Pin vs Screw-in CFL

No.

I can tell you that I have the pin type and if the bulb goes out I have to order online. Lowe's, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, etc.. don't carry the pin type. It's a pain, wish I had gotten screw in.

But on the other side.. It seems to be very good lighting!

xmas_one said:

No.

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Could you at least elaborate a little? I am curious about this as well. Just a "no" is not very helpful.

xmas_one pretty much sums it up.

Even comparing among screw-in bulbs two with the same wattage and Kelvin don't have necessary the same light output nor same PAR. There is a lot of variability due to the specific phosphor coating, ballast, etc.

So... no. :fish:

When you say "the pin type" what wattage are you talking about? The lower wattage pin type bulbs are usually available locally (9W, 13W, 18W).

For bang per buck, I stick to the screw in type as they are by far easier to find in a wide range. Due to being common, they are also much much cheaper so if one has the space you can add lots more of them at the same price as the specialty bulbs. Which is better depends on your situation. There are times when special is worth the price.

Wasserpest said:

xmas_one pretty much sums it up.

Even comparing among screw-in bulbs two with the same wattage and Kelvin don't have necessary the same light output nor same PAR. There is a lot of variability due to the specific phosphor coating, ballast, etc.

So... no. :fish:

When you say "the pin type" what wattage are you talking about? The lower wattage pin type bulbs are usually available locally (9W, 13W, 18W).

Click to expand...

Ah I didn't take all of that into consideration. I guess it's sort of like T5 fixtures, they are not all equal. GU-24 is the pin type my fixture takes, and last time I looked (a few months ago) I could not find it anywhere, not even at the store where I bought the fixture lol.
Oh and its a 13watt.

Ah ok, I was hoping for something more common like GX23. I have to admit this is the first time I have actually come across a GU-24 base! Sometimes standardization can be good...

I ordered a desk lamp with a 26 watt 4 tube fluorescent bulb with pins. Itll probably be around 1-2 in. above my 10 gallon.

Do you have a link on which one you ordered?

Screw-in CFL bulbs have the ballast in the base of the bulb. Assuming honesty on the part of the manufacturers, all 13 watt bulbs are 13 watt bulbs, so they should give about the same PAR vs. distance. But, the pin type bulbs don't have a ballast, so their output depends on the quality and power of the ballast in the light fixture, which can vary considerably. I would expect that 13 watt bulbs of those two types would have similar PAR outputs, but I don't know how similar. A guess would be +/- 25% at worst.