Full Spectrum Light Bulb - ALZO 45W CFL 5500K - Daylight balanced Review

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I needed a full spectrum, BRIGHT light for watercolor painting. Even though I have a variety of light in my art studio, I found that once the sun went down, my colors shifted dramatically and I couldn't tell the subtle differences between colors even with the brightest lights. Even those commercial lights that "promised" true color did not deliver.

I hesitated getting a full spectrum bulb because I had one years ago (an expensive one that had rave reviews) and it always made me a little sick to my stomachthe color was very strange (very much like a bathroom at Subway or something) and it flickered a bit.

However, not getting any work done after the sunset or on rainy days was starting to be a real hinderance, so I bit the bullet and ordered this 45-Watt bulb. I am so pleased!

It's VERY bright! It's replacing a standard 100 watt bulb and it's much brighter than that. It's easily the brightest light in the house, but not in a way that makes you feel like it's a spotlight. It's also a PERFECT shade of white lightnot too cool, and has no eerie "color" cast like green or blue. It truly is like sitting by the window on a sunny day. It also turns on immediately (no flickering or warming up) and stays true. I also have to say that I feel myself a little more energized when sitting under itI know these bulbs are sometimes used for Seasonal Affective Disorder and even though this bulb is not designed for that specific purpose, I do feel a moderate difference in my mood.

My only complaint is that it's heavy and largethe bulb is about 7" long and 2.5" deep. It screwed right into my medium-sized drafting lamp (designed for standard bulbs you buy at the grocery store, so no special lamp needed), but pokes out a bit from the metal hood. I'm a little worried that I might inadvertently smash the bulb while reaching for something across my workspace. It's also testing the strength of the hinge on my lamp.

But to be honest, I'm so pleased with this bulb that I'd rather invest in another lamp than switch it out. And I am seriously thinking about purchasing several more of these bulbs to replace the standard bulbs we have around our house. The bright, sunny light makes that much of a difference.

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I am a painter of the 'visual art' variety. I use these bulbs in my artist lamps and they are wonderful. Gone are the days of painting at night then discovering in the light of day that my colors are all wrong! Also they are great for lighting my paintings for photographing them. These bulbs are really pretty tough...I knocked a lamp over and the bulb did not break,whew!

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This light is beautiful! Reading under its light is an amazing experience. My text is clear, soft and very easy on the eyes. Its beautiful pure white light is made clear when you place it next to other so called white and full spectrum lights. Next to this they all have a yellow tone to one extent or another. It took me 10 expensive light purchases before I found this. Save your money and buy this one first then you can compare it to others and be ready to be shocked.

I like this tone so much that I have removed the long florescent tubes in my kitchen and changed the base to accept standard light bulbs so I can use this instead. Over time I will replace every light in my house with this exact light. At night if you lay under the light and close your eyes, you can almost trick your mind into thinking its soft sunlight... Simply wonderful for those that live in 25C temps every day.

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I often don't get as much sunlight as I should due to screwy sleep patterns. Full spectrum lights are very helpful in this regard, so I can get "sunlight" even in the middle of the night.

The 5500K ALZO bulbs are the closest thing I've found to actual sunlight. I've seen reviews with proper colorimeter readings and such, but not having access to such gear, my basic test is to compare the color to natural sunlight through a window on a sunny day. The color these bulbs put out is quite close to that. I've also tried some photographic tests, calibrated with a gray card, and these bulbs produce the best results of the full spectrum bulbs I've tried.

The main downside with the 45W bulbs is that they are quite large, particularly being quite long at 7". You may need a larger harp, or a larger shade, or to relocate a standing lamp so the bulb can stick out but not be in your field of view. And for some lamps and most overhead fixtures, 45W bulbs won't fit at all. It's a limitation of the technology, of course, so any manufacturer's 45W CFL is going to be similarly sized. Due to the size issue, I only have one of these, at my desk, and a few 23W and 27W full spectrum bulbs elsewhere; it was easier and cheaper to use multiple smaller CFLs in most cases.

Keep in mind that your brain expects light to get yellower as it dims, part of the reason that "normal" bulbs are usually 2700 3000K and thus much more yellow. While these look like natural sunlight on a sunny day, at night the pure white light feels a bit sterile and clinical at first. I've come to prefer this as the dominant lighting at my desk (especially since my laptop LCD is 6500K), but I like to mix full spectrum bulbs in with smaller "normal" bulbs for overhead lighting, and even then only in rooms that I spend a lot of time in.

In short, these are about the best thing you'll find if you need sunlight indoors for whatever reason: sleep problems, mood disorders, photography, or just a preference for pure white light. Just keep the size of the bulb in mind...

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This is a bright light! But in a living room? Not for our family. The light is too cold and sterile. It gives a stark feeling to the space. I wanted a feeling like warm sunlight, which is what I was assuming I would get with a full-spectrum bulb, but for that you really need some yellow to balance it, I guess.

Now, we also bought a 4-pack of the 27 watt bulbs by the same manufacturer and we like them better. They are not quite as bright and with other bulbs in the room, they balance out to have a very nice light. I bought this to help combat seasonal affective disorder. I live in the northern states and we haven't seen the sun for a long time. I will try this bulb in the garage where bright light is really needed when you are looking for something. No need to send it back. It is a good bulb, but better for photography applications than household ones. Be aware that you may need a larger harp if you intend on using this with a lampshade and it probably won't fit inside most overhead glass fixtures. This is a very large bulb. It did come on instantly--no wait or hum.