Full Spectrum Solutions BlueMax Compact Fluorescent Lights

This company has a LEED factory and makes CFL's that use amalgam technology.  Most consumers will complain about the slow start but that is because they do not use liquid mercury.  All of the lamps in the retail stores use liquid mercury.  You get what you pay for!  Highest Green Mark you can get.  If you are and Eco nut this is the one.

I purchased many bulbs to save on the shipping costs.  The 60 watt equivalents are ok but do not give near the 10,000 hour service life advertised.  The first two 75 watt equivalents lasted between 2 and 2.5 years.  The next 75 watt equivalent bulb lasted about 2 weeks or far less than 200 hours.  When I contacted the company their response was that I should have checked the bulb out immediately and since more than 2 years had passed since the purchase date they could do nothing.  Because none of the bulbs lasted near the rated service life and the last bulb was good for less than 1/50th of the service life, these bulbs are quite expensive and not what was paid for.  Add a Company that won't stand behind their product and they should be steered clear of.  Ott bulbs in the same fixture lasted for more than five years and I unscientifically believe were closer to direct sunlight.

Paid an arm and leg for these supposedly high CRI CLFs in both flood types and A shaped types.  What a mistake.  It takes more than a full minute to come on.   Thus, quick lighting application like dark hallways is not even possible as it comes on after passing through the hallway mostly in the dark.  It's not good for the office either because it make humming noise like a factory floor.  The "daylight" advertising is mostly a scam because the actual light when measured against daylight is actually much closer to blue than natural light at noon time.  Color temperature was supposed to be around 5500K but it was over 6500K.  In the closet, the only place I can use it, my socks look like a right color match to my pants.  However, under a bright sunlight I am wearing dark brown socks with charcoal gray pants.  I thought these were supposed to have high CRI????

Mostly though, its the price of these outrageously expensive bulbs that negate any kind of energy saving possibility.  They cost more than thee times what a fine incandescent bulbs would cost and payback period from the energy savings for that kind of idiotic investment would take more than 10 years to recoup. 

Huddler hooked me up with one of these bulbs as an Action Team member.  I got the one pictured furthest to the right, which has an ovular dome surrounding the bulb.  They normally cost around $11-14.

 

One issue with this bulb is that it often takes 10-15 seconds to reach full brightness.  I've heard that this is sometimes the case with CFLs, but all the ones I've previously used are bright almost immediately.  Another odd feature is that this bulb has an audible hum.  That's a feature you normally expect from an LED, which have fans to keep them cool, but not normal for a CFL.  It's not loud, but it is audible.  And finally, the light from the bulb is quite white, kind of reminiscent of fluorescent tubes.  It's a bit on the harsh side, but you get used to it.  Maybe I'm just used to bulbs with warmer light.

 

One nice feature about this bulb is the dome around it.  This is probably to diffuse the light around the room, but I think it would also keep the filament from breaking if you dropped it.  Some people are concerned about the mercury contained in CFLs, and this is one good solution for that fear.  And it's about the same size as a standard spiral CFL.

 

So overall it's an okay bulb.  Not my favorite, and I wouldn't pay $12 for it.