About thoose compact flourescent lamps with integrated "electronic ballast"=
 that directly fits incandescent lamp sockets.

I dont know if there are simple name for thoose in english?  In Sweden they=
 are called "Low energy lamps" whereas "compact flourescent" are thoose=
 tubes only that can be exchanged without excanging the ballast,

A consumer organisation here in Sweden is running tests of a lot of=
 different brands low energy lamps: Konsumentverket, reported last year in=
 the paper R=E5d&R=F6n.

Test is AFAIK not finished yet (sheduled for 8000 hours) but at 2000 hours=
 they reported that there are very big differences.
Of one brand all (10?) was broke after 2000hours, but some other brands none=
 was broke, other just one or a couple.
Also both initial efficiency and even more the efficiency decay was very=
 different between manufacturers.
Interestingly the price do not correlate much to the quality!

My favourite is the brand IKEA: amongst the cheapest price (about 3-5 USD=
 IIRC) and medium to high quality, 4 to 20W types, 230VAC input sold here. =
 There are IKEA warehouses all over the world, see www.ikea.com

According to IKEA website the mercury content is 3mg maximum, i don=B4t know=
 about other brands.  They are are collected for recycling as normal=
 flourescent tubes.

Those new LED lamps discussed in this thread seem interesting, although=
 illuminance and efficiency is not yet up to flourescent tubes.  Another=
 interesting technology in development is the microwave heated sphere of=
 sulfur gas:  Nontoxic, high efficiency, and pure white.  Problem is to make=
 them small, but they have been installed using leaking light tubes so *one*=
 lamp can illuminate a tunnel or a large industri room.  Another interesting=
 thing is the electrode free, direct inductively driven flourescent tube=
 OSRAM Endura http://catalog.osram.com/scripts/tabelle.asp?tblid=3D631

My illumination at work and home:
Flourescent tubes: all main illumination =20
 (Most inductive ballast types, three electronic ballast)
Low energy lamps and compact flourescent: All tables and outdoors
Halogen spots: some work places
Conventional incandescent: only over beds

Also amongst halogen incandescent there is big difference.  I=B4ve tried=
 some low cost, but they seem ended up high cost due to frequent change...
Have sombebody tried the very high quality (high efficiency, long life)=
 types like OSRAM halostar or similar?  Experience?  (Nice: I've read they=
 have a IR reflecting film that reflects the heat back to the incandescent=
 wire thus higher efficiency)

Im=B4thinking about changing main illuminaiton in my lab to discharge lamps.=
  They now com in wattages down to 75W from Philips and/or OSRAM (don=B4t=
 remember exact types i=B4ve looked at now)  Theese are higher efficiency=
 and more consistent spectrum than normal flourescent, and I also plan to=
 make bright desktop work illumination with them.  Have somebody tried them?


www.osram.com
http://www.lighting.philips.com/

Here is nice spectal comparison (in swedish)
http://www.osram.se/kategorier.asp?Huvud=3D6&Huvudet=3D6&Kategori=3D7
Bottom pictures:=20
  Left: natural daylight,=20
  Middle: Normal incandescent


Regards
/Morgan

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