CFL Brightness

Britton30 · 30 May 2011

Heat shouldn't be a concern seeker, the CCFL's run cooler than the equivalent incandescent type lamp. I am using several and I don't notice any brightness difference but they do have a warm up cycle to reach full intensity, but it is short.
The EPA or some agency here in the US have a ban on using incandescent lamps at some point so CCFL will be our only choice, which may be the reason for the price drop.
6500K is a lot "whiter" than a standard bulb, while 3200K-3600K more closely resmbles the normal type bulb in color output.

seekermeister · 30 May 2011

I guess it must be a difference in the way that they are made, because I haven't noticed a prolonged warmup period on any of my CFLs. It takes maybe a second, and they are at full brightness. As far as how dim that they are, that depends on the wattage and color of the bulb. I have a 3000k 150 watt equivalent bulb over my desktop, and a 100 Watt Equivalent 6500k in the kitchen, and the difference is like between night and day. Eventually, I will probably convert all of my CFLs to 6500k. I really like to be able to see what I'm doing.

Britton30 · 30 May 2011

Yes the 3000K will look yellow in direct comparison with the 6500K. As a rule of thumb, 5000K is considered to be the color of light on a full sunny day with sun at its highest spot in the sky. Our brains tend to normalize our perception of light color if only one source is present.
But we'll tend to see whiter light as "brighter" even if the source has the same output, in candle power or lumens.
I have the 6500K in my kitchen as well, very nice.

seekermeister · 30 May 2011

One benefit of 6500k, is that it makes a good grow light. Maybe I'll put some plants in the kitchen.