I never do that. Never. EBay. I just pay them.
I broke another 30W CFL. They're great for photography but they stick out from regular lamp sockets and tend to break. Tend to break when they're slammed around hard as I do. Last time I bought four 30W CFL curly bulbs for $9.00 each and that was the highest wattage and the lowest price I could find. With shipping, $40.00.
Since breaking three of them I've been using 100W incandescents from the 100W incandescent light bulb mountain, purchased in advance of our -- broadening of choice.
And then I saw 42W CFL mentioned and that rekindled my interest because it is even better than 30W CFL. I need two, but two extra would be good for backup. I'm willing to pay $10.00 each.
[A friend dropped by with a co-worker one day as I was assembling a wooden frame in my apartment. They asked what it was for and I told them a frame for tomato plants I was starting in an Earth Box in the back bathroom. The frame was five feet tall and the two people laughed their butts off at the ridiculous optimism of tomato plants growing that tall from seeds. Turned out the plants outgrew the frame that was extended with bamboo pieces and the plants could not fit through the door. They grew seven feet tall powered by two 30W CFL bulbs before taken out to the balcony in Spring.]
I notice on eBay the cost for 42W CFL is all over the place. Generally about $8.50 thereabouts for one or for two bulbs, and I am pleased with that price. The price goes down with quantity and the best price I see is $60.00 for 25 bulbs but that is way too many 42W CFL curly lightbulbs.
But I was willing to pay $40.00 for four.
And that cost discrepancy puts me on the teeter-totter of indecision.
And I thought,
"One: then I would have two outrageous overkill light bulb mountains.
Two: that is a lifetime supply, far more than I need.
Three: I live in Colorado, this activity is immediately suspect.
Four: I wouldn't blink at $50.00.
Five: I dare myself to risibly lowball an offer and invite abrupt rejection.
Six: that would be $2.00 each."
Just give me your lightbulbs! Offer $50.00.
Offer accepted.
Conclusion: I should dare myself more often, and try even lower.
9 comments:
Yes, I have a tendency to break the damned CFL bulbs, too.
Which, as you point out, negates the bally-hooed long term savings.
Just ordered 12 4 packs of 100w incadescents.
I've been going through cfls like vicodin lately. Some of them only last a couple weeks. They are just crap, and stop working for no reason. The savings was never there. I'm shocked, shocked I tell you, that something the government and religious environmentalists told me turned out to be a lie that they used to force me to spend more for less. That never happens.
I've done quite well with CFLs. There are potential issues.
First, unlike incandescent bulbs, you cannot screw them in by the glass portion. You have to do it using the base or you will crack the seal. The seal at the base just isn't as sturdy as the seals on Incandescent bulbs.
Second, if you turn them off and on a lot you can burn them out fairly quickly, or so I've been told. They last longer in locations where they go on and stay on for a long time. My personal experience seems to match this. So if there's a room you run in and out of a lot, turning the lights on and off every time, you're more likely to go through the CFLs quickly.
Finally, if you are using an older model of dimmer switch, that can fry them right quick. DOn't know or care why. Had that problem in the kitchen, and eventually changed the switch and everything has been fine, although I also switched to LEDs for that purpose. Man, that hurt buying those bulbs, and if we ever move you can be damned sure I'm taking my bulbs with us. But they've worked like a charm.
Overall I have saved money from using CFLs (and a few LEDs) rather than replacing incandescents more frequently, but it takes a long time to realize the savings, and I still prefer incandescent lights for a few places around the house. CFLs and LEDs are also good if you don't want extra heat, and in the summer months I do NOT want extra heat. (I'd love it now, however.)
I made most of my switches in buying preference before this new law went into effect, however. This law is even worse than the laws governing the NSA and the TSA in my opinion, as it is the most bone-headed and useless intrusion into people's lives yet enacted.
The 'or best offer' is a guaranteed lower price.
I'm against the incandescent ban, but I'm also happy with my CFLs. No, the CFLs do not last as long as advertised. But once I switched to CFLs, I noticed an immediate drop in my electric bill. In the summer, it is between $50-$100 savings, and not just because the reduced wattage, but I'm no longer cooling the house from the excess heat.
But then, I live in the South, where it is hot. Incandescent bulb heat is a feature in cooler locales and for Easy Bake Ovens.
My favorite use of the older, slow to fully illuminate CFLs: the bathroom. It's the first light on in the morning, and it brightens about as fast as my eyes want to deal with the light.
I hate CFL bulbs. So ugly. And the lighting is harsh and ugly too.
Agree with Darcy. So, I've stocked up enough 60, 75, and 100 watt incandescents to last until I die, or beyond for whoever inherits my stuff.
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