On Thu, May 10, 2007 at 10:49:28PM -0400, Peter Schauss wrote:
>
> Has anyone tried one of the new compact fluorescent light bulbs in a
> standard drop light? Will they stand up to the occasional impacts that a
> drop light sustains in normal use? Given that they contain mercury, should
> I be worried about breakage?
I have screw-in CFL bulbs in two of my drop lights. They're a little more
resistant to everyday bumps and vibrations compared to regular incandescent
bulbs but I wouldn't expect it to survive a fall. If you need something
that'll
handle rough treatment, you might need to look at LED-based lights.
Nice thing about CFLs is they don't get very hot. For that, I'm willing to put
up
with the 5-6 seconds it takes to come to full brightness. And since a 26W
CFL outputs the equivilant of a 100W incandescent, you can install a brighter
bulb than you can otherwise safely install (most dropcords are rated for 60W).
They do contain mercury but it's only a tiny amount. I wouldn't worry about it.
Just don't go licking the floor if you break one.
Jimmie
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