I am an engineer who has been completely disgusted with the home lighting situation. There are no standards and many misstatements and counterdictions at the stores. I own a Minolta flash meter which accurately measures a lights color temperature. I've tried the bulb technology at Walmart, Sams Club Home Depot and Lowes. The most glaring examples:
1) yellow light is called soft white (2700)
2) very blue washed-out color light is called daylight (6000-6500)
3) Low lumen (400-600 lumens) LED lights go for as much as $90!
4) Some bulbs are advertised as white but the chart on the back shows its yellow. Go Figure!
Here are the bulbs to avoid: all (harsh washed-out blue) daylight, and (yellow) soft white. The GE Reveal offers somewhat better clarity, but is overpriced and quite yellow.
Full spectrum (5000-5500) bulbs are a step-up but stores offer a very limited selection. The Home Depot full 100w spectrum's beats the Lowe's Ott-Lite.
On the LED front Sam's Club carries a 520 lumen, 4100K, 9 LED PAR38 reflector which has a easily noticeable smoother light spectrum. Great for the one light on in the kitchen in the evening. The equivalent $70 LED lights at the hardware store are hardly a bargain, as the Sam's is $20! However its Color Retention index (CRI)is only 74.
The best of all are lights are these 5500K Alzo's. I've installed a 45w in the kitchen pantry and the color of the food boxes really pop. Food looks like it does in the magazines. The clarity is first rate (however 27w should be sufficient). They are the reference to which others are to be compared. My wife has not complained even when they are on at night-time. This is a first.
Skin tones in the bathroom look very natural. A first again.
Color temperature alone is not the sole basis to buy a bulb as a high CRI is also required. The Alzo's come in at 92, which is very high. Most manufactures do not even list this measurable figure (assume because its too low).
I've been testing other bulbs. For vanity and lamps (Alzo does make any) these offer a VERY uniform ball of nice white 5000K glow. I ordered 12 for my new house's bathrooms:
Maxlite 14 Watt G30 Globe CFL DL SKM14EGDL
For kitchen these are now the best 5000K PAR lights. Not as high of color quality as Alzo, but they don't make reflector lights!
Maxlite 23 Watt CFL R40 Flood Day Lite SKR423FLDL
In summary best home lights are the Photo CFL which offer both a 5000-5500K range with a CRI over 90. Further these bulbs allow for brighter rooms, as compared to hardware store types. That is, the more pleasing light allows for greater brightness levels, so go for the 45watt bulbs in larger pantries or rooms.
Thanks go to Amazon and Alzo for allowing consumers to purchase superior quality products at a price no higher than the unpleasant and unsatisfying bulbs in the store. Hope this helps! Full Spectrum Light Bulb - ALZO 27W Compact Fluorescent - Case of 4 - Daylight Balanced 5500K - Pure White Light - the Joyous Light
These things give off a lot of bright white light with a slightly bluish tint. The chromatic variance off of true white is subtle however most people do not realize how used to the strong yellow tones of the average incandescent or CFL bulb. While science has a lot to say about the positive benefits of using a full spectrum light bulb, choosing this particular bulb requires a keen awareness of your use.
These lights are sturdy, are a little bit heavier than your average CFL, and are about a coil and a half too long for most residential lighting fixtures which were sized for the former incandescent bulbs.
ALZO is a great choice, if you need a smaller one, look for one with a slightly smaller watt rating, and also count the coils. This bulb would be an excellent choice for larger rooms and lights where more light is necessary - and where the mount supports its longer length.
these bulbs are awesome. pure white light. no blue, no yellow, just pure white. i also ordered the 43 watt alzo bulbs and although they are rated at double the lumens i prefer this size. it seems to give almost as much light output while being 1/3 smaller and using about 40% less energy.
they are slightly pricey considering u can get a 'bright white' 4100k 2 pack of 26 watt bulbs for 6 dollars at home depot, but these give slightly better light for those that need pure light to show details. such as photography, autodetailing, woodworking, painting etc.
I'm a painter - of canvases, not houses. I need an indoor light source that's as much like natural daylight as possible, so my color choices will be accurate and consistent, and not "surprising" when viewed somewhere other than my studio.
Before ordering the ALZO 4-pack of 27-watt bulbs I called the ALZO company, which is actually a manufacturer of photography-related products. I spoke with Joseph (or Yosef?) there, who is a professional photographer with decades of experience. He answered my questions with real expertise and I felt entirely confident in ordering the ALZO bulbs from Amazon.
My Amazon order arrived with the usual Amazon efficiency. The bulbs are individually boxed, with all four boxes packed inside an outer box. They are LARGER than you might expect, but my application is utilitarian, so that's not a problem. See the dimensioned illustration on the Amazon product page.
The light is BRIGHT(!) and very WHITE(!) and for me, the 27W size is all I need (though I may find use for the 35W version eventually). According to Joseph, 5,500 degrees Kelvin is as close as you can get to natural daylight (5,600K) and what I see supports that statement well. I expect to use two bulbs when painting; that's a mere 54 watts of electricity for a LOT of balanced, bright "daylight". The energy savings are much appreciated.
As long as the large bulb size does not present a problem, I suggest you buy this four pack. The price per bulb is MUCH lower than that of competing bulbs and the quality seems good. A Good Value, sez I.
BONUS: As I understand it, these bulbs also provide the type of light used to overcome S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder), a sort of depression that can occur in winter months when we tend to receive too little sunlight (not enough Vitamin D from sunlight, actually). FYI: You can take 5,000 IU of vitamin D supplement daily to compensate.
This winter, I think I'll feel EVEN BETTER when I paint under this light source. - Compact Fluorescent Bulbs - Energy Efficient - Light Bulb - Accurate'
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