Popular Mechanics designed a test pitting seven common CFLs against a 75-watt incandescent bulb. To gather objective data, we used a Konica Minolta CL-200 chroma meter to measure color temperature and brightness, and a Watts up? Pro ammeter to track power consumption. Our subjective data came from a double-blind test with three PM staffers and Jesse Smith, a lighting expert from Parsons The New School for Design, in Manhattan. We put our participants in a color-neutral room and asked them to examine colorful objects, faces and reading material, then rate the bulbs’ performance.

The results surprised us. Even though the incandescent bulb measured slightly brighter than the equivalent CFLs, our subjects didn’t see any dramatic difference in brightness. And here was the real shocker: When it came to the overall quality of the light, all the CFLs scored higher than our incandescent control bulb. In other words, the new fluorescent bulbs aren’t just better for both your wallet and the environment, they produce better light.

I gotta find the ones that can be used with a dimmer lighting setup.

Or, just replace the dimmer switch with a regular switch. It's cheap & easy to do.

But they do have dimmable CFLs if that's what you are looking for.

nah, I prefer the dimmer switch.

most of the time, we never have our incandescent bulbs at full brightness

Ok, but realize what you're doing - a dimmer switch will waste some electricity (ie - turn it into heat) in order to do its job, especially as you approach 50% dimming. And you are buying CFL's presumably to stop turning electricity into heat.

It would be interesting to hook up a kill-a-watt meter to a standard CFL and a dimmed CFL and see how they compare.

I disclaim everything. The contents of the articles below might be totally inaccurate, inappropriate, or misguided.

Ok, but realize what you're doing - a dimmer switch will waste some electricity (ie - turn it into heat) in order to do its job, especially as you approach 50% dimming. And you are buying CFL's presumably to stop turning electricity into heat.

It would be interesting to hook up a kill-a-watt meter to a standard CFL and a dimmed CFL and see how they compare.

Newer style dimmers work by adjusting the duty cycle of the voltage that gets to the light (basically, turning the power on/off rapidly). They do in fact save energy, and don't convert it to heat as the old rheostats did.

But they are not "ideal" switches, and do generate some heat, and can actually get quite warm.

But they are not "ideal" switches, and do generate some heat, and can actually get quite warm.

More info: Wikipedia article on dimmers

Thyristor (and briefly, thyratron) dimmers were introduced to solve some of these problems. Because they use switching techniques instead of potential division there is almost no wasted power, dimming can be almost instantanious and is easily controlled by remote electronics. Triacs are used instead of SCR thyristors in lower cost designs, but do not have the surge handling capacity of back-to-back SCR's, and are only suitable for loads less than about 20 Amps. The switches generate some heat during switching, and can cause interference.

WHY DO DIMMERS GET WARM, AND IS THIS SAFE?
The technical explanation. During normal operation, solid-state dimmers generate heat. A solid-state dimmer is roughly 98% efficient-2% of the power is dissipates as heat, causing the dimmer to feel warm to the touch. The closer a dimmer is run to full output and the higher the load (watts) on the dimmer, the warmer it will feel.

...there is a little bit of wasted power - but very little...

This is going to sound horrible, but..... I am so glad there is no S&S in this area. Goos loves the energy saving lightbulbs. One small problem - if you have sliders to adjust the light strength, you should not use these bulbs. Our electrician nearly had a heart attack when he saw them in outlets with sliders. He did tell us that there are specially made sliders that will accomodate these bulbs.

I haven't quite convinced myself that it's negligible compared to the CFL bulb it's controlling.

Our electrician nearly had a heart attack when he saw them in outlets with sliders

We don't recommend using regular compact fluorescent bulbs with dimming switches, since this can shorten bulb life. (Using a regular compact fluorescent bulb with a dimmer will also nullify the bulb's warranty.)

I understood the dimmer will reduce the CFL's life, but I didn't think it was in any way dangerous. GE's website says

I can always see the flicker in the bathroom. It's annoying.

He claimed it could be a fire hazard. We switched to regular bulbs and only have energy savers in non-slider switches. Funny thing - I could always hear them if I turned them up past the lowest mark on the slider. It was distracting.

i hate fluorescent light. I can always see the flicker in the bathroom. It's annoying. The lightbulb has been there for ~6 years. I guess I could try some of these newer bulbs. I also hate how fluorescent feel liks a more whiter light. i do like those ge reveals or the warmer yellow.

I have 4 of the 75w nVision bulbs from HD and none of them make any noise at all unless you get really close to them. They're all in ceiling fan lights but are inaudible in the room.

In the May 2007 issue of Popular Mechanics, we tested seven popular compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) and found that the light quality in all of them topped that emitted by traditional incandescent bulbs. Following that lab test, we received a lot of questions from readers regarding the environmental impact of the mercury contained in CFLs. For more of the lowdown on these energy-saving bulbs, we crunched the numbers and checked in with the Department of Energy and Russ Leslie at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

I have never seen "dimmable" of these. Ours buzz when set at a certain level of dim.

Home Depot is now selling some dimmable CFLs. They only have a few different styles for now. A small base candleabra bulb, small and not so small indoor spots and an up to 100 watt regular base bulb. Prices were from $8-11 per bulb. I'm still waiting for a smaller 60watt equiv. to put in the ceiling fans.

In somewhat of a follow up, PM looked at the mercury content of CFLs as that is a concern that has been brought up regarding them. Some of the article is specious (not every KWh in the US is generated using coal) but it helps to know what the mercury composition of a standard CFL is.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/blogs/home...ws/4217864.html

What is the proper way to handle a broken CFL?
Open the windows and let the room air out for 15 to 30 minutes, then remove as much material as possible without a vacuum cleaner. Using disposable gloves, scoop the glass onto a piece of cardboard and wipe the area with a wet paper towel. For smaller pieces of glass and powder, use duct tape to pull up the fragments and wash your hands after cleaning up the debris.

If a CFL Breaks - Warning:
How should I clean up a broken fluorescent bulb?
EPA recommends the following clean-up and disposal guidelines:

1. Open a window and leave the room (restrict access) for at least 15 minutes.

2. Remove all materials you can without using a vacuum cleaner.

Wear disposable rubber gloves, if available (do not use your bare hands)
Carefully scoop up the fragments and powder with stiff paper or cardboard.
Wipe the area clean with a damp paper towel or disposable wet wipe.
Sticky tape (such as duct tape) can be used to pick up small pieces and powder.

3. Place all cleanup materials in a plastic bag and seal it.

If your state permits you to put used or broken CFLs in the garbage, seal the CFL in two plastic bags and put into the outside trash (if no other disposal or recycling options are available).

Wash your hands after disposing of the bag.

4. More

The first time you vacuum the area where the bulb was broken, remove the vacuum bag once done cleaning the area (or empty and wipe the canister) and put the bag and/or vacuum debris, as well as the cleaning materials, in two sealed plastic bags in the outdoor trash or protected outdoor location for normal disposal.

Interesting. Looks like popularmechanics.com left out some info.
This is what they state:

Other articles state the following:

oh geez, we put those sale ones (where you can see the curly que) in our ceiling fan spotlights...they sure have character. hee hee

Honestly, most dyi at small businesses that change out those 4 ft. fluorescent tubes chuck the burnt out one into a trash can or dumpster.

I just wanted to report that I picked up some dimmable R30 CFLs for our basement ceiling recessed can lights. The specific model is Neptun 33016-ADIM - 2850K - 16W - 700 Lumens. I have them mixed with incandescent bulbs of the same size. They are great! The color is very nice and bright, and the warmup time to full brightness is much quicker than the older model Sylvania R30 CFLs (non-dimmable).