Light bulbs

Does anyone make light bulbs that will last more than five minutes. Just got back from the store with a four pack of super duty long life bulbs. Three blew out as soon as I turned on the switch.

Buy LED

LED as well, no comparison, more light less heat long life and rugged. Jim

Also go to your local electrical suply house. Get yourself some 130 volt bulbs. They were used in some trafic lights.

Bulbs blowing early may be another problem. Check the wire connections to the socket (s) and make sure they are good.

I'm convinced the incandescents being made now are very poor quality.

The mfgs know their days are limited, so they are not maintaining their equipment or quality control. Most have probably farmed out the business to other companies, mostly overseas.

A few things you can do, look for a higher voltage rating on the lamp. Some are rated for 130v, but you give up efficiency, more heat, less light, more power consumed.

Some do have average life expectancy numbers listed on the box, but it's a long shot to put much faith in those numbers. The claims of "long life" or "heavy duty" are only words, no specific meaning other than looks good on the box!

But the 2 things I have found that makes the most difference, look at the way the element is supported. With frosted lamps, you have to hold them up to a light to see, but if it is just a straight wire stretched between 2 supports, it won't last long, especially if mounted horizontal or subject to shock or vibration. The better design is a circular element, supported in several places.

And globe size. Bigger is better. The bigger the globe, the cooler the lamp burns, the longer it will last.

Still, it's chancy buying them at all. I've mostly gone to LED's for everything now, the price is getting right, hard to beat the efficiency and life expectancy.

I have noticed that problem for several years now. LED have came down in price so I'll have to try them now.

Checked all that. Even replaced some. I remember as a kid we hardly ever changed a bulb. Even the rough service drop light bulbs. Don't last as long
as they used to. Guess I will take a ride to Lowes.

(quoted from post at 16:31:32 04/10/17) Does anyone make light bulbs that will last more than five minutes. Just got back from the store with a four pack of super duty long life bulbs. Three blew out as soon as I turned on the switch.

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I've experienced the same thing. Doesn't matter what brand or where you bought them. Some will last 5 minutes or maybe a week, and others will last for years.

Same thing with the CFL bulbs.

Same thing with the LEDs. LEDs usually don't burn out, but they do like to imitate strobe lights which renders them useless.

I've tried them all. I'll stick with incandescants.

Cannot climb anymore so had carpenters change some for me. Going from a single bulb that if it went out I was in dark completely put in the Y adapters that take 2 bulbs ans the old porceline sockets that could handle 300 Watt bulbs so instead of a single 100 watt I had 2 of the LED equivilent bulbs put in. Only turned on at night when I want light outside. After a month the one quite, other still worked. Ind I see so many cars and trucks with the LED rear lights with several of the LED's out.

Did you check the voltage with a meter?
I changed to LEDs about 6 months ago throughout the house "about 80 bulbs" and not one has failed.

We have had very good luck with CFL's, in fact too good! Now that LED's are getting inexpensive I would like to upgrade but the CFL's still work fine, and in some locations it's nice that they don't come on like a flashbulb. We just bought some 100w equivalent LED'S for our garages, our power company gave us a rebate that covers 75% of the cost. I have seen the 60w equivalent for $1 apiece recently. I see no reason to ever buy another incandescent bulb again, unless you're pretty young an LED will last longer than you will!

Incandescants are very hard to find in this area because they have been fazed out. CFL and halogen bulbs are to be fazed out in the next 6
to 7 years.

We used CFLs until I had several went out with a flash and ball of smoke. Got rid of them along with halogen bulb that exploded.

I"ve had the same thing often, depending on source. I think some is just poor handling in shipping, as well as cheap china construction.

Maybe the socket polarity is backwards?..............



Anyway, I have had two LED's fail at barely a year old. They blinked for a bit and then gave up. They are GE brand (which may be the problem right there). They supposedly have a big warranty.......wish me luck on that one!

We had some incandescents that were in the garage when we bought the house. Ten year later I closed in the garage and pulled down that fixture with the same bulbs in it and still working.

I like the light quality of the LED vs. CFL but if they are not durable then I'm not sure what to do next.

IIRC they used to sell resistor disks that went in under the light bulb base that cut the voltage some and increased life. Haven't seen those in a long time.