Bulbs similar to this have been available for at least a year - and they're dimmable:

http://www.1000bulbs.com/16-Watt-Dimmable-Compact-Fluorescents/

I was going to say that I already have some of these bulbs in my house....

but can they do anything about the quality of the light? the light is so harsh... anyone know of an earth friendly option that emits a warm light?

Hopefully the similar shape won't confuse people about which bulbs need to be recycled. As many readers may already know, CFL bulbs contain small amounts of mercury and should NOT be thrown in the garbage like incandescent bulbs.

Here is more information on the mercury in CFL's: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7431198

Luckily, your neighborhood Home Depot store will take your used CFL bulbs when they burn out.

It is still not the same bepsf and animal. they are still super-fat on the bottom and some really deep sockets will not fit them. If you look carefully at the picture above they are slimmer directly above the screw part. I WILL be buying the new ones for my ass-backwards lighting fixture from pottery barn that will not fit the CFLs.

misty- I totally agree! I wish that they weren't so harsh

Ikea has made these for years.

I'm David Schuellerman with GE's lighting business in Cleveland. Over the past several years, lots of manufacturers, including GE, have sold "A-shaped" CFLs that feature a plastic ballast housing. The one we're announcing this week is the world's first truly incandescent-shaped CFL. It mirrors the shape and size of a traditional incandescent light bulb. There's no plastic ballast housing. It's all glass. It's a byproduct of the strides we've made with the miniaturization of electronics. The shape and profile of this bulb will allow it to fit in more lamps (think smaller lamp harps and clip-on lamp shades) and certain fixtures where space is at a premium and where an incandescent bulb has always fit. It's also good in fixtures where you don't necessarily want to see a twist CFL (e.g., an indoor or outdoor fixture where seeing the swirl of a CFL distracts from the overall look you're trying to create).

David - thanks for posting and explaining your new product! Can you address the harsh light issue? Is there anything that can be done to make the light warmer?

Wait - hasn't IKEA been making these bulbs for quite some time? I use them all the time... Light's not too harsh either.

I have a lot of lamps that need clip on shades, so this is good but I also still have (and like) 3 way lamps...will CFLs ever be able to deal with that?

I hate the quality of CFL light but I'm dealing with it for the sake of the environment (and the electric bill).

I switched to CFL's years ago, cheap ones from IKEA, and nobody could tell the difference. In fact, I had visitors who thought all my bulbs were incandescent. There's nothing especially harsh about the light, although sometimes I find CFLs are brighter than incandescent bulbs (especially older bulbs).

If things look a bit harsh, consider going for a lower-wattage bulb. And make sure you get bulbs that are warm white - cool white and full spectrum bulbs are also available now, and they do tend to look a bit harsh.

I love that these new bulbs are all-glass, without a bunch of plastic. Plastic sucks, and everything we can do to minimize its use is a good thing.

Clarice C:

Thanks for your reply. Regarding the harsh light issue, there are varying color temperatures available. I agree with sunspot42...it sounds like you may want "warm, soft light" or "soft white" CFLs (e.g., 2700K color temperature). Here's a GE web page that provides some insight:

http://www.gelighting.com/na/business_lighting/education_resources/learn_about_light/color_rendering.htm

You may also want to check out a new site that we've launched to help consumers consider their "lighting style." You can reach the site through this news release link:
http://www.geconsumerproducts.com/pressroom/press_releases/lighting/consumer_lighting/whats_your_lighting_style.htm

Charlotte:
We make 3-way CFLs. And dimmable ones, too. You could Google to find some retailers near you or online. I did a quick check and Ace Hardware came back as one place to get one. Here's a link to a GE "where to buy" tool:
http://www.gelighting.com/na/home_lighting/where_to_buy/

Also, here's a link to a news release we put together recently on incandescent features in our CFLs:
http://www.geconsumerproducts.com/pressroom/press_releases/company/company/CFL_Incandescent_like_features.htm

The Ikea bulbs are great! And the light in my Grono lamp is perfectly warm and cheerful - it definitely has a yellow tint to it, not cold or blue at all.

So are you saying that I am completely 100% right?!?!

I finally purchased some of these for the night lamps in my bedroom. Even though I read nightly by these lamps I've had to use the old incandescent bulbs since they wouldn't fit the casing of the lamp shade. Like how the bulb actually looks like the old ones.

Can't wait for dimmable uv bulbs that look like this. Than all will be much better.

John
http://www.purelyproducts.com/

What are the dangers of using CFL regular (not stated as "Dimmable" bulbs) in a ceiling fan/light unit that has a high and low setting for the lights and a separate 3 speed switch for ther fan? We only use lights on high. Can the bulbs do any damage to the unit or will they just not last very long if they are dimmed? Landlord has told us the bulbs wrecked the fan portion of the unit. The fan unit blows the breaker when switching speeds. The lights never blow the breaker and work fine. Is it any way possible for the bulbs to have caused this? I think the fan was never right. What is the actual difference between the regular and dimmable bulbs?

Forget about the new round CFL's from GE! They cost at least FOUR TIMES the price of an equivalent wattage spiral CFL. And as if that's not bad enough, they take FOREVER to brighten up!

If you want an easy, economical way to use far less expensive spiral CFL's with your clip-on shades go to www.magictoob.com. All your problems will be solved for less than $1 per shade!

Jack
Nimble Jack Enterprises