I noticed Crompton brand coloured CFL's (energy saving bulbs) in Bunnings today and am wondering if anyone has any experience with them?

I want to use them outdoors although the pack says not to do this. But I'm wondering if they'd be OK anyway? Festoon lights are commonly used outdoors...

They come in yellow, green, red and blue and are 9 watts each. Cost is a bit over $7 and I'd potentially buy 10 of each colour - that's nearly $300 worth so I'd rather know a bit about their reliability first. They are 8000 hour rated versus only 1000 hour for conventional bulbs so that, rather than energy saving, is the attraction. 8 times the life at only 3.5 times the price of an ordinary bulb is a winner even without considering the power saving. They're not exactly easy to change once they are in position.

They are bulb shaped (coloured even when off) and presumably just have a conventional white CFL inside (?).

Anyone used them?


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