GE 26 Watt Energy Smart CFL - 6 Pack - 100 Watt Replacement

by General Electric

Product Features

• Small Compact White bulbs (CFL)
• Contains 6 bulbs per pack
• Uses about 26 watts of electricity
• Light Output - 1750 lumens - like a 100 watt bulb
• Life - 8000 hours

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B000UYF80S
• Item model number: 47709
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #499 in Kitchen & Dining (See Top 100 in Kitchen & Dining)
  • #4 in Home Improvement > Electrical > Light Bulbs > Compact Fluorescent Bulbs

Product Description

Electronic flicker-free starting. Replace standard 100 watt bulbs. Uses just 26 watts, same light as a regular 100 watts.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

81 of 83 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Nice but don't last long., November 4, 2009

By 

Thöm Frost - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: GE 26 Watt Energy Smart CFL - 6 Pack - 100 Watt Replacement

The seller was great but the bulbs left something to be desired.

I got them around September 4th 2009 and here it is November 4th 2009 and half of the bulbs are dead.

The package says they are 5 year bulb's well if so that 5 years just blew by.

I contacted GE about this but don't expect to hear anything back from them.

I would say stay away from these GE CF bulbs.

55 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Poor Lifespan, May 20, 2010

By 

Robby Thompson (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: GE 26 Watt Energy Smart CFL - 6 Pack - 100 Watt Replacement

The bulb was great when I first installed it. But then 3-4 months later, it's dead. This is a bulb that should last 4-5 years with normal usage.

70 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars CFL bulbs save energy, but have a few problems., February 21, 2011

By 

Marcus - See all my reviews

This review is from: GE 26 Watt Energy Smart CFL - 6 Pack - 100 Watt Replacement

Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL bulbs) do use significantly less energy than incandescent bulbs (IC bulbs), so if you eventually replace all your burned out IC bulbs with CFL bulbs, you will see a decrease in your electric bill. However, CFL bulbs are more expensive, so it will take a while to recover the few dollars more that you pay for a multipack with your savings in electricity (and then start saving real money).

And there are some other considerations:

1. These GE CFL bulbs do NOT last five years in normal use like GE claims, so their long-term cost advantage over IC bulbs is not as great as advertised, especially if you already have a supply of spare IC bulbs. The five years is a dubious GE advertising claim which is apparently based on continuous usage, that is, never turning the light off. I have bought a few packages of spiral GE CFL bulbs over the last few years, and at least half of them have burned out - well before the five year claim.

2. CFL bulbs need to warm up. When you first turn the bulb on there is a very slight delay before any light is produced (less than one second). Also, there is a short time before it comes up to full light output, although this has improved in the latest bulbs. However, if you are using them outside or in a garage, this warm up period can be a few minutes if it is cold.

3. If you break the bulbs, they release a small amount of mercury vapor into the surrounding area. The federal and state governments and GE say it is a tiny amount, so you shouldn't be worried. But they also say that the bulbs are considered unsafe to put in landfills, so you are supposed to double bag all broken CFL bulbs, store them away from children, and take them somewhere that can dispose of them properly. (There is only one store in my area that takes them.) So I guess they are not a health problem according to the government, but then again, they are.

Because of this, an inexpensive regular IC bulb or rough-service IC bulb is better than a CFL bulb for use in applications where the bulb could often break, like in a "trouble light" (a portable work light with a cord).

4. The electronic parts in a CFL bulb can get hot and fail prematurely in some applications. Inside the base of the CFL bulb are some electronic parts. If you mount the bulb with the base up inside a recessed lighting fixture or in any fully enclosed fixture with no ventilation, these electronic parts will get hotter than usual, and the bulb won't last as long.

5. The light from CFLs has a slightly different hue than the light from IC bulbs. Some people say the light does not look as pleasing, particularly when compared to the special IC bulbs from GE and Sylvania that are advertised to produce natural-looking light. While older CFL bulbs looked noticeably blue, the light has improved significantly in the newest GE bulbs, so that I see little difference from standard IC bulbs.

6. In any case, politicians are going to force you to buy these bulbs whether you like them or not. The U.S. Congress passed legislation that will soon effectively outlaw IC bulbs, except for certain high and low wattage bulbs, and some other specialty IC bulbs.

IMPORTANT SIZE NOTE: Because of the plastic base which houses the electronic parts, these 26 Watt GE CFL bulbs are about one inch longer than the 100 Watt IC bulbs that they are supposed to replace (with about the same amount of light output). So if you are putting them in a small lamp or small light fixture, they may stick out too far and look odd. GE also makes smaller 13 Watt CFL bulbs (to replace 60 Watt IC bulbs) are about 3/4" longer than IC bulbs, so they would work better in small lamps or fixtures.