Please note that most compact fluorescent lamp models mentioned in this document take 110-120 volts AC. Magnetic/"iron" ballasted models require AC of a specific frequency - 60 Hz for USA models. Suppliers mentioned by name in this document are mainly in the USA.
DISCLAIMER: Test results of mine are based on units that I obtained and are not guaranteed to be typical of actual production. Photometric results of mine are mostly obtained from what is essentially "Bunsen photometry" that mostly assumes that incandescents of "Big Three" brands produce claimed light output at design voltage, although I mostly conduct more than one trial using different incandescent lamps for comparison. Significant "measurement" errors are more likely for compact fluorescents that have color greatly different from that of incandescents. Differences in radiation patterns between compact fluorescents and most-like incandescent are taken into account "by estimate". Where the results are notably bad I mostly try to avoid erring on the side of saying they are worse than they actually are, and have known myself in the past to underestimate the severity of bad news when a compact fluorescent fails to meet its claims. "Photometric" results are not obtained with anything having calibration traceable to any recognized laboratory and are not guaranteed.
(Anybody wanna donate a proper integration sphere or tell me where I can get access to one in southeastern PA USA to use?)
In a fully enclosed fixture, where a bit of heat buildup occurs, this lamp can give nearly full light output nearly down to 0 degrees F. (or down to about -15 degrees C.)
Satisfactory operation is likely even in temperatures slightly below 0 degrees F. (about -20 degrees C.), if a slightly to somewhat noticeable reduction in light output can be tolerated.
The Philips SL*18 is claimed to put out 1100 lumens of light. In my experience (back in the early and mid 1990's), my estimate is that this lamp puts out 950 lumens of light when things are going well.
I would expect a typical average light output of 850 lumens, which is similar to the light output of a standard 60 watt bulb. This is an average, taking into account effects of temperature and age.
The SL/O 18 can last 15,000 to 20,000 hours if it is started no more than once every several hours of operation. Its light output will deteriorate significantly after that much use.
The SL/O 18 usually produces a fraction of its full light output when first started. If the temperature is below freezing, its color may be pinkish or reddish. As the lamp warms up, normal color and light output will be achieved. This may take about 3 minutes. This can take even longer if heat buildup in the fixture is needed for the bulb to warm up to an appropriate temperature.
There is/was a reflectorized version of the SL*18, which has somewhat reduced light output.
Philips also has a slightly lower wattage 15 watt (formerly 17 watt) model. It is dimmer than the 18 watt one, noticeably a little dimmer than a regular 60 watt lightbulb.
Some Sylvania Dulux-EL bulbs come in attractive globes. Note that the globe versions have roughly 10 percent less light output than non-globe versions.
Philips SLS units are now similarly good and have impressive warranties.
A good place to get Sylvania ones is Lowes, and a good place to get Philips ones is Home Depot.
Worst "bugs" that I have found among these:
Philips 15 watt SLS favors warmer ambient temperatures and has low tolerance of cool drafts, although my bad experience there is already a few years old as of 2006.
I have found Sylvania to have since the late 1990's to have a slightly harsher more violetish-bluish color, but otherwise efficiency and rate of meeting/exceeding claimed light output as well as reliability well above average!
Philips indoor models - 25 watt ones are bright! - UPDATE 9/7/2003
I am somewhat impressed by a 25 watt unit I have seen so far. The Philips SLS 25 watt lamp meets its claim of producing 1750 lumens of light and being equivalent to a 100 watt incandescent lightbulb. It also has a rated life expectancy of 10000 hours and a 7 year limited warranty for home use.
News 7/18/98 - Philips now offers a dimmable 23 watt lamp claimed to produce 1500 lumens.
The General Electric 28 watt triple U-tube lamp is claimed to produce 1750 lumens. My own tests indicate it comes close, at 1675 lumens (possibly improved in the past 4-plus years). This is very nearly the brightness of a standard 100 watt, 120 volt, 750 hour bulb.
G.E. 39 watt "2D" is a good higher wattage one.
This unit consists of a tube bent roughly into a square 7-3/4 inches wide
which plugs into a ballast-adapter. I have yet to measure light output but
it slightly exceeds the brightness of a regular 100 watt lightbulb. It is
definitely not as bad as most others at being dim when started.
I have found in general spiral models rated to consume 26-42 watts to have output ranging from "nearly enough 100 watt incandescent equivalence" to getting close to "150 watt incandescent equivalence". Beware that higher wattage compact fluorescents have a high failure rate in fixtures that accumulate and confine heat towards the bulbs, and my experience is that this is worse with spiral models than with higher price non-spiral models.
News 7/18/98 - I have seen two newer Lights of America true compact
fluorescent lamps with impressive light output. The bulbs cannot
be removed from the ballast-adapters, so there are none of Lights of
America's troublesome contacts here. These are 34 and 45 watt units.
The package of the 34 watt unit claims a light output of 2400 lumens and
equivalence to a 150 watt incandescent lightbulb. The 45 watt one claims
a light output of 3100 lumens and equivalence to a 200 watt lightbulb.
UPDATE 8/18/2003 - a fan of this web page tells me that L.O.A. now only
claims 2700 lumens, but along with "200W ncandescent equivalence" (my words),
for their 45 watt unit.
These lamps are impressive, so I don't think that Lights of America needs
to exaggerate these claims. However, I believe they do anyway. I have
tested the 45 watt unit, and determined the light output to be about 2700
lumens. This is slightly less than the light output of a standard 150 watt
lightbulb. If extrapolation tells the truth, then the 34 watt unit would
put out about 2100 lumens - a little less than halfway from a standard 100
watt lightbulb to a 150 watt one.
These 34 and 45 watt lamps do not have the very warm color of the 14, 18,
and 27 watt "Q-Lites", but have a more typical compact fluorescent lamp
color around 2800 Kelvin and are very slightly more-pink/less-yellow than
an incandescent lamp.
UPDATE 2/29/2000 - My 45 watt one had an early failure! After operating for about 3 hours base-down in an unenclosed fixture which only minimally obstructed the bottom ventillation holes in the ballast section at the base of the bulb, this thing failed with a popping sound. It flickered briefly a few times during that 3 hours. All previous operation amounted to less than 10 hours for a total life of very roughly 12 hours.
UPDATE 12/28/2005: MaxLite 30 watt spiral in my tests produces approx. 1800 lumens, which barely exceeds the oututof a "standard" 100 watt incandescent. The package claimed 2600 lumens and equivalence to a 150 watt incandescent.
High wattage compact fluorescents should not be used in recessed ceiling fixtures nor in small enclosed fixtures unless the bulb is specifically rated for such use. Heat buildup in recessed ceiling fixtures and in small enclosed fixtures can easily overheat compact fluorescents, especially of wattages over 20 watts.
UPDATE 10/10/2004: I saw a similar Sylvania model at Lowes.
Higher wattage screw-in compact fluorescents are available, with "incandescent equivalence" as high as 150 watts. These will usually work in 3-way table lamps, doing so on "medium" and "high" and "off" on "off" and "low". NO GUARANTEE!
UPDATE 10/3/2004 - I saw at Home Depot 3-way compact fluorescents of the "Commercial Electric" brand. The packages claim equivalence to a 150 watt incandescent when set to "high".
Two models that are rated for such duty are the Philips SLS 15 and 20 watt models. I have found the 15 watt one especially to actually like warmer environments and that one is even sometimes dimmed by drafts.
These are available with snap-on reflectors in R30 (3.75 inch diameter) and R40 (5 inch diameter) size. The R40 is almost as good as an incandescent floodlight of similar light output (almost 70-75 watts "equivalence" for the 20 watt SLS, 50-60 watts "equivalence" for the 15 watt SLS) while the R30 is more seriously compromised. These will not replace spotlights. They work better in numbers where the beams are expected to merge into each other, since the fluorescent tubing is larger than a filament and that makes the light more difficult to concentrate with a reflector of a given size.
Recessed ceiling compact fluorescent fixtures in commercial/industrial/institutional/office buildings mostly have ballasts built into the fixtures and would require ballastless bulbs that plug into the fixture rather than screw into the fixture.
I have found "Q-Lites" to be unreliable. Of four that I have purchased for myself or others, two intermittently did not work. One had a loose contact in the ballast unit where one of the bulb's four pins fits into, and another had a cold solder joint in the ballast's circuit board.
My bad reliability experiences happened several years ago; it is possible that quality control has improved.
Lights of America seems to like an "instant-start" circuit that uses series resonance to instantly start lamps that apparently were designed for preheat starting. I believe that starting can take quite a toll on these lamps, and they should not be used unless they usually remain on at least half an hour once they are started.
One characteristic of Lights of America "Q-Lites" is their very warm color. They have an unusually low color temperature around 2500-2600 Kelvin, and the 18 watt one seems to be particularly warm, around 2500 Kelvin. This color is about that of a 100 watt 120 volt 750 hour 1690-1750 lumen standard incandescent lamp operated at 70-75 percent of its rated voltage. You might like this color and possibly want to put up with the "Q-Lite's" disadvantages.
The package for one of the models that resembles a halogen fixture claims 6825 lumens, with an asterisk pointing to a note on the bottom of the package that these are some sort of "brightness lumens" as opposed to the usual "photometric lumens". Their website claims 4550 lumens. My tests indicate 4000-4500 lumens.
The package and their website claim equivalence to a 500 watt incandescent
fixture. 500 watt halogen fixtures produce approx. 10,000 lumens.
It is true that the 6500K triphosphor bulb has a spectrum with a
"scotopic/photopic ratio" ("night vision favorability compared to
photometric output") approx. 1.5 times that of halogen, and this affects
"nighttime outdoor illuminating power". I consider this to be probably
equivalent to or slightly outperforming a 300 watt halogen in a similar
style fixture for nighttime outdoor ilumination.
When buying a compact fluorescent fixture or a compact fluorescent unit where the bulb is removable from the fixture or the ballast/adapter, it is a good idea to get one that uses industry-standard lamps (bulbs) as opposed to proprietary ones.
Replacement bulbs by Philips, General Electric and Osram/Sylvania are industry standard types. You can count on them being available for decades. In most cases you can count on more than one manufacturer making it for decades, so there will be competition keeping prices down.
Some Lights of America replacement bulbs are being discontinued. There are no replacements by other manufacturers for proprietary Lights of America bulbs.
I found this out after being directed by a website fan to the bad news at the LOA page at Budget Lighting.
Stocking up on replacement bulbs will help if you can find them and your stockpile lasts as long as the ballast does - you are out of luck when your stockpile runs out or if your ballast burns out while you have a remaining investment in newly useless replacement bulbs.
Once supplies of replacement bulbs are gone, you are basically out of luck. If you are adventurous enough, you may be able to identify other bulbs of similar wattage, same style and same tubing diameter and do hacking surgery to transplant bases from one bulb to another. (CAUTION - U.L. listing on your fixture is invalid for modified bulbs - fire insurance companies can sue you if a fire starts at an electrical fixture being used other than as directed.)
This has been moved to a separate page:
http://members.misty.com/don/cfdollar.html
One is a Sunbeam brand 14 watt one that I bought at K-Mart for about 4 dollars. Light output is nearly that of a 60 watt "standard" lightbulb.
The other is a 13 watt one of the "Mr. Light" brand that I bought at a university bookstore for approx. $8 (probably a high price). It was claimed to produce 700 lumens of light and to be similar in light output to a 60 watt incandescent lightbulb. I did verify the 700 lumen output, but this is a little weaker than a standard 60 watt light bulb since those produce 840 to 890 lumens.
There is a blacklight version of the 13 watt "Mr. Light" compact fluorescent, which I have also sometimes seen in some university bookstores. I expect it to produce somewhat less ultraviolet than a "standard" 15 watt fluorescent blacklight fixture does, and to produce greatly many times more UV than incandescent blacklight bulbs do.
UPDATE 11/30/2003 - (tested by a relative of mine) Ikea has cheap 11 watt screw-in compact fluorescents at about $5 per 3-pack! Light output does appear to be close to the claimed 600 lumens, and definitely exceeds that of 120V 40 watt lightbulbs. That relative of mine has about a dozen of these in ceiling fan fixtures with no complaints. As of 6/5/2006, complaints remain lacking and he is using these in even more fixtures throughout his house.
The color is impressively incandescent-like and the spectrum indicates the color rendering index to be the 82 that most non-dollar-store compact fluorescents have.
Coiled compact fluorescent bulbs are now a common version. Most are made in China, and I believe the number of manufacturing plants is less than the number of brands of these.
Wattages from 7 watts (slightly brighter than a 25 watt incandescent) to 42 watts (about as bright as a 150 watt incandescent) are available.
Of 19 different models of 9 different brands (excluding "dollar store brands") that I purchased in October 2002 or more recently, all have lumen light output approx. 96% to 100% of what they claim according to my tests, except:
*13 watt Sylvanias exceeded claimed light output in lumens by 5-6% according to my tests,
* A 30 watt MaxLite fell about 30% short according to my tests,
* A 20 watt MaxLite fell short roughly 4-9% according to my tests, and I would not have mentioned this if not for the 30 watt one badly falling short.
All models that I tested met their claims of "incandescent equivalence" except ones 23-25 watts are slightly short of the 1670-1750 lumens of a "standard" 100 watt incandescent, and also except for the 30 watt MaxLite and close call for the 20 watt MaxLite.
Quality appears mostly impressively good, especially for wattages 24 watts or less and if the size is not unusually small for the wattage, as long as the brand is not a "dollar store brand".
My apartment building has had about 50 15-watt ones of the "Westinghouse" brand for 24 months (as of 1/11/2004) 24 hours a day with a majority still working, and the first failure was after 11 months. Light output has noticeably deteriorated slightly after 20 months or approx. 14,000-15,000 operating hours. This is for the larger of the two slightly different sizes. The larger one also has a slightly better life expectancy claim.
Spirals may have reliability problems in small enclosed fixtures and recessed ceiling fixtures, especially with wattages more than 15 watts. However, I have had a 13 watt Sylvania spiral hold up since 10/20/2002 approx. 20-25 hours a week in a small enclosed fixture until I replaced it about 4 years later with one of 3500K color. Ceiling fan fixtures may also have reliability problems from heat buildup, mostly with wattages higher than 15 or 19 watts.
Models where I have experienced problems:
(Removed to save space. All of my compact fluorescent "bug reports" are now in my other compact fluorescent page, cfapp.html.
Whether or not the color is not mentioned or claimed to be "warm white" or "incandescent-like" or anything to this effect, expect the usual 2700K color and for the color to be very much like that of an incandescent. Ones of the Philips and Feit Electric brands up to 23 watts and Commercial Electric up to 14 watts I have found to have an especiallty incandescent-like color.
There are some exceptions:
1. Unusually compact and "mini" sizes of wattages near or over 20 watts will usually be slightly more-pink/less-yellow than incandescents. Higher wattages such as 24 watts or more will also usually do this to some slight extent or another. However, I have always found the color to be acceptably reasonably like that of incandescent lamps.
2. Watch for "3000K" anywhere on the package or the D830 color code on the package or at the end of the part number, and consider this as "usual for Sylvania brand" compact fluorescents: Sylvania 3000K compact fluorescents in my experience are noticeably a little pinker and less yellow than halogen lamps, including their 13 watt spiral.
Do note that the above "slightly-pinkish" colors and the following different colors have a color rendering index rating of 82, same as for all "regular color" compact fluorescents that I have seen and same as most compact fluorescent lamps in general.
Now for some of different colors, mentioned below. In addition, I have seen ones of 4100K color ("cool white"). Keep an eye out for "841", "4100", "850", "5000", "5500", "865" and "6500K" color codes since these indicate a "cool white", "pure white" or "daylight" slightly bluish white that can have a "dreary gray" effect in most home use.
There are 19 and 23 watt "Daylight" models of the Commercial Electric brand (available at Home Depot). The color of these I have found to at least sometimes a bit "off" from that other "Daylight" fluorescents one way or another, but is still basically "daylight". Such a cool color may have a "dreary gray" effect in home use. Light output is slightly less than that of "more usual" compact fluorescents of the same wattage, with both the 19 and 23 watt ones in the "75 watt ballpark". They *may* work as well as a 100 watt incandescent if used successfully outdoors at night or in other larger dimmer areas because of the "daylight" color having a spectrum favorable for stimulating night vision.
Update 9/10/2006 - Home Depot newly in the summer of 2006 started selling spiral compact fluorescents of the "N:Vision" brand.
Update 9/24/2006 - I found N:Vision spiral compact fluorescents in many wattages and 3 different colors. "Soft White" in green packaging is the usual roughly-incandescent color, "Bright white" is a whiter shade that is still basically "warm white", and "daylight" is an icy cold pure to very slightly bluish white.
My test results: Color temp. approx. 3400 Kelvin as far as I can determine. The color was *very* slightly more pink and less yellow than 3400K incandescent, but pleasingly close to that of 3400K incandescent. I would describe the color as "impressively halogen-like". The color rendering index was claimed to be 82 (usual for compact fluorescent lamps) and the spectrum indicated that this claim was reasonable.
Light output measurements done 9/7/2003 largely verify the claimed light output of 1200 lumens and equivalence to a 75 watt "regular light bulb". At times it appears very slightly dimmer, perhaps approx. 1150 lumens.
UPDATE 10/10/2004 - Sylvania has a 3500 Kelvin spiral, the 13 watt
CF13EL/MINITWIST/DAY/BL/1. I have seen these in 1-packs and also in 3-packs
(CF13EL/MINIDAYLIGHT/3/72/PROMO) at Lowes.
Although this is said to be a "Daylight" product, do not expect the icy
cold bluish white color typically associated with "Daylight"-name lamps.
3500 Kelvin is a whiter shade of "warm white".
Claimed light output is 800 lumens, which is slightly dimmer than a 60 watt
"standard incandescent" (840-890 lumens). I tested one and light output
of one in brabnd-new condition exceeded the claim, slightly outshining an
840 lumen 60 watt "soft white" incandescent.
I do not like the color of this one as much as I like that of the
Westinghouse "Medium White". The Westinghouse had more of a
"sunny-whitish-halogen" color, while the Sylvania had a less-yellow,
more-pink "semi-warm-white-fluorescent" color. However, I found the color
acceptable and the color rendering properties were good.
3500K compact fluorescents are better where where you are achieving a
brighter level of illumination. Otherwise they may give a grayish or a
greenish appearance. With less light, you get a warmer appearance with
the usual warmer color compact fluorescents and can get a "dreary"
effect with whiter "less-warm" and "daylight" ones.
UPDATE 9/24/2006 - Home Depot has 3500K units of the "N:Vision" brand, which that brand calls "Bright White". I have found some to be a bit more-pink, less-yellow than "sunnier-whiter overvoltaged incandescent" but I still basically like them. Beware that a 30 watt "120 watt equivalent" one in my experience has a slight buzzing sound, although lower wattages do not have this problem.
The 14 watt one that I have is 4.1 inches (104 mm) long. I compared it to two
nearby A19 bulbs - one was slightly longer and one was slightly shorter.
Light output when fully warmed up was approx. 875 lumens according to my
tests, within "margin of my measurement error" of the claimed 900 lumens.
This model does match the light output of a "standard" 60 watt incandescent
lightbulb give or take a few percent. NOTE - compact fluorescents do
deteriorate a bit during their usual service life and do so more than
incandescents do. One 14 watt one that I installed in my mother's house was
really close to the brightness of "standard" 60 watt incandescents when I
put it in several months ago but looks just a little dimmer now. (UPDATE
9/28/2004)
My 9 watt one is slightly under 3.8 inches (about 96 mm) long, definitely
smaller than a usual "A19" incandescent.
Light output of the 9 watt one according to my tests was about 500 lumens,
give or take enough to give a chance that it fully meets the claimed light
output of 520 lumens. 40 watt "regular incandescents" range from 445 to
505 lumens, so this 9 watt compact fluorescent is essentially equivalent
to a 40 watt "standard incandescent".
Test results: Light output reached 160 lumens during warmup, but settled down to about 140 lumens. That was in base-down operation - it may remain brighter in base-up operation in open air. This outshines 15 watt regular incandescents, since those produce 110-126 lumens. Power consumption was 5 watts when fully warmed up, 5.5 watts at one point early in the warmup.
In the unit that I bought, the flame-shaped outer bulb had a glue joint to the ballast housing that was not especially strong, and I was able to remove the flame-shaped outer bulb. With the outer bulb removed, you see a small spiral tube. With the outer bulb removed, the spiral tubing does not heat up past optimum temperature and you get the full 160 lumen light output. However, in chillier and draftier areas, you need the outer bulb in place for full light output.
Other Commercial Electric compact fluorescents (9 to 19 watts) did not have power consumption higher than claimed once they warmed up and had light output 96-100% of claimed output when fully warmed up in open air according to my tests.
UPDATE 10/11/2004 - I saw at Lowes a Sylvania unit similar to the "4 watt" Commercial Electric one.
UPDATE 11/20/2006 - Home Depot now carries a 3 watt N:Vision version, with claimed light output of 100 lumens (slightly dimmer than a 15 watt incandescent). This one is dimmable and has a rated life expectancy of 20,000 hours. With these claims and the several turns of very small diameter tubing, it appears to me that this model is a cold cathode model. That would mean life is not shortened by frequent switching.
3 and 5 watt similar compact fluorescents are available from Real Goods, http://www.realgoods.com.
UPDATE 6/5/2006: I have heard of candelabra base compact fluorescents that produce as much light as 60 watt candelabra base incandescents, but I have yet to find a source.
"Full Spectrum" compact fluorescents often just have a cooler color and the same color rendering index near 82, and if you view the spectrum with a diffraction grating or a CD you will see how you are paying for hype. My opinion is that the triphosphor spectrum is good even though not "full". My advice is to avoid paying extra for hype and health claims. For one thing, in the lighting industry there is no widely accepted definition of "full spectrum". If you can find alternatives with lower price and high color temperature, you can usually get sunlight-like or daylight-like color and a spectrum with color rendering index near 82 without paying for hype.
Then again, cooler colors (color temperature 4100K or higher) can have a "dreary gray" effect at typical household illumination levels.
Most "dollar store models" that I mention above have color rendering index less than the usual 82 of compact fluorescents and also have, like most other non-triphosphor fluoreascents, most of their color distortions in the direction of making colors darker and duller. "FUL" models also usually have lower color rendering index and color distortions in the direction of "darker and duller", and in some ways I do not consider them true compact fluorescents.
Some compact fluorescent bulbs have color codes. A color code is a 2 or 4 digit number that refers to the bulb's color temperature in degrees (or hundreds of degrees) Kelvin. On many Osram and Sylvania bulbs, a 2-digit abbreviation of the color temperature may be immediately preceded by "D8". On GE ones it may be preceded by SPX. Some others may be immediately preceded by an "8". The "8" or "D8" or "SPX" indicates a claimed color rendering index in the 80's, generally 82-86, usually 82 for compact fluorescents.
Examples:
F13TT/27K (this is 2700 Kelvin.)
PLC*15/28/28 (The second-last number here is wattage, the last means 2800 K)
F40T12/D835 (The D835 means 3500 Kelvin)
Now, here is what these numbers mean to you.
Numbers from 27 to 30 or 2700 to 3000 represent generally incandescent colors. Sometimes, the color may be a bit less yellow and slightly more pink/purple, but it is a basically incandescent color.
Numbers around 35 or 3500 represent a whitish incandescent color, similar to that of projector bulbs, some photographic lamps, and the whitest halogen lamps. Unless you are using enough of these bulbs to make your home as bright as a classroom, the color may seem slightly greenish or slightly generally "off". If you have a lot of this light, then this color is generally pleasing.
Numbers around 41 represent colors generally like that of "cool white" fluorescent lamps. A few of these are also very slightly on the purple side. They generally don't make colors look dull like standard cool whites do, since they have a different spectrum from use of different phosphors. However, unless you have classroom-bright light levels, this color often has a "dreary gray" effect.
Avoid buying any "Abco" brand bulbs unless the color code is visible and desirable. I have (in the 1990's) seen some with the 41 color code marketed as "warm white".
There is also a 50 or 5000 color. It is an icy cold pure white that sometimes looks slightly bluish. Like the 41 color, they can cause a dreary gray effect unless you have very bright lighting levels - despite this being a close approximation to the color of noontime tropical sunlight!
Please note that these bulbs were often claimed to produce 900 lumens of light, and they actually make more like 800-825 lumens. (even less, 780 lumens, for the more compact double-twin or quad tube.) The 820 lumen figure is about 90-95 percent of the light output of a 60 watt "standard" incandescent bulb. The lumen claims have largely gotten more realistic in the late 1990's or so, at least with the GE, Sylvania and Philips brands.
UPDATE 3/18/2001 - I just looked in my Philips catalog, and there are separate figures for initial lumens and design lumens. I believe the latter is for bulbs of average age and condition in average usage. Those numbers for 13 watt ones are around 715-735 lumens. That is a little more than halfway from a regular 40 watt incandescent to a 60 watt one in light output, or about the same as many long-life 60 watt incandescents.
NOTE - there are 9, 7, and 5 watt versions. Lumen claims are 560, 400, and 230 respectively in recent years from the more reputable brands. There are higher claims of light output, which some of the more reputable brands used to claim but backed down from in the mid or late 1990's, but which some other brands continue to claim as of mid-2003. Also consider that with these and many other bulbs normally available separately from their ballasts, the ballast loss is not part of the nominal wattage. Actual power consumption is typically about 3 watts above the nominal wattage when ballast losses are included.
If these bulbs are operated base-down and subjected to shock or vibration, the mercury in these bulbs gets excessively hot until it evaporates and recondenses in cooler parts of the bulb. The bulb may temporarily lose about 30 percent of its light output for a few minutes. These bulbs may also overheat and get a bit dim if operated in fixtures subject to excessive heat buildup.
My experience with this involves bulbs made more than 10 years ago, and there is a possibility that some newer ones may not be as bad with this.
The ballasts for these bulbs are usually "magnetic" or "iron" ones, many of which are cheaply made and make a buzzing or even a cricketlike squeaky-buzzing sound. If possible, test the ballast or fixture for buzzing sounds. If there is any doubt, it is possible that the ballast will sound louder at home - beware!
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More basic, non-brand-specific information on compact fluorescent lamps.