I have lots of those GE Helicals but mine are instant-start.
I also find the fake incandescent look of 2700K triphosphor commonly found in CFLs an icky color sometimes, though it seems to vary lamp by lamp. Newer ones seem whiter/pinker. I like it for the most part, though some people might find it sickening and dingy. I can always tell an incandescent from a CFL though by it's light.
Dimmer switches: I've never had or tried a dimmable CFL but none of my switches are dimmers. One used to be, but it got fried by modified-sine-wave inverter electricity and now only turns on and off, just like a regular light switch. I'm using a CFL there, so I can't use a dimmer, and I don't really miss it that much anyway!
I remember some neighbors giving my late mother and I some Commercial Electric 2700K 14w spirals, which lasted a long time in partial use (Sometimes in service, other times sitting out of use in the light bulb bag). None had dies by the time I cleaned out the house in January of this year (2014) after she passed. I remember that neighbor's house had lots of those bulbs too.
My Dad was rather hard to convince. In the past, he'd tried them and was unimpressed, as he told me over the phone once. I think a big thing in the early days of CFLs was that people expected them to come on at full brightness immediately, just like the incandescents had as long as the baby-boomer generation could remember. Us milennials know better!
Interestingly, though, from that time I have a "Conserv-Energy" (Feit) 13w spiral from that early era (Installation date written on it is 2003) and it's in use to this day. It's been around: I assume my Dad bought it, then it ended up in my honorary grandfather's possession on his boat, the boat was sold, and 2 owners later it was given back to me! I now have it in daily use on my boat.
Finally, in 2009, while living off-grid on a 3000-watt generator, we decided they might be worth another try to try to reduce the gas bill and wear and tear on the generator. We bought a 4 pack of "Western Family" (Again, Feit) 23w spirals. I remember him going for the 100w replacement instead of the 60w since "They'll only be as bright as a 60w". (Again, people not used to the warm up time!) They stuck out of the decorative fixtures in that house, being larger than the 40 and 60 watt incandescents they replaced, and were "too bright and glary" and "the light is funny" and all that stuff. So we ended up taking a few out of service. Then there was a CFL grant in my area with TCP-made 23w 2700K spirals...same thing. Finally, in my current house, he started to tolerate them, though 5000K ones get negative comments. I use preheat circline adpaters wherever space allows and I don't think he particularly cares for those either...
I fired up my Lithonia 8ft slimline fixture for the first time in over a month just now for a couple minutes. I really need to find 75 watt lamps for that thing, although I half know I'll still use the 60w ones till they die. The local True Value has 60w C41 GE-made self-branded F96T12s, which I might end up buying a pair of as spares, but I'm always looking out for (even used and warm white) 75 watters.
I have a pair of 3w "Designer's Edge" 6400K PAR LEDs outside my front door and they're not the brightest thing in the world by any means but enough to see the door and porch and that section of driveway and can be left on all night on a 12v battery bank running on an inverter without running the batteries down like 150w PARs would.
I actually just bought a 4 pack of GE 72w halogens but haven't tried them yet. I'm a CFL user but just curious what they're like and what the lifespan really is.