Earthmate EP4052AE 40-Watt Spiral CFL 2700K Bulb, 6 Pack

Considering that they come close to the lowest price for a 40W CFL six-pack and they can be had from Amazon with 'free shipping', these Earthmates are probably near the top of the 'value' pyramid. When it comes to quality, I've only had them for a couple of months when I am writing this and the fact that all 6 are still doing fine doesn't mean much but... see the last paragraph.

Talking about the bulbs themselves:

- unlike many CFLs, they come on almost instantly, maybe 1/10 second after flipping the switch
- once they're on, it takes a couple of minutes for them to warm up and reach full brightness
- contrary to what Earthmate claims, these bulbs are not exactly 'small' - see below for exact sizes
- they do NOT work well with a dimmer - they are either on or off
- the light is bright, so bright, I would not stare at it directly - I did once and I saw 'ghosts' for a few minutes after that
- the color of light is pretty close to...Read more

Bulbs arrived 3 days ago. One was broken on arrival due to poor packing. I needed them so I opted not to send them all back. I installed all 5 remaining bulbs and 3 days later one has failed in a puff of foul smelling smoke and two others are flickering. Two are working well. Not a very good average. I bought them because they seemed like a good value - they were less than $5 each. If the two that are working continue to work they'll have cost more than $12 each... not so good! I'd recommend avoiding these.
UPDATE: 10 days later one of the flickering bulbs has failed. 3 dead - 1 flickering - 2 good.

I bought these bulbs because the price was the best I could find - even at home depot. They arrived on time and all of the bulbs are working great. They are a bit smaller than other 40 watt CFLs I have bought, but that is a plus for me.

To other reviewers:
* if you found them cheaper elsewhere please let us know where,
* and please don't review a product you haven't bought.