Customer Reviews

Feit Electric 23-Watt Compact Fluorescent Mini Twist (100-Watt Incandescent Equivalent), Daylight

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

(Note the wrong product image is shown as of 12/1/2006. The picture should show a compact fluorescent twist bulb instead of the traditional fluorescent tube).


In my quest to locate superior energy-efficient products, I purchased and tested over thirty different types of compact fluorescent bulbs. In terms of light quality, the Feit Daylight 100 is the best. As you may already know, compact fluorescent bulbs are roughly four times as efficient as traditional incandescent light bulbs. This provides a electrical cost saving of about $75 over the bulb's lifetime. With the Feit Daylight bulbs, there is an additional benefit of having superior light quality that replicates natural sunlight.

Whether you need a boost in the morning or merely want to enjoy more natural light, these bulbs can help. In one application, I have two of these bulbs in a glass fixture in my bathroom. It is really quite invigorating to have white light surround you, refracting through the water droplets as you shower. This is a great setup for those of us who do not consider ourselves "morning persons".

In comparison to other full-spectrum compact fluorescent lights, these bulbs appear to have superior brightness and color quality. While this is subjective, I found them more appealing than bulbs by Lights of America, GE, and Longstar. Moreover, there is no flicker or audible buzzing noticeable on other lights. The only superior full-spectrum light source that I have personally used is the Sunray Sunbox (see review). However, this is a $400 light box.

The benefits of these bulbs over incandescent bulbs are myriad. Incandescent bulbs emit 90% of their energy in the IR (infrared) region that does not aid human vision. Compact fluorescent bulbs produce more light energy in the visible spectrum and generate far less waste heat in the process.

The greater efficiency leads to a tremendous direct cost savings. The savings is further amplified when taking into account the decreased load on air conditioning. The lower heat generation also means it is easier to place these bulbs in confined spaces such as recessed lighting and lamps with small shades. Also, there is less worry about blown fuses when using a microwave, vacuum or hairdryer as the power consumption is almost negligible.

If you are interested in saving money and the environment, please replace all of your bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. If you also want bright white light to enhance your environment, then the Feit Daylight 100 is the way to go.


Pros
Tremendous cost savings (about $75 per bulb over its lifetime)
Fantastic color quality
Allows for brighter light in confined spaces
Longevity (10x as long as incandescent bulbs)
Additional energy savings through reduced load on air conditioning
Less chance of blown fuses
No risk of burns/fires

Cons
Not dimmable

Hello!

These FEIT compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs, do turn on quickly.

Being Daylight bulbs, they do give off a nice, bright, white light closer to daylight than normal CFL bulbs.

HOWEVER, and this is a big one, they have an INCREDIBLY SHORT life span; far shorter than any other fluorescent bulb I have EVER used!

They will burn out anywhere from 4 to 18 MONTHS after they are first used. I should know, I've gone through 10 of them, already!

I am NOT new to fluorescent lights, I have used them for many, many years, from many different manufacturers.

Lights of America CFL bulbs were the best, lasting an average of 7 years. Out of a batch I bought over 10 years ago, I only lost the last bulb about a week ago. NOT because it burned out, but because I accidentally knocked over the lamp, and physically broke the bulb!

Panasonic CFL bulbs were next. I also got a batch about 10 years ago, at a good price. They last maybe 6 years under normal use. I haven't used enough of these to say for certain as with the FEIT CFL bulbs, but the Panasonic CFL bulbs have certainly lasted a long, long time.

I started buying GE CFL bulbs around the same time as the FEIT. While they aren't old enough to tell the real lifespan, yet, they certainly last far longer than the FEIT bulbs!

Even the old style 4 foot long stick fluorescent bulbs both from GE and Ace hardware's generic bulbs (which I bought on sale for $1 each!), seem to last 6 years or longer. (Again, I haven't gone through enough of them to tell for absolute certain.)

Written right on the front of the FEIT CFL bulb box in big letters it says, "LASTS UP TO 7 YEARS, GUARANTEED" (capitalized letters are theirs).

This is nothing but a big, fat lie!

If you call them to get replacement bulbs when they burn out, they WILL NOT replace bulbs more than 2 years old! I'm sorry, but 2 years is NOT 7 years!

Their "LASTS UP TO 7 YEARS, GUARANTEED" guarantee, is just an outright lie!

This ticks me off no end!

On the bottom of the box, in type almost too tiny to read, is their Warranty, which says that they are "...warranted to be free from defects in workmanship and material for 2 years..."

So, let's see... they are guaranteed for 7 years (big type on the front), BUT, only warrantied for 2 years (tiny, tiny type on the bottom). How hypocritical and confusing is THAT?

Also prominently displayed on the front of the box, it says "AVERAGE LIFE 8,000 Hours". Again, this is just an outright lie. NONE of the FEIT CFL bulbs I have used has lasted even a FRACTION of 8,000 hours! I have used these bulbs in every place in the house, under every type of condition, and no matter HOW little the bulb is used, it will fail in 4 to 18 months.

(Just a tip about CFL bulbs. If you use any brand in enclosed fixtures, the extra heat makes them fail much faster. This is a serious drawback in CFL bulbs from any manufacturer.)

So, the bottom line?

Don't buy these FEIT CFL bulbs, EVER. CFL bulbs from just about ANYONE else are better!

Hope this helps.

Karl

When I first got one of these lights about 18 months ago, I just hated it: I felt like I was being beamed into some UFO by freakishly white light. But then I started using it. I'm hooked.

Right off the bat, you'll appreciate that this light turns on extremely fast (probably 80% brightness the moment you hit the switch). Though the blue light, as I mentioned, takes some getting used to, you'll find that it's much easier to read by. Old yellow incandescents just feel yellow and unpleasant now. The 23-watt one here is a little bit bright for a place where the light source is directly exposed (like a spotlight lamp), so you may want to get the 18-watt for those; for a place where the light source is shaded, this is a great choice.

This worked well in our lamps but was too large to fit in the covered overhead fixtures. Produces a clean blue light thats prettier than an incandescent bulb with a similar brightness to a 60 watt bulb.

I suggest the gentleman that wrote the following review do a little more homework. I purchased six of these bulbs and ALL of them failed within 14 months, one within six. Sir, redo the math now! You people that love to listen to yourself with these worthless seemingly erudite reviews are a bane - go away! I've been using compact since they first appeared. Feit brand are the worst performers I've ever 'tested', i.e., actually date them and see how long they last. My email to Feit, complaining, was never answered.

"In my quest to locate superior energy-efficient products, I purchased and tested over thirty different types of compact fluorescent bulbs. In terms of light quality, the Feit Daylight 100 is the best. As you may already know, compact fluorescent bulbs are roughly four times as efficient as traditional incandescent light bulbs. This provides a electrical cost saving of about $75 over the bulb's lifetime. With the Feit Daylight bulbs, there is an additional benefit of having superior light quality that replicates natural sunlight."

I purchased several Feit Electric CFLs and have experienced very poor performance. One bulb actually exploded. The last bulb I installed didn't even last five months. I would stay away from this brand of CFLs, there is definitely no cost savings.

This thing is a blast. Best energy saving light we ever had. When I bought this, I thought there would be 4 in the pack. So when I received it and found that there is only one, I was going to return it. But I thought since it's here, and I really hate to return items, might as well try it. I'm glad I did, it's really nice and it shins like no others energy saving lights. It's bright and pure white. I just wish it's cheaper and I would have replaced my entire house with these.

These are nice bright bulbs. They don't quite have the lumens required that are needed for good growth, the 200 watt version of these are better, but they are ok for new seedlings/clones. They don't put out the heat of typical HID bulbs, so a small cabinet can be used easily with only a small fan for ventilation. And then of course there is always the fact that they save me tons of money over typical HID lighting.

Going with the Feit's 'daylight' CFLs is a matter of individual choice. I now prefer it but, like everyone else, I was conditioned to expect the more yellow light that resembled that produced by the incandescents.

The 23W fluorescents (100W equivalent) are easy to find in most brick and mortar stores. They are no longer 'expensive' when purchased as six-packs. However, sometimes you get what you are paying for and I found that many of the 'cheap' CFLs tend to burn out long before their coming even close to their many thousands of hours stated life expectancy. They also tend to produce what I would call a dull, yellow light. Feit's CFLs are more expensive but, based on my short experience with these and my much longer usage of Feit's 42-Watt Compact Fluorescent they appear to be longer lasting and they produce a steady, white light that I learned to prefer AFTER actually using them. Now, I'm a 'white light' person and I am beginning to purchase more Feit's to replace their more yellow cousins as they expire.

Talking about the item itself:

- you WILL experience some delay when you turn it on but it's hardly noticeable, like maybe 1/10 of a second
- once it's on, unlike the 'cheaper' fluorescents that need to warm up, it shines at or close to full brightness immediately
- it's not much wider or longer than a typical 150W incandescent - about 5 inches in length
- does not work well with a dimmer - it's either on or off [I tried it with one and it did come on at full brightness but something is telling me that you may shorten its life when used this way]
- the light is pretty close to 'white' but, unlike the fluorescent tubes, there is no flicker
- it consumes about 1/4 the power of the equivalent incandescent

The above were my subjective comments. Here are the specs, as the manufacturer lists them:

- Light output: 1600 lumens
- Energy used: 23W
- Life: 8000 hrs.
- Color temperature: 6500K
- Length: 4.8"

So far, I see no reason not to award this bulb 5 stars but, if it dies on me before 2-3 years, I promise to come back and update my review. For the record, the maker promises a 7-year lifespan and some $75 savings per bulb.

The color of the light is a bit jarring at first, but I wouldn't go back to standard bulbs after having these for a few weeks. We have a tree outside our window that blocks quite a bit of sunlight, and these do a great job of filling it in. It really does make the space feel naturally lit. Even at night, we've found that standard bulbs now look too yellow.