Customer Reviews

GE 71764 20-Watt Energy Smart Instant-on CFL (75-Watt equivalent) Light Bulb

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We had previously tried the 60-watt equivalent version and liked it. Unlike the usual flourescent bulb, they really do go on instantly, eliminating the need to suffer through several minutes of dimness while the bulb gradually warms up, a real irritation in many locations.

So thus encouraged, we then tried this one, as well as the 100-watt equivalent version. Put into a fixture in our bathroom. Disaster. The walls looked awful, not to mention us in the mirror. You could see the dramatic difference between the side of wall under this bulb, and the other side of the same wall under an incandescent bulb. This bulb made every bad story you ever heard about how everything looks awful under a fluorescent bulb come true.

Well, it turns out, upon closer reading of the packaging, that the 60 watt version is 2700 K color temperature--almost indistinguishable from a normal incandescent bulb (we previously had a 60 watt in the same place, paired with an incandescent). BUT the 75 and 100 watt versions are 5000 degrees K. The packaging may proudly call this "sunshine" but the kind you'll want to crawl into a hole from. It is a very harsh, very blue white light. So harsh and blue that we even noticed it when we moved the bulb to a less offensive location, the outside fixture next to our side door.

So, thumbs up for the 60-watt version (assuming you don't get the "sunshine color" flavor but the 2700 K version). If the higher wattage comes only in the sunshine 5000 K version, I rate them as unacceptable except for odd locations (garage ceiling?) where you do not care how you or anything else looks, or whether in the reflection of the bulb things have something approaching the color you always thought they had.