LONG LASTING and bright for photography and other uses.--- Carl Jr. Review Bottom Line ---Overall I do recommend these Monster light bulbs.Overall I would buy this again if I needed to.Pros:- Long lasting: I have been using them in and off for the past 4 years and they are still going strong.- Flexibility: I even use them in desk lamp fixtures when I need a lot of light.- Brightness: they are every bit as bright as advertised.- Color: They are very close to daytime color.Cons:- They are not strong enough to withstand the impact of a ceiling fan at high speed.I really love these light bulbs. I had four of them for my studio photography. I wish I could ve made an array of 12 of these bad boys. But I got out of doing a lot of studio work. I had one on a stand and I lifted the stand up to move it forgetting about the ceiling fan and shattered one. Other than that they all still work 4 years later.Now that I do not do much studio photography I have used them for long periods of time in ceiling fan lights or desk lamps that can fit these monsters and I have not had any problems.I can't wait till one day I get some LED bulbs that are this bright at this price and if this quality! But for now these cannot be beat and I do not hesistate to buy more when the time calls for it.5Fire hazard one caught fire last night, lucky I was homeUpdate, I just had this bulb catch on fire. Lucky I was home, These are not U. L. Listed bulbs. Only buy underrighters listed products.1They work and can make a big difference, but they are fragile and cheaply made.I had the smaller 45 watt lights, but found them to not be up to the task for what I needed. I was taking pictures of clothes for online listings for Ebay. These bigger lights really helped and provided the light needed to get the job done.The price is not too bad, but I would caution, they re not the most durable. While they provide a good amount of light and are somewhat a popular item, these things can be temperamental. Their made somewhat cheaply and if you over tighten them when screwing them into a base or not paying attention, you can quickly break the lightbulb without realizing it.I had one where the base completely came apart. If you need some affordable lights, these are capable in a pinch and ok for armature use.These lights however are far from professional grade and definitely not made to last for a long time, especially if you re on the move.3HUGE in both light output and size.I have no idea what the reviewers who are saying they are not bright nor are they daylight temp bought but it can't be these bulbs. God I only bought two. In the same unit 4 would not fit and the 3 are so bright I have no need for more. I like the color (Matches my daylight Kino Flos pretty well) and I'm thinking about buying 2 more and a second fixture for them. The ARE VERY large. Not like the normal compact florescent screw in bulbs. I bought this for a small location kit but the bulbs are so late they will need their own case to protect them. That is the ONLY downside so far. I haven't run them much and have no idea other longevity but if that proves to be short like some of the other bad reviews here I'll come back and let you know. But for a bit over $20 for the bulbs and a bit under $20 for the 4 socket Light head I'm getting light output that exceeds my Kino Flow Diva at over $1K. It's not as large a light source but I'm using them like a a bare tube head..raised up high. That is like a softball and fills a room pretty well. Nothing dramatic but very useful in many instances.4VERY BRIGH BULBS ARE A GREAT VALUE - BE AWARE OF POTENTIAL HAZZARDSIn my home studio and for table top photography I've been using 5800K bulbs which have served me well although it takes an awful lot of lamps with out using a diffuser to get the amount of light I want.On a hunch I ordered a set of these although only one bulb arrived in the order, so make certain you check for two. Amazon was quick to resolve the problem and in the mean time I used one 5800 along with the new 6500 and the results were superb the brighter light results in a better quality image and far less time spent in post editing.I was surprised at the sheer size of these giants as they measure a whopping 11 inches long and equally huge 12 inches in circumference - these bulbs are gigantic!Which means they're also heavy so make certain your light stands are sturdy enough to hold the weight so they wont tip over and be aware of how far they extend to avoid hitting one with your shoulder as you move your lighting around, if that's something you do.I used four of them today without umbrellas or other diffusers and the extra light is nice and clean and extremely bright. That the bulbs aren't UL approved is an issue I considered but after checking the same specification bulbs at B&H, 47th Street Photo and a few others the price runs as high $39 per bulb so in relationship to price these are a superb value. Of course, having a fire start kind of deflates any sense of getting a great deal.On the other hand most of my bulbs aren't UL approved and I've never had a problem ( knocks on wood). But I suggest taking precautions - always unplug your surge protector from the wall outlet when your finished as a tiny amount of current runs through every electrical device even when turned off.If you need some really bright light, you can't beat the price on these.4Good packaging, works, brightI bought 4 of these to use as grow lights. Price wise these were a very good deal at 18 bucks for two, however shipping was a bit high at 16 dollars, although I can't complain really considering the size of these things. It did take a bit of time to arrive, but it was coming from California so I suppose thats to be expected. It was extremely well packed however, and even though the box was damaged by UPS, the lights were fine. All 4 lit up, and they appear to be extremely bright. I haven't tested whether they are actually 105 watt or not, but for the price, even if there less than 105 watt its still worth it. I haven't installed these yet, so I cannot comment on there longevity, however they will be running 18 hours a day every day, so I will be back to update this review in a few months on how long these last. Lastly, size, I cannot understate this, these things are MASSIVE. They dwarf regular CFL's, so be aware of that, and make sure these will fit for your application. For me, they are in bare fixtures, and so therefore the size is not a problem, but might be for somebody expecting to put these in a regular lamp.Overall a good product, good shipping and very affordable. Thank you LimoStudio550/50 chance on these.I bought these a little over a month ago.Up until today they've been working perfectly. I set them up, left the room to gather some equipment, and came back to one of them smoking! The plastic base was charred and a hole melted through the glass. Maybe this was a wiring issue. The other one seems to be working ok for the time being. Will update.1Up in smoke.The bulbs arrived quickly and in good condition. Packaging looked good - the bulbs were wrapped in a foam sheet and placed in a plastic clamshell carrier inside individual cardboard boxes for each bulb. When I put them in a fixture and turned them on, there was an immediate minor burning smell. I was ready to accept that as normal break-in that would eventually go away, but a few minutes later a plume of white smoke started rising from the base of one of the bulbs. At that point I put them back in the original packaging to return for refund.I didn't have time to measure light output but they seemed maybe twice as bright as 23W (1600 lumen, 100W equivalent) CFLs in the same fixture. Not the room-filling, SAD-banishing light I was expecting. Other reviews say the color temperature is more like 5000K than 6500K -- I wasn't able to verify that but it agrees with my first impressions. Color and brightness don't matter if the bulb is a fire hazard, and I'm not going to take a chance on a replacement.1Light output over rated, otherwise good product. See details in write up.Comparing the light output to a clear glass 200W incandescent I'd say the incandescent produces more light. The claimed color temp is correct but the light output is short of the claimed equivalent incandescent. However, at a claimed 105W they are still twice as efficient as the incandescent and the price is reasonable. Overall OK but like all other CFLs, the light output falls short of the incandescent equivalent.UPDATE 3/1/13 - I now have five of these installed in my garage and plan on buying more. I upgraded my rating from 3 to 4 stars. I live north of Detroit and I find the performance good. With the ambient in the garage sometimes below freezing they achieve full performance in about a minute and the light temperature works well in a work area. I'll buy more given the price. I prefer the large CFLs over the two-bulb 8 foot fixtures because I've had bad luck with the ballast transformers and to replace the 8 foot ballasts is big bucks. If one CFL fails they are easy and cheap to replace. Note that I have not measured the actual power consumption.UPDATE 11/26/17 - I also had a fire associated with one of the 12 units I use to light my garage. Full disclosure, I bumped this garage light with a ladder but it was a gentle bump. About a month later I was working in the garage and heard this crackle sound and looked up just as a flame shot out the side of the unit. It was a plasma associated with a high voltage arc (I'm an electrical engineer). Reading the other similar fire experiences I have to conclude that these bulbs are more prone than other technology (LED, incandescent) to fire, and should only be left on when a person is present. I do have 12 of them in my garage and this is my only fire incident after a few years of use, but it was very unnerving. Also, today, for my application (garage lighting), LEDs are a better way to go. These bulbs are very large for a medium base (E26) application. Care must be taken to not hit/bump the bulb. I lowered my rating due to the fire concern.3Power packedThese are packed with power! I was a bit frightened at first by some of the reviews of the bulbs catching fire but this is a photography bulb which should be used on photography equipment and should not be left on as a source light for every day living. They are huge!5
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