Customer Reviews

Feit Electric ESL13T/MAR-12 13-Watt Compact Fluorescent Mini Twist Bulb (60-Watt Incandescent Equivalent)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I have a garden tractor building that needed a light. It was going to be too expensive to have an electrician wire a light with 80 feet of buried cable to the building. I had a small solar panel and charge controller so all I needed was a garden tractor battery and this Feit CFL lamp. It works excellent with the battery power and gives me many hours of light before the battery would be completely discharged. The solar panel and charge controller keeps the battery fully charged at all times. I highly recommend this type bulb for similar applications where 110 volt commercial power is not readily availanle.

I have used 5 of these bulbs from a local retailer. The first time I purchased three bulbs at $9 per to run from a 12V battery at a remote hunting cabin. None of the three lasted more than 1.5 hours. I took two back for replacements ( I broke one on the return home) thinking something must be wrong with the bulbs as I double checked all my connections were clean, dry, tight and correct in polarity. One of the replacements lasted a few days at 3-4 hours per day and the other blew in minutes. I have repeatedly called/e-mailed FEIT electric all with no answer back. The only thing I've been able to find out is that the electronic circuits in the base are very sensitive to voltage drop and that they can pull up to 10 times their rated wattage at start-up. If the battery gets below 12.2 volts, the electronics will pop and the bulb is dead.

If and when these bulbs are lit, they put out very pleasing incandescent-like light with sufficient brightness. I used four in my travel trailer, after installing regular light fixtures wired to 12v. (actually, I bought a pack of 6 bulbs) One bulb didn't work right out of the packaging. Another went bad after about an hour. A third went after a few days. The last three went when I started up the generator and the RV's charging system came on line. (though that appears the fault of the charging regulator applying too much voltage)

But in comparison, I have an assortment of LED lighting in my RV too, all of which function without fail, whether they are on battery, on generator, or connected to park power. So, I'm still looking for a quality 12v CFL

You can read how I cut my RV's lighting power usage by 69% while retaining 96% of the lumens at [...].

Have tried 3 of these lamps in a marine engine room to replace a standard 12V 25W lamp. All have failed within about an hour of use for an unknown reason. Voltage is correct. Contacted manufacturer about failures and have not received a response after a week. Expensive waste of money.

I bought two of these to use in our 5th wheeler. I replaced one of the lights with a ceiling light and converted it over to 12V because I needed more light. They work great! In fact they put out more light than the other 6 18W Malibu bulbs combined. The only problem is that one bulb did not light up unless I removed it, shook it and replaced it. I'm sending it back for a replacement. Had no problem doing it. Thanks Amazon!

Recommended as a replacement for lights in campers.

This bulb is the most efficient bulb you can get! I played around with LED's and sure they would last longer and save even more energy, but as of today they can't compete with CFL and yes I know CFL's are bad because of there mercury.

My setup I use this build is a 60Watt Solar panel connected to a charge controller/battery. I have a couple of those bulbs hooked up outside and its amazing how bright they are...

A great alternative to the conventional 12v bulb. I was having a problem with too much current draw with the old bulbs causing the switches to wear out prematurely from the the heat. These are the answer. Have had them on my boat for over a year now with no problems.No more worries about running the battery down or over working the alternator. Very bright!

I got this product, 2 of them for a cabin running on a 12v battery system. The lights put out great amount of light, however they both died in a week. Amazon was kind enough to replce them, but the replacements died 1 day after we got them. This is not a good product unless you enjoy spending 10 to 14 dollars on bulbs that last a matter of days. DO NOT PURCHASE this product. In fact I urge amazon to remove this item from sale as it has terrible reviews.

ordered 4 of these i use them with a sunsaver auto controler {they come on automaticly at sunset for four hours} i have not had one last a whole month,constantly returning them when they quit,new sometimes last less then 1 hour , meybee because they are made in china