CFL colors

[K8MHZ]

Yesterday I was at Lowe's and they had four packs of 60 watt equivalent 5400k 'daylight' CFLs for $2.48. So I bought a couple boxes. The first place I tried one was in the basement in a porcelain base. The lamp was completely visible. I found it blinding to look at and the color was way too blue, very hard to focus on printing on a white background. The 2700 I took out did not present such problems.

Where I did find them useful is in my range hood. All the visible light is reflected, the bulbs aren't visible, and since the hood is right next to a window it just looks like the sun is coming in from the range.

I prefer the color of the 2700k over the daylight ones. I am probably not alone, as the 2700k CFLs are more than twice as much.

I also see a bunch of 'instant on' lamps there, too. I wonder if they really are.

So, anyway, would the reason the 2700s are much easier on our eyes when used as replacements for incandesants simply because that is what our brain is used to seeing? And the 5400ks look OK where outdoor light is normally seen?

 

[GoldDigger]

I also see a bunch of 'instant on' lamps there, too. I wonder if they really are.

So, anyway, would the reason the 2700s are much easier on our eyes when used as replacements for incandesants simply because that is what our brain is used to seeing? And the 5400ks look OK where outdoor light is normally seen?

Some "instant on" lamps (GE, I think) have a halogen bulb inside that turns on while the CFL is warming up. Consumer Reports tested them and found that for frequent on/off usage the lifetime was far shorter than a conventional CFL.

Yes, we tend to like 2700 because we are used to it for interior lighting. And especially at night when the warm glow of a candle or fire is soothing.
Studies have shown that high output in the blue spectrum is more likely to wake you up and is particularly bad if you are trying to get to sleep with the lights on. TV and phone screens are equally bad that way. Maybe there would be a market for a phone app that changes the color spectrum of the display at night? For getting up and going to the bathroom and then getting back to sleep a warm light is much better.
Finally, another issue with many "daylight" 5400K lamps is that their CRI is horrible and they actually have narrow peaks in the blue region of the spectrum.

 

[Curious nerd]

For phone and full-sized computer displays, https://justgetflux.com/ .

 

[GoldDigger]

Not android yet though. Even though Linux is supported.

 

[K8MHZ]

I just put two 75 watt eq. instant on lamps in the garage. They don't look any different than the 60 watt eq.s that were in it.

But, it's still light out. A better test will come after dark.

 

[kwired]

I can't stand anything over about 3500K for indoor use, especially in home or other non working environments. 5000K is acceptable for general lighting outdoors, or maybe even some non office type work environments.

I dislike even more when you walk into someones place and they mix and match a wide range of color temp lamps, those high color temps about make me sick after being exposed for a while. Is it just me or do others get annoyed by those high color temps?

 

[petersonra]

I got some GE LED bulbs at Wal-Mart the other day. 60W equiv spots for 10W worth of power. They are substantially more brighter and whiter appearing than the CFL spots in adjacent fixtures. Only $10.

 

[just the cowboy]

colors

colors

When i worked for a lighting maintenance company we used the following
Daylight in store windows
Cool white in office areas
Warm white in public areas and stores
Natural for meat cases ( it was a pinkish color)

But that was almost 40 years ago

 

[suemarkp]

I can't stand anything over about 3500K for indoor use, especially in home or other non working environments. 5000K is acceptable for general lighting outdoors, or maybe even some non office type work environments.

I dislike even more when you walk into someones place and they mix and match a wide range of color temp lamps, those high color temps about make me sick after being exposed for a while. Is it just me or do others get annoyed by those high color temps?

I'm the same way. Can't stand the daylight or blue ones. Had a renter that asked to change all the light bulbs to blue ones and I said sure go for it. When I went there after they moved out, I thought the place was dark and it gave me a headache when painting or doing other maintenance. Went out and bought a bunch of "normal" replacements. Even the old cool white fluorescents don't seem this bad, so maybe it is CRI and not just color temperature.

I like the halogen equivalent the best -- right around 3000K to 3200K.