Feit Electric ESL40TN/D 42-Watt Compact Fluorescent High-Wattage Bulb, Daylight

Most helpful customer reviews

82 of 82 people found the following review helpful.
Bright, saves power, hopefully will last
By A. Dent
The 40W fluorescents (150-200W equivalent) are hard to find in most brick and mortar stores (they like to sell the smaller 40W and the 100W equivalents) so I was double-happy when I saw this one at Amazon. First, because Amazon carries it and second because it's available under super-savers' shipping.

Talking about the item itself:

- you WILL experience some delay when you turn it on but it's hardly noticeable, like maybe 1/10 of a second
- once it's on, unlike the 'cheaper' fluorescents that need to warm up, it shines at or close to full brightness immediately
- it's a bulky, significantly wider and longer than the 150W incandescent equivalents and it may not fit all fixtures where a regular 150W bulb used to fit
- does not work well with a dimmer - it's either on or off [I tried it with one and it did come on at full brightness but something is telling me that you may shorten its life when used this way]
- the light is bright, so bright, I would not stare at it directly - I did once and I saw 'ghosts' for the next 15-30 minutes
- the color of light is closer to 'solar' than what our 'incandescents' deliver, less yellow, more blue
- unlike neon lights, there's no flicker
- it consumes less power when compared to an incandescent

The above were my subjective comments. Here are the specs, as the manufacturer lists them:

- Light output: 2800 lumens
- Energy used: 42W
- Life: 8000 hrs.
- Color temperature: 6500K
- Electric charge: 610mA


The major issue I have with the fluorescents is their lifespan. Maybe I am unlucky but, after replacing nearly all my light bulbs in the house - a few dozen - they seem to burn out more often. My first couple 40W I bought a few years ago (a different brand), in fact, died after about one year, I hope this is not the case again because we are paying top dollar for these environmentally nice devices.

So far, I see no reason not to award this bulb 5 stars but, if it dies on me before 2-3 years, I promise to come back and update my review. For the record, the maker promises a 7-year lifespan and $152 (???) savings per bulb.

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April, 2011 update:

On their 23th month, they (I bought a 2-pack) are as bright and shiny as on 'day one' and they've been on for many hours because I telecommute most of the time and my office is in the basement. I haven't done the math but it's likely that they've paid for themselves already.

I bought 2 more in December, 2009 and no burnouts yet.

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful.
Great for clones/seedlings
By Fyregal
I use these lights for a cabinet grow box for my seedlings and clones. They have enough lumens to promote vegetative growth, and are in the correct color spectrum. They produce very little heat, given their wattage, which makes them great for small grow areas. You won't need a ton of ventilation to keep the heat down; just a little 4" inline fan is all I use.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful.
It's like daylight up in my crib!
By C. Ross
This light is intensely bright. I got onto the Fluoroscent bulbs when I switched over and I saw how much it reduced my electric bill. I also liked the fact that I could spoil myself with the high powered light bulb without the high powered bulb prices. I put a few 100 watt bulbs in the house but I didn't even know they went to 200 until I saw this one. To be honest it's almost to much. It really and truly makes it feel like it's the middle of the day when I turn this thing on at night. I am excited to read with it. It's a very pure slightly blueish light. The bulb is much larger than a normal bulb so be aware.

The only light I could compare it to is the elven light in Lord of the Rings. You know the one Frodo holds up to fend off the spider? It's exactly like that. Seriously. It's elven bright.