I have been using these TCP compact fluorescent floods for one year now. I originally bought a CARTON/BOX full of them, which (if I recall) is something like 48 bulbs. I installed them in our new 6,000 sq.ft. home, which has around 40 ceiling cans. After a year of use, I can honestly report the following:
1) The bulbs are very dim when first energized, and require a minute or more to reach a usable brightness level.
2) Many of these bulbs fail prematurely (6 out of 40, so far) due to their cheap electronic ballast. I've given up on contacting TCP and getting replacement bulbs - after two calls (and two dead bulbs), the gal thought I was lying and trying to get free bulbs.
3) As they age, these bulbs assume an ugly yellow color while "warming up" (remember... it takes a minute or more for them to actually reach a usable light output and a white color). If you replace one in an area with several, it is very noticeable! The old ones will light up "yellow" and dim, while the new one will light up "white" and dim, but warm up much faster than the old ones.
I was hoping TCP produced a quality product, but it's obvious now that they use the cheapest (and under-rated) materials possible. It's been a pain replacing these bulbs, given that I have 10' ceilings in most rooms, and 30' vaulted ceilings in the entry and stairway area.
Are they a good deal? Only if you get them at a very discounted price (which I did) and you buy 15% more than you need, as replacement stock. My outside ones (in a covered area, not exposed to water) only lasted two months! I'm putting incandescents back into those areas, as I'm tired of changing bulbs and wasting my money on TCP's. TCP 14-Watt Soft White Compact Fluorescent Flood Light Bulb (6 Pack)
Coming from years of lighting sales I know to "burn in" fluorescent bulbs by leaving them on for 12hrs the first time, that's supposed to fix the slow-start issue. These take at least 2 - 3 minutes to go from dim to bright. Once bright they look really good, but they take too long for our bathroom, people are done in there before the lights come on
I would say to use these for lights that are on all the time, but if you turn them off and on regularly, they are no good at all.
At the time of this review, these bulbs are selling for way cheaper than any comparable bulbs I've found. I've had them installed for just a few hours and they are working well so far. All bulbs arrived in working conditions and they warm up pretty quickly.
My only complaint is that the color of the light seems a little cooler than 2700k. Not by that much, but it's noticeable to someone like me who really likes warm light.
Pros:
-All 18 are still working after 8 weeks
-Price
Cons:
-Hard to believe these are 2700
-Regardless of how they rank to others of the same type, the room is still very dark when I flip the switch. Have had times when I will just turn the lights on early in anticipation of needing the room which, of course, defeats some of the energy savings. All 18 behave the same so this is by design.
Pros:
1. Good price - even cheaper now than when I bought the first batch.
2. Good color - not incandescent warm, but warmer than other CFLs we have.
Con:
1. One burned out after 3 days. The other 13 installed still going strong though.
2. They take a while to fully light. Someone said 20 seconds. Our experience is closer to 45-60 seconds.
I bought these to replace flood lamps in a basement. We have about 10 lamps in the room so I thought it would help saving energy and money. There is a noticable difference in brightness and color from other bulbs with the same specifications. Also it is very obvious that they have a non flood shaped cfl inside.
For near the price of six incandescent bulbs, you can buy these six CFL bulbs. The color is very similar to my remaining incandescent bulbs, although the CFL is a lot brighter after it warms up. It comes on dim, but becomes fully bright after about 20 seconds. Some people have a problem with this, but it doesn't bother me.
The price is very good. Unfortunately, one of the six bulbs stopped working within a single day. I probably could have returned the package but did not want to go through the hassle of returning all six bulbs when only one of six is broken. Getting five bulbs for the price is still a good deal. I'm just disappointed by the quality and that I'll have to dispose of one immediately. - Energy Efficient - Floods - Compact Fluorescent - Compact Fluorescent Bulbs'
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