Fanny Craddock would be proud
I have an electric whisk that is over 30yrs old, passed onto me by my mum.
Its as heavy as two housebricks with 2 huge clunky steel whisks you could probably mix cement with.
Last year I started to get a bit paranoid about the possibilities of it going up in flames or electrocuting me.
So in spite of it working perfectly fine and making the most incredible cakes I bought a brand new one.
Its tiny, barely bigger than my phone and while perfectly servicable just doesnt feel right.
Then I saw someone on a TV cooking show using the same one as my old one and extolling its virtues.
I'm glad I didnt throw it out
I use the new one for lightweight jobs like whipping cream or making batter, for serious cake making, possible electrocution be damned I'll stick to the old one.

And just before they outlawed the sale of good old fashioned lightbulbs last year, I stockpiled a few for use in my workshop, I need good strong light and these so called eco bulbs are just too dim.
But everywhere else in the house, when the old bulb popped I replaced them with the eco ones.
Apart from my entrance hall, the same bulb i put in there 8 yrs ago is still going strong.
Its a red bulb, and regardless of many and various comments over the years about my having a
'red light thing going on'
I'll keep using it until it finally pops, at this rate I may be throwing it a 10yr party
(insomniac-surfer oh go on then, just this once, Tue 9 Nov 2010, 1:52, 8 replies)

You can get conventional lightbulbs...
... in most electrical suppliers. Get "rough service lamps", which have more robust mechanical construction. In normal household use they last a lot longer, although they're a bit more expensive.

These crappy "low energy bulbs" don't put out as much light as the box says they're supposed to. If you want the equivalent of a 100W bulb, you need about 50W of "low energy" lighting, with the other 50W being dissipated in power factor correction chokes at the substation. They also don't survive vibration very well, which is why RSL bulbs are incandescent.
(gordonjcp, Tue 9 Nov 2010, 7:41, closed)

thanks
I'll look into that :)
(insomniac-surfer oh go on then, just this once, Tue 9 Nov 2010, 23:05, closed)

I still use my great grans electric whisk
It's a beast. You could use it as a sledgehammer.
( Peej, Tue 9 Nov 2010, 9:33, closed)

oh yes
they made things big in those days
(insomniac-surfer oh go on then, just this once, Tue 9 Nov 2010, 23:08, closed)

I agree normal energy savers are not up to the job. What you want is a daylight bulb (artist supply shops might have them if not Amazon), expensive, but they're not unlike having a miniature sun hanging from the ceiling.
(CrouchingHamster,HiddenElvis, Tue 9 Nov 2010, 17:30, closed)

I do have these
I sometimes have a couple in desk lamps around me.
They can make the colours I'm using look a bit diferent, but are great for photographing stuff at night
(insomniac-surfer oh go on then, just this once, Tue 9 Nov 2010, 23:08, closed)

Well, yes.
It looks really odd from outside your house, all your neighbours will assume you are growing weed or something.

Really good if you're a painter (or a "winter blues" victim apparently)
(CrouchingHamster,HiddenElvis, Wed 10 Nov 2010, 2:34, closed)

Well
I'm a painter, sculptor and generally creative type.
But live in an area where drug raids are often commonplace
I think maybe I should turn those lamps off ;)
(insomniac-surfer oh go on then, just this once, Thu 11 Nov 2010, 0:37, closed)