# How many people have a small stash of incandescent bulbs? Can't buy them anymore. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 10, 2014, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-have-a-small-stash-of-incandescent-bulbs-cant-buy-them-anymore/680942 "2014-02-10T02:45:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-have-a-small-stash-of-incandescent-bulbs-cant-buy-them-anymore/680942/61 "2014-02-10T20:37:06Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > What country are you in? I can’t imagine a utility company doing that. They make money selling electricity and could care less how efficient anything in your house is. DTE here in Michigan did it in my old apartment. I got a notice that a maintenance guy and a DTE guy would be coming in to do it. I was a bit surprised, since I paid the bill, not the apartment company. I wondered if the complex got a break/kickback for doing it anyway. But figured since they replace the fixture bulbs it was ok with me. I didn’t expect them to change the bulbs in the lamps I own, and take the bulbs away, but I didn’t really mind. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-have-a-small-stash-of-incandescent-bulbs-cant-buy-them-anymore/680942/62 "2014-02-10T20:38:48Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > I think it’s a matter of what’s important to you. I prefer fast-on, flicker-free, decent light, and it is well worth it to me to pay the trivial amount more in electricity bills that comes with it. . It’s true that when they first came out, CFL’s had those problems, especially the cheaper ones. No longer\*, and LED have never had those problems. And the amount isn’t trivial. - unless you get the REALLY cheap ones ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-have-a-small-stash-of-incandescent-bulbs-cant-buy-them-anymore/680942/63 "2014-02-10T20:54:26Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > It’s true that when they first came out, CFL’s had those problems, especially the cheaper ones. No longer\*, and LED have never had those problems. > > And the amount isn’t trivial. > > - unless you get the REALLY cheap ones I challenge every CFL proponent on this list to link to a CFL that’s instantly on at full brightness, like an incandescent. Because I’ve tried many different types - name brands, no-names, cheap, expensive, and I’ve never, ever found one that didn’t take at least a few minutes to warm up to it’s full brightness. Which for a closet or furnace room, where I’ll most likely only have the light on for a minute or two, is utterly useless. Trust me, I’m as cheap as they come, and I fully get the whole savings-over-time logic, but I’ve never found a CFL that didn’t frustrate me. ---
**Author:** ![Macca26](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/13edae/32.png) [@Macca26](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Macca26)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-have-a-small-stash-of-incandescent-bulbs-cant-buy-them-anymore/680942/64 "2014-02-10T21:02:58Z")
I’ve never seen the flicker in CFLs that other people complain of. I also don’t see anything sickly in the light - they’ve had coatings for years now that mimic incandescent more than well enough for me. I have noticed that they need to “warm up” to full brightness so to speak, however it’s only a handful of seconds. A bit longer in the freezing temperatures of my garage. I don’t mind that at all. One by one all my lights have been replaced by CFL bulbs and I haven’t had to replace any since. With such high ceilings to deal with when changing lights I yell, yessss! I only have one incandescent bulb left and that’s because I like 3-way lamps. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-have-a-small-stash-of-incandescent-bulbs-cant-buy-them-anymore/680942/65 "2014-02-10T21:08:20Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > I challenge every CFL proponent on this list to link to a CFL that’s instantly on at full brightness, like an incandescent. Because I’ve tried many different types - name brands, no-names, cheap, expensive, and I’ve never, ever found one that didn’t take at least a few minutes to warm up to it’s full brightness. Which for a closet or furnace room, where I’ll most likely only have the light on for a minute or two, is utterly useless. > > Trust me, I’m as cheap as they come, and I fully get the whole savings-over-time logic, but I’ve never found a CFL that didn’t frustrate me. Incandescents aren’t “instantly on” either. I have no issues at all with our CFLs’. Now it’s true- in order to "reach full brightness’ it can take almost a minute. But even if you go to a site that supports this: [http://blog.gvea.com/wordpress/?p=342](http://blog.gvea.com/wordpress/?p=342) The bulb comes on to useful brightness as soon as the switch is hit. If you want faster, they have many that take a mere 30 seconds to full brightness. In any case, LED’s have even faster on than incandescent. ---
**Author:** ![Karen\_Lingel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karen_lingel/32/18649_2.png) [@Karen\_Lingel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen_Lingel)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-have-a-small-stash-of-incandescent-bulbs-cant-buy-them-anymore/680942/66 "2014-02-10T21:13:32Z")
Incandescents? Holy Toledo I haven’t used incandescents for years and years. I quit using even CFLs a couple years ago. I do have a couple of incandescents in my cupboard though: A yellow one I was using in my porch light (to not attract bugs) when I lived in Illinios, yikes, 30 years ago. A black light that I bought as a lark back when I was in _college_. A partial package of those flame-shaped bulbs you use in chandeliers, at least the chandelier I had 15 years ago… Saying all that out loud makes me seem like a hoarder… Probably I should get rid of them. Maybe I can sell them on ebay for thousands of dollars. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-have-a-small-stash-of-incandescent-bulbs-cant-buy-them-anymore/680942/67 "2014-02-10T21:29:12Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > What country are you in? I can’t imagine a utility company doing that. They make money selling electricity and could care less how efficient anything in your house is. They care around here. Either Consumers Energy or DTE in metro Detroit have energy saving kits they promote. Fill out a request and they mail it to you totally free. The kit contains a low flow shower head, two faucet aerators and several CFLs. It’s pretty sweet. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-have-a-small-stash-of-incandescent-bulbs-cant-buy-them-anymore/680942/68 "2014-02-10T21:36:39Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > The bulb comes on to useful brightness as soon as the switch is hit. There is a noticeable, although insignificant, delay. The bulb in my bathroom finally died, so I switched it out with CFLs and there have already been a couple of times when I’ve hit the switch on and quickly back off because I thought I had hit the wrong switch. There’s enough of a delay that it’s enough time to switch it on and off with barely seeing the light. It’s about a .25-.40 second delay by my estimate (with a few trials of the stopwatch, too.) At any rate, enough for me to think I hit the wrong switch and switch it off. Now, I like CFLs fine, but there is a little delay that makes me hiccup. And, in the basement, it takes about a full minute for the room to feel fully lit, which took me a little while to get used to. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-have-a-small-stash-of-incandescent-bulbs-cant-buy-them-anymore/680942/69 "2014-02-10T21:43:58Z")
I have a lot of incandescent bulbs. Almost all of my fixtures are dimmable. As I understand it, CFLs can’t be dimmed easily (or at all?) so what can I do? I submit that, by dimming my incandescent bulbs, I both save energy and increase bulb life, so switching over is not likely going to be a savings. Those of mine that aren’t, are fluorescent already, and have been forever. I will buy LEDs when they are available. I am already using one in the refrigerator door light. Incandescents in there do not last long. The first LED I put there is still going after several years. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-have-a-small-stash-of-incandescent-bulbs-cant-buy-them-anymore/680942/70 "2014-02-10T21:49:41Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > In any case, LED’s have even faster on than incandescent. In my experience there is a very slight delay in some LED’s. It doesn’t bother me, but I can detect it. And yes, there are dim-able LED’s. Our electrician told us you need different dimmers than with incandescent. Either they dim in a different way, or he was just ripping us off. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-have-a-small-stash-of-incandescent-bulbs-cant-buy-them-anymore/680942/71 "2014-02-10T22:10:32Z")
> [@wevets](#): > > All bulbs less than 60 W are exempt from the Energy Independence Act of 2007, so 25 W bulbs shouldn’t be affected. > > Other exemptions include: > from [http://www.bulbsdepot.com/blog/lighting-exemptions.html#sthash.Vggp4UhG.dpuf](http://www.bulbsdepot.com/blog/lighting-exemptions.html#sthash.Vggp4UhG.dpuf) I was worried, until I saw where candelabra bulbs were listed as excluded in your post. (Its in your post, I quoted your post, not going to thumb-fight a phone to mimic it) I actually have a very nice crystal chandelier (think Beauty and The Beast) that I inherited and until I saw that, I was worried about small bulbs. Incandescents reflect a warm yellow light through it, similar to candle light. The effect is quite beautiful and with a dimmer switch, its Awe-inspiring. I can’t say how wierd it would look with oddly shaped new bulbs, even if it was off. That and that odd shade of off-blue reflected through crystal would probably make people’s skin rot off the bone like a bad HP Lovecraft movie. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-have-a-small-stash-of-incandescent-bulbs-cant-buy-them-anymore/680942/72 "2014-02-10T22:12:04Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Incandescents aren’t “instantly on” either. I have no issues at all with our CFLs’. Now it’s true- in order to "reach full brightness’ it can take almost a minute. > > But even if you go to a site that supports this: > [http://blog.gvea.com/wordpress/?p=342](http://blog.gvea.com/wordpress/?p=342) > > The bulb comes on to useful brightness as soon as the switch is hit. If you want faster, they have many that take a mere 30 seconds to full brightness. > > In any case, LED’s have even faster on than incandescent. Not buying that video. It looks to be carefully staged, as in a carefully setup workbench for testing, not to mention the fact that light bulbs tend to look brighter on camera than they do in real life, and the light meter is maybe a foot from the lamp at most. It just doesn’t match what I have observed many times. In fact, I just now turned on a CFL light in a small room near my desk here at work. Result: Horrible sickly reddish light for about 60 seconds, nowhere near useful brightness. We have some higher wattage CFLs (supposedly 75 watt equivalent) in a corridor, and the light doesn’t even light up the whole bulb at first. It starts off with only the first coil lit up, then after 10 seconds or so it slowly snakes around until the whole bulb is lit up. Even when they’re fully warmed up, they still have a yellowish hue that is really off-putting. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-have-a-small-stash-of-incandescent-bulbs-cant-buy-them-anymore/680942/73 "2014-02-10T22:14:33Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > In my experience there is a very slight delay in some LED’s. It doesn’t bother me, but I can detect it. > > And yes, there are dim-able LED’s. Our electrician told us you need different dimmers than with incandescent. Either they dim in a different way, or he was just ripping us off. Well, he’s mostly right. You need special dimmable CFL’s **or** a different dimmer. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-have-a-small-stash-of-incandescent-bulbs-cant-buy-them-anymore/680942/74 "2014-02-10T22:17:19Z")
> [@Count\_Blucher](#): > > I was worried, until I saw where candelabra bulbs were listed as excluded in your post. (Its in your post, I quoted your post, not going to thumb-fight a phone to mimic it) > I actually have a very nice crystal chandelier (think Beauty and The Beast) that I inherited and until I saw that, I was worried about small bulbs. Incandescents reflect a warm yellow light through it, similar to candle light. The effect is quite beautiful and with a dimmer switch, its Awe-inspiring. I can’t say how wierd it would look with oddly shaped new bulbs, even if it was off. > > That and that odd shade of off-blue reflected through crystal would probably make people’s skin rot off the bone like a bad HP Lovecraft movie. ☹ They are not cheap, but you can buy LED bulbs for that. And, CFLs come in a wide variety of light, including those the same as the old fashioned ones. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-have-a-small-stash-of-incandescent-bulbs-cant-buy-them-anymore/680942/75 "2014-02-10T22:21:09Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > Not buying that video. It looks to be carefully staged, as in a carefully setup workbench for testing, not to mention the fact that light bulbs tend to look brighter on camera than they do in real life, and the light meter is maybe a foot from the lamp at most. It just doesn’t match what I have observed many times. > > . Yeah- damn that science shit. The Earth looks flat from where I stand. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-have-a-small-stash-of-incandescent-bulbs-cant-buy-them-anymore/680942/76 "2014-02-10T22:38:17Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > I challenge every CFL proponent on this list to link to a CFL that’s instantly on at full brightness, like an incandescent. Because I’ve tried many different types - name brands, no-names, cheap, expensive, and I’ve never, ever found one that didn’t take at least a few minutes to warm up to it’s full brightness. Which for a closet or furnace room, where I’ll most likely only have the light on for a minute or two, is utterly useless. CFL don’t fit that application of wanting full brightness and short on/off times. don’t use them there. LED bulbs available now for $8 will work dandy and last 25000 to 50000 hours. years ago before large sized LED replacement bulbs i put LED rope lights or christmas tree bulbs in closets. nice because it spread the light around. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-have-a-small-stash-of-incandescent-bulbs-cant-buy-them-anymore/680942/77 "2014-02-10T23:54:47Z")
I don’t have a stash of incandescent, but this thread did remind me I need chandelier bulbs, so off to Amazon I went. I am among the group that dislikes the dingy light CFLs give off (even the new ones). We’re slowly replacing our incandescents with CFLs because I am determined to get used to them, but I don’t really like the color of light they produce. Makes the air in the room seem “muddy.” Going to try some LED bulbs next. But we’re cheap/lazy enough that even if we like the LEDs we’ll probably keep the CFLs until they burn out. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2014, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-have-a-small-stash-of-incandescent-bulbs-cant-buy-them-anymore/680942/78 "2014-02-11T00:18:17Z")
Record players, phones that you dialled mechanically, cameras where you had to buy rolls of plastic and get the plastic processed afterward to see your pictures, aptly named “incandescent” bulbs… I remember all that old shit. Not fondly, you understand. But I do remember it. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2014, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-have-a-small-stash-of-incandescent-bulbs-cant-buy-them-anymore/680942/79 "2014-02-11T00:38:03Z")
Duke Power sends us a box of CFLs every other year or so. The electric utilities care greatly about this - spending ten thousand dollars or whatever on giving out free CFLs so people stop using incandescents can be the difference in needing to fire up an expensive “peaking” plant or worse, having to build a new generator plant. ---
**Author:** ![AtomicDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@AtomicDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AtomicDog)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2014, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-have-a-small-stash-of-incandescent-bulbs-cant-buy-them-anymore/680942/80 "2014-02-11T00:54:58Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Non-incandescents are banned in my household. I’m waiting for the Lightbulb Renaissance and the return to True Lighting, the way Og intended. Ugh, fire good! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-have-a-small-stash-of-incandescent-bulbs-cant-buy-them-anymore/680942.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-have-a-small-stash-of-incandescent-bulbs-cant-buy-them-anymore/680942.md?page=5)