I mix CFLs with incandescents to get better light quality and more light at startup. I get good life out of the ones that are in fixtures that allow for good air circulation around the bulb. Enclosed fixtures shorten their life significantly.

What's the light quality of LEDs like relative to incandescents? Even CFLs that promise better quality light aren't as good as incandescents IMO.

My experience with CFLs is that they are great for lights that just stay on ALOT but the light they produce is not all that inviting. When our house was on the market, one of the improvements I made was to switch the cieling cans back to incandescent floods. made the house much warmer feeling.

I found that they did not last well in the cieling cans, maybe because they are in an enclosed flood type bulb. They last really well in high shock or vibration areas like the porch light. Regular bulbs only last a couple months there due to the door slamming and the same was true for the garage door opener.

Light quality is subjective but IMO LEDs are bright harsh kind of light. Think of the ones in stop lights or tail lights on a car. But as the technology grows, I'm sure they will have more adapability potential then CFLs.

I do use CFL's in places where lights are on a lot and light quality doesn't matter much - like the garage where I have a pair of 100W equivalents. Also, a few years ago I replaced both my garage door openers, and soon discovered that incandescent bulbs wouldn't last in them for more than a few days. Lots of troubleshooting and service calls resulted in no resolution. Although not recommended by the opener manufacturer OR CFL manufacturers, I tried putting small CFL's in the openers and they've been happy ever since.

I use CFLs in the house because the admiral likes to leave lights on. I don't think they are the end all given the mercury in them and the initial cost. Though, the initial cost has come way down due to subsidies. Last one's I bought cost me 78 cents each.

To me, CFL's have MTBE written all over them.