Bulbs & Fittings Ideas

These lights have exceptionally good light output. I bought these 30 Watt bulbs, but they were a little too bright when I used them in a light fixture with 5 lamp sockets. The 23 Watt bulbs I purchased afterwards are still rather bright in the same 5 socket light fixture, but acceptable. The light output will become a little less with time. These 30 Watt bulbs are excellent for a three lamp light fixture. When compared to an incandescent bulb, these appear to be pure white and the standard bulb a weak yellow glow by comparison. Once you adapt to these full spectrum bulbs, you cannot go back to standard incandescent bulbs. Now I am replacing incandescent bulbs in all areas of my new house except in areas of low usage or places the bulbs will not fit. These bulbs will fit in most fixtures, however. I am replacing the fixture in my garage to put some 45 Watt full spectrum bulbs into a cluster light fixture. I live in the Houston, Texas area so cold weather is not normally a problem. Fluorescent bulbs often are weak in light output in cold weather until they warm up after a few minutes. When warm, they work fine. I have not tried this particular bulb series in a cold soak environment yet. The payoff should come this summer when electric bills are at their peak. These bulbs are very efficient and produce a lot less heat than incandescent bulbs. I look forward to the day that LED bulbs become affordable and brighter, but for now, this is the way to go. Definitely avoid the so called warm white fluorescent bulbs in the stores. Order only full spectrum CFL bulbs or those rated 51K or 55K or anything in the 5000 to 6000 Kelvin light spectrum. I would avoid the bulbs in the 6000 Kelvin range. They probably have too much of a blue shift. The 51K or 5100 Kelvin bulbs are perfect. Then it is just a matter of selecting the wattage you want. For multiple bulb fixtures, the 23 Watt bulbs are usually perfect. For single bulb fixtures, you probably want a higher power bulb than these. I am using a 45 Watt 51K fluorescent bulb over my breakfast nook and it is just right. These full spectrum bulbs are great for SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) people like me. I get winter depression when it is cloudy and bleak for a long time. Normally Houston has plenty of sunshine, but this winter has been unusually cold. Well, at least I am not in the frozen north. This is quite a switch for me because I just moved from the San Francisco area.

The dimensions of the bulbs are:
15-watt: length: 4.37″, diameter: 2.06″
23-watt: length: 5.04″, diameter: 2.44″
30-watt: length: 5.16″, diameter: 2.76″

All bulbs in this line are 5500K with a CRI of 88.

I’ve been a user of full spectrum bulbs because my office is attached to a computer server room and thus has no windows. I use this lights with a few desk lamps that I aim toward the walls/ceiling from my wrap around desk to provide some natural feeling light. It really helps me feel less like taking a snooze under all of the dim indoor lighting.

The packaging was all cardboard and contained no plastic. The bulbs seemed very well protected and I had no issues with them being shipped. I will definitely consider these again the next time I need more full spectrum bulbs. Also, no flicker that I can notice.