Full Spectrum Solutions BlueMax Compact Fluorescent Lights

I got one as a free gift, the enclosed indoor CFL.  I already use a different brand of CFL everywhere else in my house, and they are on the dim side, but I don't need much light at night.  In fact, the only reason I turn on lights is to find something I'm looking for or if I'm in the bathroom or kitchen.  This is where the problem is, I first put it in my office and if I need to find something in there, I would have to turn on the light, then walk away and do something else for a little while, then come back after the bulb is fully bright.  It's not just dim, I can barely tell that it is on sometimes.  When it is fully bright, it is almost too bright.  I guess it could come in handy if I was sewing at night, but it kind of gives me a headache, and my fiance actually stopped using the light at all and just started lighting candles.

It is now in my laundry room, because I ran out of my other lightbulbs and this was the only one I had left.  To give some perspective:  I can turn on the switch, move the clothes from the washer to dryer, add a new load to the washer, start both and the light is still too dim for my taste.  I'm sure it is extremely eco-friendly, but it kind of defeats the purpose if I have to leave the light running for a minute before I can use it.  In my opinion there are some better options and I would never purchase one of these.

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.

I purchased a dozen of Full Spectrum Solutions CFLs; I put them in the most frequestly used fixtures in my home; not only is the color and clarity of the light produced by these bulb amazing; but I've also save about $15-$20 per month on my electric bill since installing them The bulbs are all going strong even in a fixture that I was replacing an incandescent bulb in almost monthly! I recently purchased a BlueMax 42w reading lamp from Full Spectrum Solutions and am absolutely delighted with this product too.

I've been using Full Spectrum Solutions lighting since 2007 and haven't stopped since. Their BlueMax Compact Fluorescent Bulbs is the first lighting product tried from this company. The BlueMax CFLs are bright white lighting and are great for the home. They come in Spiral, A-series, floods, and Par's. I only purchased the spiral and A-series and love them. My home lighting is all white lighting and will never go back to dim yellow lighting. I can really see the difference and it has reduced my utility bill!!! These light bulbs are also ENERGY STAR APPROVED - so energy consumption isn't much of a concern for these bulbs. They also have other products for homes. I'm planning to review all of them!