/02/2009 17:47

YANBU. Horrible headachey things. We have been sent various free ones and they are never anything like the wattage they claim to be.

DanJARMouse · 16/02/2009 17:49

i dont like them either, although majority of my lights have them now by getting freebies!

but apparently they will be phasing out the old style ones.

Thunderduck · 16/02/2009 17:51

I've never had a problem with them and the light is sufficient for it's purpose. I can't bear bright lights though which may make a difference.

barbarapym · 16/02/2009 18:05

I got a very expensive new one the other day which gets light instantly just like old-style bulbs. Definitely works and looks like the wattage it's supposed to be. It was £6.95 though so it had better last!

SJLTM · 16/02/2009 18:07

My bedside lamp starts out just right = to 40 watt. As time passes, it gets brighter and brighter, so by the time you have finished what you are doing, you need sunglasses .....why?

Kathyis6incheshigh · 16/02/2009 18:07

Barbarapym - apparently some of them start off bright and then get less effective after a few weeks . Fingers crossed yours is a good one. Hopefully as time goes on we will have a better idea which ones are reliable, as it's a lot of money to waste if they're not.

Podrick · 16/02/2009 18:10

They are sh*t
Depressing in their dimness until they warm up
So much so that I leave the hall and stairs lights on permanently now to avoid the start up dimness

Pawslikepaddington · 16/02/2009 18:12

Mine have been on since 5 and am still sat in the dark! Still cannot quite bring myself to go back to old ones though, as am worried about the leccy bill

crokky · 16/02/2009 18:15

They are absolute rubbish. Added to which they contain mercury. They are a ridiculous invention and I don't think they save the planet as they are toxic.

fistiki · 16/02/2009 18:19

They are a waste of time, resource and money. These bulbs are supposed to haver a life of 5-10 years!! Do we really think the technology won't move on in that time? We'll chuck out these expensive bulbs and replace them with something else that actually works long before their expiration date! ... not very eco or financially friendly.

ThePregnantHedgeWitch · 16/02/2009 18:19

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

HerBeatitudeLittleBella · 16/02/2009 18:20

I hate them.

I don't mind so much waiting for a while for them to brighten up, but it's that when they do, it's such a disappointment.

Podrick · 16/02/2009 18:24

The idea that lightbulbs are the answer to global warming is ridiculous and a convenient way for the government to divert attention away from the things that would really make a difference that the government has no stomach for.

admylin · 16/02/2009 18:24

We got ours in Ikea. Isn't the point of having them to save on your electricity bill though? It's a pain to have to wait a while but if the bill is lower in the end I don't mind waiting.

Ashantai · 16/02/2009 18:28

We only have them because various companies keep sending us freebies

But i agree, they take far too long to warm up.

Stayingsunnygirl · 16/02/2009 18:29

It's almost impossible to get 100w bulbs any more - they are phasing out production, and lots of places don't seem to be stocking them. Dh bought lots the last time he saw them.

HerBeatitudeLittleBella · 16/02/2009 18:34

It's not the waiting that bothers me. It's the fact that I can't see well enough to read in most of the rooms in my house.

Kathyis6incheshigh · 16/02/2009 18:36

If they were as good as they are supposed to be, they would not have had to ban the old ones - we would all have been moving over to them through choice as we all want to save money on our bills.

DogMa · 16/02/2009 18:37

Get the 120 watt equivalent ones - they're the best, light-wise, by far.

Nekabu · 16/02/2009 18:42

Hate them. Loathe, detest and abhor them. I can't see well enough to read by them without straining my eyes and as for having to wait for all eternity for them to warm up ... what's the point of that? When I turn a light on I want light, not half a year of twilight before it finally grinds into action. Unfortunately they are dh's pet economy and we have the vile things everywhere (except for my bedside light) and have done for years.

SlightlyMadScotland · 16/02/2009 18:44

Don't forget that they cannot be disposed of in household waste - and you have to be ultra careful if you break one. They contain mercury which is actually so toxic it is banned in my lab.

MaryAnnSingleton · 16/02/2009 18:45

YANBU at all - I hate them

Beantin · 16/02/2009 18:47

I hate the buzzing our few make - and that they have to 'warm up' - how backwards is that? Am hoping that the breakthroughs they're making with LED bulbs hurries up

HerBeatitudeLittleBella · 16/02/2009 18:50

Can't we all join a campaign to get rid of them? Is there one?