On Tue, 2007-01-23 at 21:01 +0100, Florian Voelzke wrote:
> How long a CFL survives frequent switching depends on the quality of the 
> lamp and its electronics. For a long life the tube itself must have a 
> certain quality level and the filaments must be preheated before the 
> lamp is ignited. If the electronic just tries to ignite the lamp while 
> the filaments are still cold, this greatly increases wear.
> We had some cheap compact fluorescents failing early - filament broken. 
> I guess due to insufficient preheating.

I find a very good indicator on lamp quality is "turn on" time. The
better brands turn on "instantly", basically as fast as you can hit the
switch the lamp will light. It may not be at 100% brightness, but it
will light. Cheaper lamps often have a VERY annoying delay before they
light, crucial if the light is say on the stairs to the basement where
even a half second delay is enough to trip.

TTYL

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