... they don't last as long as advertised, are a poor choice where you need light quickly for a short period of time (especially in cold places)and really don't dim well if at all. Incandescents will be around long enough to get us to the better solution which are dimmable LED's.
Hi Bryan, I also have some partial disagreement with the statement above. My contention is that there is no universal better solution. Better for what? It depends. On cool areas where you need direction or spot lightning, yes LEDs will be the best solution one the economies of scale reduce their price. However LEDs are extremely sensitive to heat and are not good for enclosed fixtures with no ventilation. And their directional nature needs to be fixed to make them work on other places, like inside of a refrigerator (cool, but you want broad lightning),
On the other hand, I have been using CFL without major problems for years. The durability issue depends on the brand (quality depends on the brand, generally, doesn´t it?). The first CFLs that I saw in my life lasted about 20 years of very continuous use. However, some other cheap brands dont last even a year.
About lightning for a short period, I have never have seen that issue, but I concede that my situation is not typical for those living in the high latitudes. I live in the tropics and the warm temperature is favorable for the quick start-up in CFL.
I extemely happy with the savings that have achieved using CFLs in the exterior, common areas (living, family, dining, kitchen and bathrooms). However, I keep every single bedroom on incandescent with dimmer. On my opinion, dimmer+incandescent continue to be the best solution for bedrooms. The savings are not worth the inconvenience of not being able to dim, and not being able to use my preferred reading-optimized light.
So, the point is that there is no universal best solution. If God saves us from the politicians, we will continue using incandescent and CFL, and also will find a place where LEDs will happen to be the best alternative.