Halogen vs. Xenon

[UEXplorer]

I recently purchased a Princeton Tec light. With it came a catalog showing many of their lights (it's piece of paper that folds into squares.)

In this "catalog" it says one of the following over every light:

LED Power
Halogen Power
Xenon Power
Nothing (does that mean its a krypton bulb?)

The question is - whats the difference between Xenon and Halogen. Is one type whiter or brighter than the other? Take the Shockwave original which is Halogen and the Shockwave 2 which is Xenon. Whats the difference?

[Lagged2Death]

Halogen, xenon, and krypton all refer to the gasses used to fill the bulb.

Light bulbs are usually filled with a mixture of gasses, selected to help retard the evaporation of the filament and to minimize heat loss from the filament. Argon works OK for this, krypton works better, and xenon better still. The better gasses are more expensive, of course. Because flashlight bulbs are so small, it's relatively economical to use pricier gasses like krypton and xenon, so they're pretty common.

Halogen, on the other hand, isn't a particular element or chemical. Halogen bulbs include small amounts of one of the halogen family of elements (usually iodine) in the fill gas. The halogen gas in the bulb can actually bond temporarily with evaporated filament metal, and redeposit the metal back on the filament. This extends the filament life and keeps the bulb's glass free of the filament deposits that make other bulbs turn gray as they age.

There isn't anything mutually exclusive between krypton/xenon and halogen. Some bulbs are both xenon and halogen, or both krypton and halogen.

In any case, the goal of both strategies is the same: to allow the filament to have a reasonably long life when burning at the highest possible temperature, burning more brightly and more efficiently.

There's a lot more detail available on subjects like these at Don Klipstein's Lighting Info Site. He's got a page specifically about xenon incandescent flashlight bulbs, and a longer section on incandescent lamps in general, including some info on halogen bulbs.

As for why Princeton Tec switched technologies as part of a product update, I dunno. The halogen cycle only works in a hot bulb, so halogen bulbs are better off in applications that burn the bulb for several minutes at a time - like indoor lighting, automotive and bicycle lighting, or (I'm guessing) dive lighting. In applications that involve short bursts of light, like walking down a dark trail at night, xenon may be a better choice, because its benefits don't require the bulb to be hot. PT's web site says the rechargeable Shockwave II uses a halogen bulb; maybe xenon alone couldn't manage the kind of performance (20 watts, 389 lumens claimed) they were shooting for in that version.

[tony2008]

Still unenlightened

I have a bathroom sconce that uses three 50W xenon bulbs. If one of the three bulbs broke and I replaced it with a 50W halogen, would I see a difference? Would the one halogen have a brighter or different color light? Would the halogen burn hotter and produce more heat in the room?

Tony2008

[BlueBeam22]

I believe Xenon gives the whitest light. A halogen bulb might give a more yellow tint.

[DonS2346]

You will also find the halogen hotter than the same wattage xeon bulb. I changed the halogens to xeon bulbs in my motorhome and noticed a difference in heat level.

[yellow]

possibly You mix "xenon"-filled hotwire bulbs with real "xenon" lights (= HID lights)

as for 12 V hotwires: does not really matter what gas is inside, they will be more-or-less identical.

for high power flashlight bulbs:
Xenon / Halogen does not make too much of a difference, both tend to be on the yellower side
krypton-filled usually are very white


PS: "nothing" means its cheap and crap, very low power (= dim and yellow).
for sure no krypton fill ... krypton bulbs cost more

[1pt21]

I have a possibly dumb question that has been bothering me with my newly acquired incans:

Should I avoid touching the actual glass of the bulb just as I would with an automotive halogen bulb?? Something about the oils from your skin getting onto the bulb.

Thanks for any help!!


--Paul

[Sgt. LED]

Yeah don't touch them.

If you have to touch them try to wipe them down with alcohol before use.

[1pt21]

Originally Posted by Sgt. LED

Yeah don't touch them.

If you have to touch them try to wipe them down with alcohol before use.

Thats what I thought AND have actually been doing (pretty much the same handle/care I take when changing automotive bulbs). Just making sure I'm not being over-anal with my lights as usual

Thank you for the info Sargent!!