OT: Light bulbs

[J. Clarke]

Several flourescents in the shop have been balky about starting of late, so I went down to Home Despot for some replacements.

They have a whole big display of Phillips Alto bulbs. The 40 watt cool white plus that produce 3200 lumens go 10 for 14.95. The "Natural Sunshine" which produce 2200 lumens go for 34.95. The "Natural Sunshine" though have a color rendering index of 92 while the Cool White Plus have 70.

I've been rendering colors just fine for 20 years with cool whites. I might have paid a couple of bucks more for the same brightness and better CRI, but more than twice the price for 2/3 the brightness is totally ludicrous.

I wonder how many people actually buy the things.

[Swingman]

Lots, and they spend a ludicrous amount of time agonizing over it.

I've noticed in the past few years a trend for "lighting plans" to spec and pay particular attention to the bulbs, light color, lumens, etc., and less to the fixtures they go in.

The whole house lighting plan for the remodel I'm finishing up now never even mentions fixtures, but is very specific as to bulb in every case ... makes it difficult to design cabinets and architectural elements for the things like cabinet, cove, and back lighting.

I think it comes from the kitchen and bath magazine industry, which women (specifically those whose biological clock is no longer ticking) buy by the millions.

These rags have to continually revive and reinvent "trends" in order to keep churning out issues, with nothing new in the interim ... and anything new, like the current availability of a myriad of choices with regard to "light", is grist for the mill.

[Robatoy]

In a similar vein, one trend that annoys me is that unless your new car has a START button, you're driving something 'old'.

I can walk into somebody's house (with some exceptions, mind you) and can tell you =B1 2 years when they last decorated and which shows they watch and whcih magazines they read. Martha Stewart is the AntiDecoratresse. Evil!

[Han]

Robatoy wrote in news:153bd113-ac1b-461d-9c7f- [e-mail]:

Next time you want to visit NY, you can come and stay with us ... If you can tell me what I want to know ...

[Casper]

Speak for yourself! I (a woman) don't read those magazines or any other "chic" magazines, as I hear them called. Waste of paper imho.

However, I do know a few men who do, and, what's more, they believe and buy! Llast year some friends bought a new house and proceeded to renovate the kitchen/dinning room/family room into one large room because seperate rooms were too old fashioned/small. Cost $56k to cut out the dinning room and redo the kitchen with new stainless appliances and modern features. I can understand wanting a great room, but the kitchen was only 4 mos old and so were the appliances!

To each their own.

True, and it's not just with bulbs or magazines, it's with everything. Turn on the TV and you'll be flooded with ads doing the same thing. Marketing is another word for propaganda. ;)

[Robatoy]

Ooooohhh, don't tempt me with that and I hope Angela doesn't read this. She's been chomping at the bit to go shopping in NYC.

[Han]

Robatoy wrote in news:d26ac3c4-0213-424e-9a84- [e-mail]:

Well, it is a 35-40 min trip using 2 NJT trains before you're at Penn Station next to Macy's ...

[Robatoy]

f-

How far to Bloomingdale's?

Then how far to 321 West 46th Street? (Barbetta's Restaurant where I had some of the most incredible meals ever.)

[Han]

Robatoy wrote in news: [e-mail]:

From Penn Sta (8th Ave & 32nd Str, where there is a cab stand), I'd guess a 20 min stroll if you care to walk.

[Han]

Han wrote in news:Xns9F0E82C8EE1B7ikkezelf@216.151.153.169:

Take the subway

[Swingman]

Yabbut, they talk funny. :)

[Larry Blanchard]

That's a ridiculous price. I don't like the cool white for my model RR, they make everything look too blue. I use the GE "kitchen and bath" bulbs. I just bought two new ones (T5) for a total of $9.98. If they're too reddish for you, go with one of those and one cool white in the same fixture.

[J. Clarke]

That's for ten bulbs.

AK. I find different color bulbs in the same fixture to be distracting.

[HeyBub]

But dentists (and the ladies) like them because they show what the subject (tooth or makeup) will look like in several types of lighting.

[Bill]

I may not be able to drive any car or truck or RV I want, but I can use any kind of fluorescent bulb I want. Leon suggested those Natural Sunshine bulbs (that are $7 a pair at Lowes) and I bought a few (6). I'm going to try them out in the next few days. I'll compare them with the cool white that are currently up and report back. The existing ones are (the larger) t-10s, but It should still be interesting to observe any qualitative differences.

Bill

[Pete S]

Maybe a little off topic, but I have noticed that florescent bulbs seem to get a film on them over the winter. I take them down and clean them with rubbing alcohol and they very often work again. Anyone else have this experience?

Pete Stanaitis

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[Larry Jaques]

Mine gather dust yearround. If you use a propane torpedo for heat, they'll also get moist and gather more dust than usual.

I've always used a wet rag to clean mine (every couple years?), not needing alcohol.

-- The whole life of man is but a point of time; let us enjoy it. -- Plutarch

[David Paste]

Did you say that knowingly? (I can never tell with you women ;D)

Have a look at this: