Vintage Things That Have Disappeared In Your Lifetime?

[Gregg Axley]

Hostess Twinkies. Yes they came back....but are not even the same at all. They taste horrid.

You didn't put enough chocolate syrup on it.

 

[Stanley Doble]

CFLs were supposed to save money but they don't. They cost a lot more but were supposed to last a lot longer, they don't. They don't put out as much light either. I could substitute a 40 watt bulb for a 60 watt and have the same thing as a so called 52 watt CFL.

So, there is no saving and you have a poisonous mercury filled thing on your hands.

Incidentally the energy used to manufacture and ship anything is reflected in the cost so I don't even think they save any energy, if you figure in what is used in manufacturing them.

They also take a second to come on which can be annoying and possibly dangerous. To get around this I use 1 incandescent light in any fixture that has more than 1 bulb. It also throws off enough heat to warm up the CFL in cold weather.

One place I do like them is in a garage drop light. No more burned hands and arms, no more broken bulb every time I drop one.

 

[vitanola]

CFLs were supposed to save money but they don't. They cost a lot more but were supposed to last a lot longer, they don't. They don't put out as much light either. I could substitute a 40 watt bulb for a 60 watt and have the same thing as a so called 52 watt CFL.

So, there is no saving and you have a poisonous mercury filled thing on your hands.

Ten years ago I installed 100 watt CFL units in each of the three large (6" fitter, 16" diameter globe) "Schoolhouse" fixtures in our kitchen. They replaced 300 watt mogul based lamps which were getting to be both expensive and difficult to find. After adjusting the socket position in eah fixture so that the center of the CFL bulb was at the focal point of the shade I have found that CFL s have given us every satisfaction. The light output at 5700 lumens is just a bit more than that of the old incandescents, the light distribution and color are perfect ( of course the antique opal shades ar to be credited with the last items), the kitchen stays cooler, and we have not replaced a bulb since 2006. These three CFL lamps cost $36.00 each. We were replacing our old incandescents (which were rated at 750 hours and cost over $9.00 a piece) every seven or eight months, and so we have saved a great deal of time and effort in addition to electricity and money. now if on

Incidentally the energy used to manufacture and ship anything is reflected in the cost so I don't even think they save any energy, if you figure in what is used in manufacturing them.

They also take a second to come on which can be annoying and possibly dangerous. To get around this I use 1 incandescent light in any fixture that has more than 1 bulb. It also throws off enough heat to warm up the CFL in cold weather.

One place I do like them is in a garage drop light. No more burned hands and arms, no more broken bulb every time I drop one.

Ten years ago I installed 100 watt CFL units in each of the three large (6" fitter, 16" diameter globe) "Schoolhouse" fixtures in our kitchen. They replaced 300 watt mogul based lamps which were getting to be both expensive and difficult to find. After adjusting the socket position in eah fixture so that the center of the CFL bulb was at the focal point of the shade I have found that CFL s have given us every satisfaction. The light output at 5700 lumens is just a bit more than that of the old incandescents, the light distribution and color are perfect ( of course the antique opal shades ar to be credited with the last items), the kitchen stays cooler, and we have not replaced a bulb since 2006. These three CFL lamps cost $36.00 each. We were replacing our old incandescents (which were rated at 750 hours and cost over $9.00 a piece) every seven or eight months, and so we have saved a great deal of time and effort in addition to electricity and money.

Now if only the new lamps were self-cleaning...

 

[jamespowers]

All of those things are true wit CFLs. But there is no denying that they use a lot less energy. LED lights use even less and suffer none of those problems, other than being expensive (though they last 50 times longer).

LEDs are HUGELY more expensive not just more expensive. They better last fifty times longer they cost that much as well. lol lol If all you care about is energy efficiency then kerosene lanterns are for you---they are cheap to operate. lol lol

 

[jamespowers]

Ten years ago I installed 100 watt CFL units in each of the three large (6" fitter, 16" diameter globe) "Schoolhouse" fixtures in our kitchen. They replaced 300 watt mogul based lamps which were getting to be both expensive and difficult to find. After adjusting the socket position in eah fixture so that the center of the CFL bulb was at the focal point of the shade I have found that CFL s have given us every satisfaction. The light output at 5700 lumens is just a bit more than that of the old incandescents, the light distribution and color are perfect ( of course the antique opal shades ar to be credited with the last items), the kitchen stays cooler, and we have not replaced a bulb since 2006. These three CFL lamps cost $36.00 each. We were replacing our old incandescents (which were rated at 750 hours and cost over $9.00 a piece) every seven or eight months, and so we have saved a great deal of time and effort in addition to electricity and money.

Now if only the new lamps were self-cleaning...

You have to be kidding. I was forced to replace some mogul base incandescent in my warehouse with those lousy CFLs. They were half as bright and dangerous to work around as they were too dim to see what was on the shelf or where you were walking for that matter.
That lasted all of two weeks. Now I am basking in incandescent BRIGHT glow once again. They are easy as heck for u to find and cheap. The CFLs were 5 times the price for less than half the light.

 

[Gregg Axley]

You have to be kidding. I was forced to replace some mogul base incandescent in my warehouse with those lousy CFLs. They were half as bright and dangerous to work around as they were too dim to see what was on the shelf or where you were walking for that matter.
That lasted all of two weeks. Now I am basking in incandescent BRIGHT glow once again. They are easy as heck for u to find and cheap. The CFLs were 5 times the price for less than half the light.

We have some consultants making their way through all the gov't buildings (our agency owns), giving advice on how to save energy.
They use these same low glow bulbs, and in some of the buildings they've already hit, it's not only dark it's depressing.
Plus the fact the fixtures this company is recommending come from a country that apparently can't make these right, because the fixtures go out after a year.
Progress....
For all the savings these bulbs and fixtures will give, the people in those buildings (and ours when we get them) will cancel that out by opening the blinds and cranking up the a/c.

 

[HudsonHawk]

CFLs...don't put out as much light either. I could substitute a 40 watt bulb for a 60 watt and have the same thing as a so called 52 watt CFL.

This is simply false. Visible light output is objectively measurable. You may like the incandscent glow better, but CFLs put out more light than do incandescents of the same wattage. That's simply a scientific fact.

 

[HudsonHawk]

LEDs are HUGELY more expensive not just more expensive. They better last fifty times longer they cost that much as well. lol lol If all you care about is energy efficiency then kerosene lanterns are for you---they are cheap to operate. lol lol

Kerosene is not only hugely inefficient as a light source, have you looked at the price of refined oil products lately? They ain't cheap. And I'm grateful for that.

 

[LizzieMaine]

This whole light bulb thing is a disaster for us at the theatre. Our fixtures in the auditorium are operated by a special automated dimmer system, requiring the use of three or four 60 watt incandescents per fixture -- and there are over a dozen fixtures on the walls plus the ceiling fixtures. CFLs are not an option because they won't work with the dimmer system, halogen bulbs burn too hot, and getting LEDs to dim properly requires changing the whole lighting system, which isn't in our budget. So I've been hoarding 60 watt incandescents and have a closet full of them, which should last us until we can either afford to replace our lighting system or they come out with an LED that will work with what we have.

I had some CFLs here at home, but was very unsatisfied with them. When one of them shorted out and nearly caught fire, I decided I'd had enough of that.

 

[HudsonHawk]

This whole light bulb thing is a disaster for us at the theatre. Our fixtures in the auditorium are operated by a special automated dimmer system, requiring the use of three or four 60 watt incandescents per fixture -- and there are over a dozen fixtures on the walls plus the ceiling fixtures. CFLs are not an option because they won't work with the dimmer system, halogen bulbs burn too hot, and getting LEDs to dim properly requires changing the whole lighting system, which isn't in our budget. So I've been hoarding 60 watt incandescents and have a closet full of them, which should last us until we can either afford to replace our lighting system or they come out with an LED that will work with what we have..

I don't know what kind of dimming system you have, but I've recently put some new LEDs into fixtures with existing dimmers, and they seem to work just fine. I don't know if it's the bulb or the dimmer that's doing the trick, but LED technology is improving rapidly, and the cost is coming down. I really like LEDs for a variety of reasons, plus, they can make LED bulbs with whatever "color" you want. You want the warm, yellowish glow of a clear incandescent? You got it. You want a bright blue "sunlight" look? No problem. They can give off whatever ambiance your heart desires.

 

[Big Man]

... That's simply a scientific fact.

Don't you just hate it when scientific fact gets in the way of what people think.

 

[vitanola]

You have to be kidding. I was forced to replace some mogul base incandescent in my warehouse with those lousy CFLs. They were half as bright and dangerous to work around as they were too dim to see what was on the shelf or where you were walking for that matter.
That lasted all of two weeks. Now I am basking in incandescent BRIGHT glow once again. They are easy as heck for u to find and cheap. The CFLs were 5 times the price for less than half the light.

One of the problems with CFLs is the "watt equivalence" written on the packaging. A 60 Watt CFL, which produces 3400 lumens of light is listed as a 300 watt incandescent equivalent. Now, a terribly inefficient 15,000 hour Long-Life incandescent bulb is indeed rated at 3450 lumens, but a standard efficiency lamp, which has a life expectancy of 750 hours will produce 5400 lumens. The 100 watt CFL is really more nearly equivalent. Much of the trouble with these bulbs appears to be the puffed advertising. If one chooses a lamp which uses but a third ofthe energy of an incandescent one will have more than enough light. The reccommended lamps, which use but a quarter of the energy of standard bulbs are entirely too dim.

 

[vitanola]

LEDs are HUGELY more expensive not just more expensive. They better last fifty times longer they cost that much as well. lol lol If all you care about is energy efficiency then kerosene lanterns are for you---they are cheap to operate. lol lol

Actually, a kerosene lamp with a dim little No. 2 Queen Anne burner will consume about a dollar's worth of oil in an evening. Kerosene is really very expensive.

 

[jamespowers]

Actually, a kerosene lamp with a dim little No. 2 Queen Anne burner will consume about a dollar's worth of oil in an evening. Kerosene is really very expensive.

Why did I figure you would know that? :rofl:

 

[jamespowers]

This is simply false. Visible light output is objectively measurable. You may like the incandscent glow better, but CFLs put out more light than do incandescents of the same wattage. That's simply a scientific fact.

Yet if you put both of them in the same situation the Incandescent wins every time.
I can live with the LEDs as they ACTUALLY do put out the same amount of light---for ten times more initial outlay---just make sure you choose the "daylight" LEDs. The yellow soft ones are just as useless as the CFLs. Another place where the incandescent wins every time is noise. The incandescent makes no hum or whine when you turn it on. The others are just damned annoyingly noisy.

I CAN tell the difference:
http://youtu.be/8XvLc6VlpI8

 

[jamespowers]

I don't know what kind of dimming system you have, but I've recently put some new LEDs into fixtures with existing dimmers, and they seem to work just fine. I don't know if it's the bulb or the dimmer that's doing the trick, but LED technology is improving rapidly, and the cost is coming down. I really like LEDs for a variety of reasons, plus, they can make LED bulbs with whatever "color" you want. You want the warm, yellowish glow of a clear incandescent? You got it. You want a bright blue "sunlight" look? No problem. They can give off whatever ambiance your heart desires.

Yeah they work great for dimming:
http://youtu.be/1JBT3y9_LhI
lol lol lol

 

[LizzieMaine]

The ones I've experimented with, which were some kind of sample we got from a distributor, didn't dim all the way to black in a smooth fade, which is what we require. Hopefully they'll come out with something that will work before I run out of 60 watt bulbs. Otherwise the old ladies who complain about not being able to do their Sunday Times crossword before the matinee will be inconsolable.

 

[jamespowers]

One of the problems with CFLs is the "watt equivalence" written on the packaging. A 60 Watt CFL, which produces 3400 lumens of light is listed as a 300 watt incandescent equivalent. Now, a terribly inefficient 15,000 hour Long-Life incandescent bulb is indeed rated at 3450 lumens, but a standard efficiency lamp, which has a life expectancy of 750 hours will produce 5400 lumens. The 100 watt CFL is really more nearly equivalent. Much of the trouble with these bulbs appears to be the puffed advertising. If one chooses a lamp which uses but a third ofthe energy of an incandescent one will have more than enough light. The reccommended lamps, which use but a quarter of the energy of standard bulbs are entirely too dim.

So in other words, they lie.

 

[jamespowers]

The ones I've experimented with, which were some kind of sample we got from a distributor, didn't dim all the way to black in a smooth fade, which is what we require. Hopefully they'll come out with something that will work before I run out of 60 watt bulbs. Otherwise the old ladies who complain about not being able to do their Sunday Times crossword before the matinee will be inconsolable.

lol lol lol
Do they just jump to full light as in the video I posted? That is my experience with them as well. They are either off or on.

 

[LizzieMaine]

The one I tried kind of stuttered between different stages of brightness, and wouldn't dim to black at all.

We do use CFLs in the underside of our marquee -- they're shrouded with a fake globe-shaped envelope so they aren't repulsive to look at, but the quality of light is not particularly pleasant. I've got the sample LED screwed into one of those outdoor sockets and I'm watching it to see how well it stands up compared to the CFLs in extreme weather.

I've had pretty good durability with the CFLs on the marquee. Most of the ones out there now have been working every night for the past nine years.