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Original poster

Low energy bulbs - anybody know what Which? has to say about them?

26 replies

AllBuggiedOut · 20/04/2008 15:20

There are a few discussions of these here on MN, with loads of people saying how disappointed they are with the light these bulbs give out. Are the more expensive ones worth it? And has anybody read the Which? report on them to know which give off the best light?

Thanks!

OP posts:
WendyWeber · 20/04/2008 15:22

IME the cheap ones are fine, but you need to try different brands to discover which colour of light you prefer, iyswim - they can be pinkish, blueish, greenish or yellowish.

Philips ones are a nice colour (IMO, obv)

Original poster
AllBuggiedOut · 20/04/2008 16:08

Ta - I seem to remember others saying they liked the Phillips ones. Was hoping to avoid buying ones that I only use for a week because I don't like them...

OP posts:
SaintGeorge · 20/04/2008 16:15

General Electric (GE)

PrincessPeaHead · 20/04/2008 16:19

they just don't WORK
they take ages to warm up and then give out hardly any light. and cost a fortune. I'm going to stockpile thousands of old fashioned ones so that in 2022 I'll be the only person in England still using them

SaintGeorge · 20/04/2008 16:24

I honestly haven't had any problems with GE ones, but I do tend to only use them in places they will be left on for a while. For places they are likely to be on/off again within minutes I don't bother.

GE a reasonable price, given how long they last (average cost £2.50-£3).

They are improving the technology all the time. At the moment, few of them can be used with dimmer switches but only a year ago there were none at all. Give it another year and they probably all can be.

WendyWeber · 20/04/2008 16:48

You live in the country though pph, your electricity is thinner than ours because it has to travel so far. (I know what you mean though, I actually prefer 150w for the downstairs ceiling lights and nobody seems to have them any more - so if you have any of those in your stockpile, bung a few this way please)

SaintGeorge · 20/04/2008 16:49

Ooooh, bayonet or screw cap Wendy?

Our local Asda had a few last week, I could have a look for you.

edam · 20/04/2008 16:53

I'm with you PPH, keep meaning to stock up. Madness that the EU killed off a whole industry (makers of barometers) due to concerns about mercury while forcing everyone to start buying lightbulbs that contain, er, mercury.

WendyWeber · 20/04/2008 16:55

Oooh, bayonet, StG - the last ones I got were from Asda but that was months ago and they had def all gone last time I looked - if you could get me some more that would be fab

Original poster
AllBuggiedOut · 20/04/2008 16:55

it's ages since I bought a new one, and I was kind of hoping that you lot would tell me not to worry, they're improved no end recently, but seems not to be the case.

Has anybody read the Which? report?

OP posts:
WendyWeber · 20/04/2008 16:57

No, they have mostly, ABO, honestly - the 60 & 100 equivalents give a good light now (after a few minutes!)

I have read the Which report, will look it up, hang on...

WendyWeber · 20/04/2008 16:59

Which are quite keen on low-energy now (well, some of them anyway) but the future is with LEDs, apparently:

Original poster
AllBuggiedOut · 20/04/2008 17:22

Ooh, LED sounds promising...

Were any of the low energy ones best buys?

Thanks

OP posts:
SaintGeorge · 20/04/2008 18:26

Will look for you Wendy, but just in case they haven't (they were in the end of line bin) Maplins have some

WendyWeber · 20/04/2008 18:27

Fantastic, thanks StG - they've got EIGHTEEN, that'll keep me going for a couple of years

WendyWeber · 20/04/2008 18:29

ABO, as StG said GE did well - there were 2 different ones, one of which was the Best Best Buy at £3 - and there were a couple of others too but the website is playing up so I can't check just yet.

SaintGeorge · 20/04/2008 18:32

I take it Asda doesn't need to be on my list of things to do tomorrow then?

lljkk · 20/04/2008 18:53

Ours keep dying,aren't they supposed to last years? We have had various sorts from different shops, but I didn't keep receipts and boxes (who does?) because I never expected them to be so faulty, so I haven't even got my money back.

Friend who got LED halogen light substitutes from Lidl last October has found them dying off at high speed, too. I am really going off the idea of low energy bulbs, they seem to last a fraction of the time of incandescent.

Am I the only one who keeps getting rubbish low energy lights? I expected poor light levels, but not for them to only last a few months when incadescents would have lasted a year or longer. We've had... maybe 5 small screw types die on us. Friend's are GU8.5 (MR16) or something like that.

SaintGeorge · 20/04/2008 18:58

Might be worth getting your wiring checked.

My electrician friend told me they are more prone to picking up on tiny power surges and blowing.

sophy · 20/04/2008 19:05

The Green Shop says it now stocks only Megaman bulbs because they are the highest quality.

We have some Megaman bulbs in the house, and they are pretty good - get bright quickly, haven't conked out yet and nice quality of light.

Also have some by Kosnic which are rubbish.

I think it's probably worth paying a bit more for better quality where low-energy bulbs are concerned.

Original poster
AllBuggiedOut · 20/04/2008 22:36

Thanks all - am feeling a little more encouraged now!

OP posts:
misdee · 20/04/2008 22:42

we have a mixture of ikea ones, which are ok, and some GE and phillips ones. we get sent 2 or 3 a year through mobility. seem to be stockpiling the, have only had to replace one since we moved here over 3years ago, and that was because i accidently hit it when carrying ladders.

nannyL · 21/04/2008 20:21

i have loads of differentbrand of energy saving bulbs dotted around my house

anyway my all time favourites are the tesco value ones

they seem to give bright light immediatly

ironically the phillips expensive ones (the most expensive in my house) are my leats favourite and when i had the liogths changed in my bathroom i put the tesco value bulbs from that room into where the phillips bulbs were

fizzbuzz · 21/04/2008 21:09

I hate the light they give out, it is just not light enough. So I switch on loads of other lights as well, which means buying them is a waste of time.

If they gave a decent light I would use them, but tbh I find the light they give makes me feel really down and gloomy, they ar just so dingy, whatever brand I use

Nighbynight · 21/04/2008 21:47

fizzbuss, I have got 2 that are about 25 watts, equivalent to 125 watts in my sitting room as the main lights.
I have 2 18 watt ones, equivalent 100 watts, in standard lamps, plus sundry other small lamps eg a salt lamp, the fish tank.

Usually, I switch on one main light, and my 2 standard lamps, and I get a far better light than I would with 1 single 100 watt main bulb.
They are improving all the time, keep checking them out.

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