Would you be willing to consider LED lamps (CREE CR6 or LR6)?

Dimmable screw-in CFL lights are hard to come by and are relatively expensive.

Non dimmable screw-in CFLs may not work properly with dimmers.

CFLs tend to take some time to reach full output.

Yes, I'd consider LED lamps, but I thought they were much more expensive than CFL, and I have a bunch of incandescents to replace.

I'm looking for a recommendation on the best brand of CFL recessed bulbs. I've seen some posts about CFL R40 bulbs that just don't get the job done, due to either lack of light or bad color temp.

My first choice would be Panasonic followed by Phillips as they seem to be enduring longer than others (Lights of America, Sylvania, GE).

Thanks. I found Philips cfl bulbs at lightbulbmarket.com, but I haven't found Panasonic anywhere. Do you know where/how to get them?

I don't think there is a Panasonic R40, but you may find a suitable substitute below.

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=panasonic+fluorescent&tag=googhydr-20&index=tools&hvadid=4038446475&ref=pd_sl_76dg2zx5h2_b

http://www.buylightfixtures.com/search.aspx?find=panasonic

My goodness, I bought a GE 23 watt R40 cfl, which is supposed to be a 90 watt equivalent at Lowes, and this thing is pathetic. I is supposed to produce 1300 lumens.

First of all, it takes a second or two to actually come on, and when it does, it looks like about a 10 watt bulb. Second, it takes a full five minutes to get up to maximum brightness. And third, the color temp, rated at 2700k, is not pleasing at all, compared to my incandescent floods.

Does anybody know if another Brand such as Philips performs better than GE?

The only props I can give it is that it does put out much less heat than the incandescent bulb.

All CFLs take some time to reach their full brightness, which also tends to be less than what is advertised. The only brands that I liked were Panasonic and Philips -
1. Output does not drop quickly with age (within 2 - 3 months of use)
2. Seem to have higher light output
3. Have not stopped working yet

CREE LR6 lamps (LED) on the other hand start immediately at the brightness they were set at, are definitely brighter than any CFLs (with the same wattage rating) I've used/ still using. The downside is that they cost more.

OK, with much difficulty I obtained a Philips Marathon R40 CFL, and it is far superior to the GE in that it turns on with decent immediate brightness and gets to full brightness within about 1 minute. It does not get as bright as the GE, since the GE is 26 watt and the Philips is 23 watt. It appears that 23 watt is the highest available in Philips.

The only problem was that I could not find it anywhere in stock around here, including Lowes, Home Depot, Wal-mart, Target. I did find a Philips locally, but it was even lower watts, I think 20, which is only equal to a 65 watt incandescent. I ended up having to buy the Philips online, which ran the cost up to $20 with shipping.