One type of compact fluorescent bulb that’s a bit harder than average to find are bulbs for recessed lighting. I have a hallway that uses 60W incandescents or 15W CF bulbs, but exposed regular CFs just weren’t going to cut it.
This bulb from Feit does the trick:
Like most CF bulbs, they take a bit longer to warm up than comparable incandescent bulbs, so they may not be the best choice in lighting situations where you need something to be at 100% right away. But once warmed up (around a minute) the light quality is great.
Feit makes a dimmable version as well. I haven’t had luck with dimmable CF bulbs to date and haven’t tried this one (it currently receives one star for burning out quickly) so I can’t recommend it.
I’ve never had good luck with dimmable CF bulbs either. I still really don’t care for fluorescent lighting in my home – it just makes things feel too sterile. Maybe it’s the theatre background. I love incandescent light.