# Standard base Halogen bulbs



## Melchior (May 10, 2006)

Has anyone tried out these 'new' Halogen-in-a-regular-socket bulbs?
Like:

Philips Halogena
Osram (Sylvania) Halolux / BT
GE Edison

Also what about Neodymium coated versions:
Philips 'Natural Light Plus'
ect...

I'd appreciate some first hand experience, 
especially on:
- Heat output (enclose / open fixtures / lamps /ect)
- light 'quality' Vs. Standard Incandescent / Flourescent / LED
- resistance to abuse / impact

Also what markings on the package indicate the type of light:
I know the colour temperature 2700K is very yellow -- 6500K is quite 'blue'
Around 3000K to 4000K I think will be about right, BUT is there any easy way to distingush poorly/unmarked bulbs?


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## winny (May 13, 2006)

We have the Osram Halolux 150 W in school and they are really nice. 
Heat output? I have not measured/tested the heat output but we are talking about 15 lm/W or so for the 230 V version which is about 8 % efficiency so expect 92 W of pure heat from a 100 W lamp. 
Light quality? Very nice. Higher color temperature than non-halogen incan and CRI 100.
Resistance to abuse? Should be just about the same as for similar non-halogen incandescents.

The only way to determine the color temperature if it's not stated is to look at it/measure or take a guess. Just about all halogens runs at 3000 K but if it says 10000 hours on the package, they are either lying, the lamp is running at a low color temperature or the lamp is great.


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## yuandrew (May 16, 2006)

I have some 50 watt halogen bulbs in the track lights in my living room. All are 120volt screw base lamps but of different brands.

I orginally started with Sylvania Capsylites from Lowe's in two of the track fixtures then later added Philips Masterline halogens from Home Depot in the other two. Great improvement over the 65 watt normal incandescent reflector floods we used to have, now I get more light where I want it. Being that the lights are in a high ceiling living room, compact flourescents, even the reflector versions, didn't have enough "throw" to reach to the couch where my dad reads all the time.

As for lamp life, the box says 2000 hours for the Philips; I forgot what the Sylvanias were rated. However, I did have one Sylvania Capsylite and two Philips lamps go out prematurely. The Capsylite seems to have burned out normal but both Philips bulbs died with a loud POP! and a tinkeling sound. When I changed the bulbs, I noticed something loose ratteling around inside. After smashing the glass open, I found out that the halogen capsule inside had actually exploded and there were tiny peices of quartz sitting in the bottom of the reflector. I bough a new Philips bulb from HD to replace it though. The Capsylite blew when I was trying to adjust the fixture since we had rearranged the furniture so I do feel vibration was somewhat of a factor for that. I still have one Capsylite still going strong. As for the other Philips bulb, it blew just three weeks ago. I am now trying out a GE edison 50watt flood there.

Heat output dosen't seem too much but then again, they are up high so you don't feel it unless you get out a ladder and put your hand a few inches infront of the bulb. They do seem to get a little hotter than a normal bulb but that seems to be IR radiation, the halogen capsule itself is sealed under a vacuum in thick glass so the outter bulb still gets hot but it dosen't seem much hotter than a normal bulb. I do notice the metal screwbase getting very hot though but the sockets in the track fixtures are ceramic so it dosen't seem to be a problem. They are operated in a base up position at a slight angle with the top of the fixture closed.

I have a GE 45 watt Halogen Outdoor wide flood in an outdoor fixture with a 100 watt incandescant PAR bulb next to it. Great for grilling at night but I don't sleep with it left on. It dosen't get used too much though except when I'm emptying the trash or having a party.

My last bulb is a 35 watt MR-16 sized GE Edison spot bulb that has a screwbase and also runs on 120 volts. I use it as a task light in my room but I've since replaced it with an Ott Lite compact flourescent desklamp but I still pull it out if I'm doing close up work that needs more focused light than a CFL.


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## bfg9000 (May 16, 2006)

Wow that blue coating on the Natural Light Plus sure cuts a lot of output; 60w is rated 650 lumens instead of 900 for the unfrosted Halogena. Saw them both at Wal-Mart, but haven't tried the Natural Light Plus yet.

Halogens have always seemed no less yellow than regular incandescents to me, only with longer rated life. And while coated bulbs like the Natural Light Plus or GE Reveal look great, the drop in output is considerable: 100w Reveal is rated 1260 lumens instead of 1600 for the soft white.

In my experience with small enclosed aquariums, 60w is 60w of heat, whether from fluorescent, incandescent, or halogen incandescent. You just get three times as much visible light from the fluorescent for the same heat.


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