Agree, best to avoid obscure or unknown brands that are made in china.the mad cyclist wrote:I’ve come to the conclusion that the Chinese products are not only rated in Chinese watts, they are also rated in Chinese years.
Well known brands that are made in china (Phillips, Osram, Slyvania, GE, etc.) are probably OK since the trade mark owner has a vested interest in protecting their name and keep a check on qaulity.
Even with reputable makes of CFL it would be advisable to carefully read what the claimed lifetime is. At least one well known lamp maker introduced a shorter life version for the discount market.
Some cheap lamps (incandescent and CFL) are designed for 220 volt mains and therefore do not last well on our supply which is still 240 volts in practice.
Good qaulity CFLs are designed to work correctly over a significant voltage range, often from 200 volts up to 254 volts.