Have You Experienced Compact Fluorescent Failure?
As CFLs continue on the path towards mass adoption (or bridging the gap until LED bulbs become more affordable) prices are going down, bulbs are being mass-produced, and consumer groups are complaining that the quality standards are deteriorating rapidly. Has the aggressive push to make CFLs more affordable hurt quality and therefore damaged some of the CFL's hard-earned reputation?A well-manufactured CFL is supposed to last 10 times longer than an incandescent bulb, reduce emissions, and save up to $5.40 a year per bulb. Unfortunately, the push to produce these things cheaply -- CFLs can now be had for as little as $1, as opposed to $10+ years ago -- has resulted in an inferior crop of bulbs, many of which apparently fail immediately or after a few days of use.
The explanation for why this is happening appears to be in the complexity of the bulbs themselves. As explained by Alan Feit, president of Feit Electric:
"There are 40 to 50 components that go into these things. While manufacturers try to inspect all incoming materials, one little mistake may cause a performance problem."Here's what I want to know, since I haven't bought any CFLs in the last year or more (mine are a few years old and still working thankfully): have any of you received a bum CFL recently? Is there a real problem with quality going on, or is this piece in the NYT just hype?
[via Gawker]
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