My whole house is filled with CFL. But the 60w equivalent (13-14w). Never had one burn. I have ones that give off a nice color light – very similar to incandescent bulb in light color. As well as some whiter “sunlight” like bulbs.
Most of mine are still going years after I got them. The ones on the front porch finally started to go 4 years after I got them (they are ones in a glass bulb that look more like standard bulbs). They go on every night and off every morning, rain or shine, -20 deg or 99 deg outside. (The average lifetimes stated when you read about them are for 4hr a day so these ones are on 7-12 hours a day depending on time of year)
The ones in the bathrooms have not faired as well, probably due to the very high humidity when the wife showers and the room fills with water vapor. (I leave the bathroom door open some to let it escape – she keeps it closed). They lasted about 3 years each.
The ones around the house in the normal ceiling fixtures and in the normal lamps are all going strong, most after 5 years of use without one going out.
Some of mine are basically “instant on” and are almost full brightness when you turn them on. Others take about 60 seconds to get full brightness.
I bought most of mine a while ago and they seem to be pretty good quality. Most are N:Vision from Home Depot. Unfortunately made in China but a decent bulb in my experience. If I can find CFL not made in China I would buy them.
I know some of the brands are really not reliable (in talking with my family members who have tried other sorts).
I have only a few incandescents left in the house. In my office (because it was a storage space when I first installed the bulbs and I couldn’t get to the fixture due to the boxes and since we cleaned it out I have not gotten the ladder out – it is on my list todo) and in the garage because it was filled with boxes until recently and the fixtures are like 15 feet or higher up.
Using about 25% of the electricity of an incandescent, and less heat output (though they do output heat) makes them a winner in my book, and you should not be paying more than a buck or two for a CFL. Once the LED lights get down to under $5 or so I may get some. Unfortunately, they use almost as much electricity as a CFL for the same nominal output. The cheapest I have seen for LED were 40w equivalents at Costco for $10 a piece.
My sister bought some ceiling floods/spots (whatever – in flush ceiling fixtures in her kitchen) that were LED and are really nice. Bright, good light coverage, etc. But they were like $40 or $50 each IIRC.
