I’m reviewing a Compact Fluorescent Lamp or CFL today. This is the first CFL that Green Gear has reviewed in its 1 1/2 year history. That sort of surprises me. I’ve had CFLs for quite some time, almost every lamp in my home is a CFL. I guess CFLs seems so obvious. They’re cheap, available everywhere, and almost a no-brainer for people looking for new light bulbs. But, with that said, It’s important that I finally review one of the most popular green products out there.

The other day I was at Home Depot picking up a toilet flapper and thought I’d grab some CFLs. I nabbed the lowest wattage setting i could find and ended up picking up a 40w eqiuv (9 watt actual) 4-Pack made by n:Vision. It cost me $5.98. The price really couldn’t be better for non-dimming light bulbs. I remember paying astronomical amounts of money for CFLs when the first came out, so I’m happy that they’re cheaper.

The green savings here is of course the variable savings made possible by the CLF using 1/4th the energy of an incandescent lamp. Lighting while not a majority of your electric bill each month certainly is a big player so you could see a significant savings if you replaced your current bulbs with CFLs in the lamps you use most often.

I’ve had no issues with the n:Vision, they don’t flicker when turned on, they stay relatively cool to the touch and seem to be built well. Just as a note these aren’t dimmable, though that do make ones that are. Also, because these are CFLs they need to be disposed of in a proper manner, my local home depot recycles them for us so I suspect yours does too.

Here is the Video Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Gears for Variable Eco Benefit, Value, Design Quality, and Being Ready for Mass Purchase

This kind of reminds me of Seinfeld episode where regular showerheads are outlawed and the guys are forced to seek them out on the black market.  But, in all their infinite wisdom, Congress passed legislation before the end of the new year that will ban 100W incandescent bulbs by the year…. wait for it… 2012. 

“Wow!  Whew!  Glad we got to that one in time… hey isn’t there a war on?” says the American Consumer!

 I can’t say I’m surprised.  Leave it the government to take a good thing too far.  Just as Americans were coming to the realization that using less energy is the right thing to do, not only for themselves but, for the environment, Big Brother steps in and ruins the party.  I hadn’t even gotten started on my second drink. 

I’m not really going to get into a CFL vs. Incandescent debate.  I have CFLs in my home where I don’t want dimmable lights.  CFLs are great in terms of their energy usage but, in my opinion, leave something to be desired in terms of light quality and disposal.  And of course, the classic bulb is great for light but doesn’t last very long and uses more energy than needed.  So, I use both but I’ve found that if you really want to help your energy bill, and the environment… the best idea is to turn off the lights when you leave the room!

I guess my question here is two fold.  First, is this sort of legislation the type of thing the Government should be doing?  Second, is it even necessary? 

Well, on the first issue I suppose I would say it’s probably not.  It should be up to consumers to make the decision as to how they power and light their home, seeing as they pay their own energy bill and not the government. 

 Second, the legislation itself seems kind of odd to me.  First off, everyone knows that full wattage incandescents are on their way out.  Over the next few years CFLs will come down in price and we will see a slew of new options from LEDs, Halogens, Fluorescent Induction, and heck… even energy efficient Incandescents!  So why ban them?  and if you Ban them, why in 2012?  That’s kind of like baning typewriters in 2018, or 3.25″ Floppy Disks in 2031.  It’s really not in sync with the market. 

So while this is probably good for the people that are making the bulbs, I don’t think it was needed, especially considering the more pressing issues we have going on right now.  But oh well, off to the Black Market. 

 Enjoy your 3 week break Mr. / Mrs. Congressman!  Thanks Again!