Cool White Tubes

• Cool white tubes are the standard fluorescent lighting that has traditionally been used in offices and workshops. The tubes are typically four or eight feet in length (although smaller versions are sometimes found in the home), and produce a bright light that is good for work purposes but rather harsh for the home.
  
  

Warm White Tubes

• Warm white tubes are used in place of cool white tubes and sometimes in combination. The light they produce is more toward the orange, or warmer, part of the spectrum. The light they give off is not as pleasing as that of incandescent bulbs, but they temper the harshness of the cool whites while producing high-intensity light for a low cost.
  
  

Soft White CFL

• Soft white CFLs seek to emulate the warmer, redder tones of incandescent bulbs. Designed to replace incandescent bulbs in home living areas, they have a similar color profile that is usually similar to their incandescent counterpart, though not quite as warm. They are much more efficient than similar incandescent bulbs, however, using one quarter the wattage.
  
  

Natural Light CFL

• Natural light CFLs are among the most intense produced for home use. They have a higher color temperature that appears whiter, and are perceived as being brighter, though the light produced may be roughly equal to warm white CFLs of the same wattage. They are a good option where you need a lot of light, but the icy tone can be hard on the eyes for readers.
  
  

Grow Lights

• Plants respond to particular wavelengths of light, and fluorescent grow bulbs produce light in frequencies they need. Because these frequencies in both the red and blue range combine, we see the light as pink.