Earthmate EP3057AE 30-Watt Spiral CFL Full Spectrum Bulb, 6 Pack

These lights have exceptionally good light output. I bought these 30 Watt bulbs, but they were a little too bright when I used them in a light fixture with 5 lamp sockets. The 23 Watt bulbs I purchased afterwards are still rather bright in the same 5 socket light fixture, but acceptable. The light output will become a little less with time. These 30 Watt bulbs are excellent for a three lamp light fixture. When compared to an incandescent bulb, these appear to be pure white and the standard bulb a weak yellow glow by comparison. Once you adapt to these full spectrum bulbs, you cannot go back to standard incandescent bulbs. Now I am replacing incandescent bulbs in all areas of my new house except in areas of low usage or places the bulbs will not fit. These bulbs will fit in most fixtures, however. I am replacing the fixture in my garage to put some 45 Watt full spectrum bulbs into a cluster light fixture. I live in the Houston, Texas area so cold weather is not normally a problem. Fluorescent bulbs often are weak in light output in cold weather until they warm up after a few minutes. When warm, they work fine. I have not tried this particular bulb series in a cold soak environment yet. The payoff should come this summer when electric bills are at their peak. These bulbs are very efficient and produce a lot less heat than incandescent bulbs. I look forward to the day that LED bulbs become affordable and brighter, but for now, this is the way to go. Definitely avoid the so called warm white fluorescent bulbs in the stores. Order only full spectrum CFL bulbs or those rated 51K or 55K or anything in the 5000 to 6000 Kelvin light spectrum. I would avoid the bulbs in the 6000 Kelvin range. They probably have too much of a blue shift. The 51K or 5100 Kelvin bulbs are perfect. Then it is just a matter of selecting the wattage you want. For multiple bulb fixtures, the 23 Watt bulbs are usually perfect. For single bulb fixtures, you probably want a higher power bulb than these. I am using a 45 Watt 51K fluorescent bulb over my breakfast nook and it is just right. These full spectrum bulbs are great for SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) people like me. I get winter depression when it is cloudy and bleak for a long time. Normally Houston has plenty of sunshine, but this winter has been unusually cold. Well, at least I am not in the frozen north. This is quite a switch for me because I just moved from the San Francisco area.

I never noticed how dingy-looking a normal light bulb is until replacing most of mine with these. A normal bulb is *very* yellow; these are almost perfectly white, but they have a noticeable bluish cast: as compared to real sunlight, which is basically invisible, a room filled with full-spectrum bulb light does have a very faint sense of being artificially lit. The color distortion is way worse when placed behind frosted glass shades, which just flat out look blue. These bulbs need to shine into open air. Nonetheless, these are cheerful lights and feel pretty outdoorsy.Note, also, that a 125W-equivalent bulb is a little more than most lamps call for: they usually ask for 60W-equivalent or 100W-equivalent. They are also *less* than you'd want for a big room-filling lamp, which should probably have 150W-equivalents. Seems just about right for an overhead light in a 12x12 bedroom. However, a fixture rated for 100 watts can easily be filled with a 30W CFL bulb (which is way less than the rated power) and thus secretly upgraded to 125W. After doing some looking around I think I would not recommend going too much higher, though, since larger bulbs may generate more heat than expected in the socket.

I've been a user of full spectrum bulbs because my office is attached to a computer server room and thus has no windows. I use this lights with a few desk lamps that I aim toward the walls/ceiling from my wrap around desk to provide some natural feeling light. It really helps me feel less like taking a snooze under all of the dim indoor lighting.The packaging was all cardboard and contained no plastic. The bulbs seemed very well protected and I had no issues with them being shipped. I will definitely consider these again the next time I need more full spectrum bulbs. Also, no flicker that I can notice.

I added these lights to my shop. Originally I was using two 4' fluorescent tubes. I had dark spots every where. Not very safe when running power tools.These CFL's are bright and clear. No yellowing. Plus they're energy efficient.I posted a photo so you can see the output.My fingers will be safe.

I bought six of these bulbs back in March. They were fantastic until yesterday (October 22) when three of the six went out in a single day. It's just starting to get a bit cool, and I suspect this may be what is causing them to fail. At any rate, the bulbs are far to expensive to provide just over six months of service. I would have expected that from an incandescent bulb, but I had hoped these would last five years. Very disappointing.

I bought the bulbs to use in a laundry room to better spot any stains and a living for better light on dark winter days. I am well pleased with both.

One arrived cracked, the other non-functional.Brightness seems equal to the 23w daylight bulbs from Home Depot, which have the same form-factor.

I bought twelve of these a year ago. I was VERY happy with these lamps since they give out such true sunlight. The carton says that they should last for 5 years, assuming 3 hours of use seven days a week. My usage pattern is just that. But then they started burning out - four are done with already, in less than year. Given how pricey these are, I am just not happy that these last just around a year.