Review of OttLite HD 100 watt replacement CFL
The OttLite is a brand I’d not seen, and decided to try a bright white CFL. I’ve had some requests for reviews of whiter color bulbs or daylight bulbs.
Overall – it’s very white and looks to be a 100 watt replacement. It claims to be instant on, and is. It claims to use 25 watts, and on my killawatt, it reads 22 watts. Package claims 8000 hrs. Box indicates a 1-year warranty.
Good Bulb for your office or reading chair, but not the living room or dining room.
The light reminds me of the new LED Christmas lights. During the day, it’s fine, at night, it’s kind of odd – like a huge LCD computer screen light.
Tim Lookingbill said,
March 7, 2010 @ 12:42 pm
I’ve got four of these and use them for digital color photography and imaging research and have to say they aren’t instant on from my experience.
Mine I bought from Lowe’s hardware all start out a bit dim and noticeably bluegreen. However, after about a minute they reach there full brightness with another 5 minutes to shake the bluegreen tinge making my white walls look quite neutral with just a tinge of off white.
One concern I have about this particular Ottlite model is after it’s been on for several minutes all four emit a kind of scorched electrical chemical smell similar to overheated computer and LCD circuits that irritate my sinuses to the point I get this metalic taste in the back of my mouth. I can only smell this installed in clip on utility lamps tilted down so their back vents point upward for when I use them for photography. I can’t detect this odor when installed in regular upright living room lamps.
Turning them off and letting them cool down to handle I noticed the same odor smelling the bottom plastic housing near the screw-in post on all of them.
Just FYI,
Tim Lookingbill
Dirk Trelevan said,
March 31, 2010 @ 5:28 pm
OTT lite is a brand of spectrally pure lighting. It is typically sold for use in areas where color reproduction is important. Art and graphics work areas, photograhy etc.
Jeff Kent said,
October 11, 2010 @ 6:41 pm
I bought several of the 100watt Ottlite bulbs from Lowes a year ago(they have recently discontinued) for my kitchen and desk area. As said previously, the instant on is dim at first, then they get really bright. I never expect CFL’s to last very long, but the Ottlites are still going strong, even outlasted other lesser name brands I’ve installed around the same time.
The light color. This is something that is very strange at first when I first turned them on. Most of my life, I have lived looking at my home life through the yellowish tint of regular light bulbs. The Ottlites seem to have that blueish tint to them and everything looks tinted blue. That’s a misconception of the eye, they are in fact pure white light. I have gotten so used to the yellow wash of the other lights, my eyes were finally seeing pure colors and nearly put them into cardiac arrest after a few short minutes. My 98 brightness laser printer paper looks pure white under these lights, and as my eyes became more adjusted to the light color, the colors of everything else in the home began to really pop with full rich color. I will definitely buy these again.
Pros: True white light CFL’s that are built to a higher quality standard. Home decor colors really pop.
Cons: They’re mercury laden CFL’s, instant-on is subject to interpretation as they go from dim to bright. May emit some odor, but gone after time. Do not use these as outdoor porch lights unless you really like attracting insects, they love the color.
Alisiapeppa said,
January 26, 2011 @ 4:56 pm
I have an ottlite rechargeable and after it’s been on for about twenty minutes it starts to smell funny like a very strong plastic smell. I have not owned the lamp very long and am pleased otherwise but the smell is so strong I have to turn it off once the smell starts. Will this go away? I don’t want to return it if it’s just a new product smell that will dissipate soon. I think the smell is stronger while it is plugged in on ac power not as strong on battery power.