Is there a connection between CFL's and a LASER? they both ramp up the voltage both emit light when the particles are excited by the voltage/amps...

not solid state lasers, the ones which use a Gas, nitrogen, carbon dioxide lasers, stick 12 watts in you should get roughly 12 watts of photos out right? but is that not roughly how a CFL works? what's the difference?

 

A CFL is a broad spectrum incoherent light source. A gas laser is a monochromatic coherent light source. They both depend on photon emission from ionised gases, but their characteristics are really very different.

Although the efficiency of CFLs is much better than old-fashioned tungsten lamps, they are nowhere near 100% efficient, to the best of my knowledge the efficiency is more like 10%.

 

You will never get 12W out for 12W in. Not even close to that. Some have up to 15% efficiency, but the generally available will have less than 5% i guess.