Halogen Light Bulbs Tips and Advice

Halogen lamps are popular choices both for new installations and for replacement incandescent bulbs. They are more efficient and brighter and relatively inexpensive. Their uses are many and span into such areas as home, commercial, industrial, automobile, airplanes and more. The brightness is comparable to daylight, giving truer color definition as well as clearer visibility, which is more cheerful for everyone, especially photographers and video enthusiasts.

Halogen Light Bulb History

The halogen lightbulb was invented in 1953 by scientists at GE. They found that by introducing a small amount of iodine gas into an incandescent bulb, the evaporating tungsten would mix with the gas and redeposit itself back onto the tungsten filament. This process is known as the halogen regenerative cycle and is what makes halogen lamps last much longer than the ordinary incandescent lamp.

Halogen Light Bulb Safety and Precautions

Halogen lights operate at high temperatures and get very hot. The bulb is and must be of fused silica (quartz), which is stronger and allows the gas pressure to be higher and even hotter. Be sure to have clearance around these lamps as they can start fires to combustible materials. When ready for a replacement halogen lamp, let it cool down before handling it. Also, when handling the new lamp, use the package that it comes in or use a glove to keep your fingers from touching the glass. Otherwise, the natural oil of the skin can leave a hot spot on the lamp that when lit will create a weak point. This weak spot can and will cause it to shatter.

Halogen Types of Lamps and Bases

Halogen lamps are, to say the least, plentiful. There are so many different sizes and types, and even the bases add up to an impressive list.

Some of the Lamps: AR 70, Bi-Pin, MB, MR 11, MR 16, PR 14, PAR 14, AR 111, PAR 16, PAR 20, PAR 30, PAR 30 LN, PAR 38 SPL, SPL PAR 36, PAR 46, 56, 64 Super Q, Tungsten Halogen Double Ended

Some of the Bases: RSC, Candelabra E12, Double Contact Bayonet BA15D, Intermediate E17, Medium E26, Mini Can Screw E11, Mini Screw E10, Mogul End Prong, Mogul Pre Focus, Screw Terminal, G4, GU 5.3, GY 9.5, GY 6, GY 35, GY 15

Discount Halogen Light Bulbs

As we mentioned previously, halogen light bulbs are available in many different shapes and sizes for a variety of different uses. When shopping for discount Halogen Light Bulbs some top manufactures include Osram, Narva, GE, Maglite, Phillips, Silverstar, Westinghouse, Solux, Hiper Industries & Naxos. From our experience, the best prices can be found purchasing in bulk via auction sites such as eBay or from the online version of discount department stores such as walmart.com or the Best Buy website. Again, it depends on what you’re looking for, but in order to get the best discount, it is recommended to shop several sources before actually making your purchase.