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> I have seen this slow-startup problem only in the
> CF-style
> lamps.  Other types of fluorescents to not seem
> to suffer from it.
Strangely enough, I have the opposite problem.  I have CFs in several
"instant on" places (including a bathroom) and they hit full brightness (to
my eyes at least) pretty much instantly.  I can't even see a flicker as they
come on, they're just on.
But I also have several of those dimmable "square" tubes in floor lamps, and
they take a minute or more to reach full bright.
Maybe it depends on which CF you buy ?  I think mine are just the cheap ones
on sale at Home Depot that day.
> Also,  my house has lots of those 65 watt 
> recessed ceiling floods, and I have replaced about 2/3
> of them with CF bulbs.  I have found that they
> do not last any longer than the incandescent bulbs.
I have a CF in a similar recessed fixture (designed for a standard bulb
rather than a flood).  Been in there for at least 3 years now.  Considering
that it runs most of the time (leave it on when I'm not home so the house
isn't completely dark), I think that's very good.
Randall
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