ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Blowing bulbs

I don't think they really have a vacuum in there, it is filled with an inert gas like argon but the same principle applies. If they didn't get all the air out, this is a flash bulb.

Kids, back in the olden days we had these things called flash bulbs used in cameras

Jeez, I used to have problems like that with GE’s incandescent bulbs all the time, but Sylvania was always very good. Are they by chance making their bulbs in Mexico or China now? That could be the root of the problem.
A couple of years back, I had problems with a whole case of some generic brand of 100W bulbs I bought from HD Supply that were made in Mexico. The solder blob on the side of the base was so big I had to file it down to get them to screw into the fixture sockets. Needless to say, I never bought those bulbs again.

Its fun when you get the big boxes selling seconds.

I remember the first Home Depot that opened in Winnipeg having bulbs loose in a cardboard box the size of a chest freezer. Probably had a couple of thousand 60 watts in there.

It was one of the major brands which I can't remember now but they were selling them loose for 15 cents each and no cardboard shell around them, you put them in paper bag like fresh vegetables.

Came back a few days later and they were all gone. I always wondered how long those bargain bulbs lasted once they were installed.

Dollar Tree has switched to selling Sylvania 4-packs; wonder how the performance of those are versus the former Sunbeam variety, and Sylvanias bought from other stores.

Our own people select the product, import it, sell it and use it. Good products are available, too, but it costs a little more and we won't put up with that.

I had that problem in my very own house. The POCO thought that they did me a favor by putting the transformer on a pole right near my house. The problem is that now I have high voltage in my house. The voltage ranges from 123 to about 126 volts. My bulbs never lasted long. I had to switch to a 130 volt bulb in order to make them last.

My living room ceiling is very high 18'-25' and changing them was a pain. I finally had to go to CFL bulbs. They can at least handle the higher voltage with out failing every other week.

What really stinks is that even if we are willing to pay extra for a higher quality domestically made product, in many cases, they have made it exceedingly difficult to actually find them.

I have no complaint about my incandescent bulbs, most are dimmer controlled which helps. The yellow bug bulbs seem to be dying at a much shorter life, probably due to poor quality. I don't know what brand they are at the moment.

As to bying domestic products, I'm all for that...but...it's real tough to find a lot of items made in the good ol' USA.

Heck, take all the imported clothing out of a Macy's store...and I bet it would be close to empty!

KJay,

I find that many supply houses are not stocking much inventory anymore. You almost have to go in and place an order to get the material you need. I guess the small supply houses can't compete with the big box stores.

City Electric here in SW Florida has been real good about getting any kind of special bulbs my wife needs at a price that competes well with the internet guys.
She uses lots of bulbs, all different types, running a country club and 800 door HOA.
Getting the 130v version makes them last a real long time. That is important if they are hard to get to.