What is a Philips Ambient LED R20

The Ambient LED R20 Philips Light Bulb is a LED flood light made to be more energy efficient than your regular incandescent or halogen light bulb. These are sold as 25 degree beam angles. In English, that is a cross between a spot and a floor. Maybe I would call it a narrow flood.

Philips R20 LED bulbs are 4" in overall length and 2 1/2" in width. They are an easy replacement for incandescent or halogen R20 bulbs. Even though they are only 7 watts these LED bulbs put out the light of a 40 watt incandescent flood. That is some significant savings in energy considering these bulbs last on average 40,000 hours. That is 16 times the life of incandescent Duramax R20 bulbs!

The cost of these bulbs is only 10 times the cost of the incandescent version and considering that it lasts 16 times longer......you are going to save money in cost of purchasing light bulbs.....not just considering the cost of energy that you will save.

Philips LED R20 bulbs contain no mercury, are instant on bulbs (like incandescents), emit almost no UV/IR light in the beam and saves in bulb cost and energy costs. Try them!

What does PL-S Stand For?

PL-S light bulbs are compact fluorescent plug in light bulbs made by Philips Lighting. These are the oldest types of plug in light bulbs and are often found used in portable lamps. The PL-S stands for "Philips Linear- Short" These only come in a 2 Pin Plug In bulb.

PL-S CFL bulbs have an average rated life of 10,000 hours. These plug ins are available in the following wattages: 5, 7, 9 and 13. All but the 5 watt come in 827, 835, 841 and 850 color ways. The 5 watt only comes in 827 and 841 color ways.

The bases on the 5, 7 and 9 watt bubls are all interchangable. The bases are all the same and if a 5 watt isn't bright enough for you, feel free to go up in wattages. The 13 watt however, has a different base than the others and if you your lamp/fixture uses this wattage, it is the only wattage you can use.

What are PL-C Light Bulbs?

PL-C Light Bulbs are compact fluorescent plug in light bulbs. There are 2 versions. One is a 2 Pin Plug in PL-C light bulb and another is a 4 Pin Plug in PL-C light bulb. This is the number of pins on the base of the bulb. PL-C literaly stands for "Philips Linear-Cluster."

These cfl light bulbs have a life span of 10,000 hours for the 2-Pin version and 12,000 hours for the 4-Pin version.

PL-C light bulbs come in the following wattages: 13, 18 and 26 for the regular 2 pin version; 20 and 27 watts for the 15mm tube version; and then 13, 18 and 26 for the 4 pin version. Most wattages are available in 827, 830, 835 and 841 color ranges. The 15 mm bulbs only come in 827.

You can not interchange the wattages for these bulbs. The base is different for each variation and thus the only flexibility you have is in choosing a color.

Looking for a Philips Spot Line BR25......

The BR25 Spot Line light bulbs were discontinued by Philips. They were available in 100 watts. Unfortunately, there is no adequate replacement for the BR25 bulbs as all other spots are going to be either >.5" less in diameter or .5" more in diameter.

What does PL-L Mean?

PL-L Philips Light Bulbs are compact fluorescent plug in light bulbs. Each have 4 pins that plug in to your fixture and are configured in a straight line. PL-L stands for "Philips Linear-Long."

These bulbs have an average rated life at 15,000 (36 watts and under) and 20,000 (40 watts and above) hours making them a significantly more effecient light bulb to use. PL-L light bulbs come in the following wattages: 18, 24, 36, 40, 50, 55 and 80. Most wattages are available in 830, 835 and 841 color ranges. The 55 watt only comes in an 841 and 950 color.

With these bulbs it is possible to interchange wattages. The bases and thus the ballast that powers these bulbs are all the same which allows for easy wattage substitutions.

What is TuffGuard Coating?

TuffGuard Coating is like a teflon coating. It provides Thermal Shock Protection to light bulbs. If accidently broken, these light bulbs will effectively contain shattered glass particles.

These should be used in any space where the welfare of your employees or guest is a consideration. TuffGuarded light bulbs are ideal for the following applications: Food Service/processing, beverage plants, textile plants, medical facilities, packaging manufacturing, museums, schools, waste-water plants, pharmaceutical manufacturing and many more.

Infrared are often tuffguarded as it is a material that will last under the heat provided by the infrared lamp.

What does PL-T mean?

PL-T Philips light bulbs are compact fluorescent bulbs that have 4 pins in the base that plug in to the wall. PL-T stands for "Philips Linear-Triple."

The life of these bulbs is 16,000 hours. They come in the following wattages: 18, 26, 32, 42 and 57. And most of the wattages of the Philips PL-T bulbs come in 827 to 841 color ranges or 2700K to 4100K.

It is key to know what wattage you are using. Reason being is that the base of each wattage of this plug in is different. So, if you purchase a different wattage than what you are currently using, the PL-T will not fit.

Do Philips MR16 bulbs have a Lense over the top?

Yes. Philips started making all of their MR16 products with a lense. So, if you order a MR16 or a MRC16 either one, you will get a bulb with a lense. The "c" in MRC16 use to indicated that it had a "cover" but that no longer applies since all Philips MR16 bulbs now have a lense.

What are Philips Rough Service Light Bulbs?

When you see a Philips bulb called a Tough Bulb or a Rough Service bulb they mean pretty much what it sounds like. These bulbs are manufacturered with a filament that will withstand constant vibrations and extreme shock.

For example, a customer recently called having trouble keeping a light bulb in his garage door. They all seemed to burn out prematurely. The solution is to use a rough service bulb. It will withstand the constation motion that comes with the opening and closing of garage doors.

These bulbs are also great for portable lighting, like a work light, or near any kind of vibrating or heavy machinery.

Philips AmbientLED A-55 Light Bulb Hot off the Presses

The Philips Ambient LED A55 Light Bulbs carry the same general shape as an A19 bulb. They are also about the same overall lengh. The A55 is 4.2 in overall length where the A19 is 4.134. These 7 watt LED bulbs replace a 25 watt incandescent bulb. The biggest difference? The LED A-55 will last upwards of 40,000 hours and a standard incandescent bulb only lasts 2500 hours.

This makes this bulb an ideal alternative where maintenence of replacing the bulbs can be an issue. But can be used anywhere you are currently using a regular A19 light bulb.

Philips Pink SoftTone 3Way Light Bulbs

A wonderful way to get softer lighting in your home is by using the Philips Pink SoftTone 3-Way Light Bulb. The wattages it will product are 50/100/150 which is very bright. But with the softness of the bulb it's not a harsh light.

85 Watt BR40 Philips Light Bulbs now Discontinued

As part of the mandate from Congress, another bulb is now discontinued and out of stock. The 85 Watt BR40 light bulbs.....all variations. To assist out customer in making the best decision on what replacement bulb to start using in their applications, we have put together a spreadsheet that outlines your options.

A couple of things to note: The halogen bulbs are going to put out a bit more heat that the incandescent bulbs. Also, the par halogen bulbs are shorter than the incandescent BR40. The width won't be that noticable but the length will. Therefore if you go with this option, you will need to purchase bulb extenders for each socket. You will only need to purchase these once.

Ionic Breeze Air Purifier Light Bulbs

We are told by many customers who have the Sharper Image Ionic Breeze Air Purifier that finding replacement light bulbs are hard to find. We stock them and ship them out to customers daily. The bulbs are a Philips UV G15 T8 light bulb. The Sharper Image manual recommends that you change these bulbs every 12 months. The bulb may still be working but from the tests that Sharper Image ran, they tested the units to be optimally working when the bulb is replaced every year. You can purchase the bulbs HERE.

Does dimming your overhead lighting save in energy costs?

Absolutely yes! If you dim a line of lights by say 50% brightness, you will be saving approx. 42% of energy. The dimmer switch itself uses some energy. That's why you wouldn't be saving 50% of the energy.

Any halogen or incandescent light bulb can be put on a dimmer switch. On a dimmer switch, the bulbs are not at their complete brightness. It varies by manufacturer but on average the bulbs will be at about 92% of their brightness if they were put in a socket without a dimmer switch.

Philips Aurelle LED Deck Light Bulb Kits Discontinued

Philips Aurelle LED Blue and White Deck Light Bulb kits are now discontinued and unavailable. If not already very soon they will also no longer be available through local stores and online retailers as they have sold all the back stock they may have had. The white version was actually discontinued and went out of stock in 2008. The Blue version is just now out of stock as this color was not as popular as the white version.

Are LED light bulbs dimmable?

No, LED light bulbs are not dimmable. Incandescent and Halogen light bulbs are always dimmable. Some CFL bulbs are but most are not. And most if not all LED bulbs are not dimmable.

Do LED Light Bulbs generate much heat?

The short answer is yes. It's hard to wrap your head around the fact that LED bulbs generate heat with them wattages being so low. You can not correlate the wattage with heat. LED bulbs generate heat like halogen light bulbs do. With halogen light bulbs the heat is thrust out of the can and into the room. With LED light bulbs the heat is held inside the can.

So, if you had a piece of art that you wanted to light with either a halogen or a LED light bulb, I would recommend using an LED bulb as the heat will not be thrust upon the art like with a halogen. But if you are trying to keep a confined area cooler, one is going to be about the same as the other.

Are other Philips bulbs the same as their Duramax bulbs?

Philips created a group of light bulbs that are incandescents which have a little different technology and cause them to last a bit longer than your regular incandescent called Duramax Light Bulbs. These are mostly what the big box stores sell of Philips. If you are looking to purchase other bulbs that are the same wattage but just not Duramax or not the same voltage, the color of the light put out will be exactly the same. The only difference may be the life of the bulb and/or the brightness of the bulb. 130 volt bulbs will be slightly less bright but not tremendously.

What is the Philips Masterline MR16?

You may have a small flood light that you are using either in recessed or track lighting that will have "Masterline" on it. The Masterline collection was a group of halogen MRC16 bulbs that are no longer made. The replacements are the Philips Energy Advantage MRC16 light bulbs. The only thing that is different is that all of Philips MR16 bulbs come with a glass lense. No longer are the bulbs open like some use to be.

If you have "Masterline" on a different type bulb, the word simply refers to branding that Philips use to use.

What is a Full Spectrum Light Bulb

There is no across the board "official" definition of the term full spectrum. So for each manufacturer you may find slight variances. Full Spectrum light bulbs are generally linear fluorescent light bulbs and are identified by their color temperature. Anything with a 5000K color temperature combined with a high CRI is classified as full spectrum according to Philips.

Essentially it's a light source that has a cool temperature (5000K) and a color rendering (CRI) of as close to 100 as possible. Philips has several linear fluorescent light bulbs that fit in their definition of full spectrum. They are called Colortone 50 bulbs or have the code "C50" in their ordering code.

Philips Regular 85 Watt BR40 Light Bulbs Discontinued

As part of the 2006 energy bill passed by Congress, another one of the bulbs on the chopping block made by Philips is now officially discontinued and out of stock. The regular line 85 watt BR40 light bulbs are now discontinued and out of stock.

The good news is that the Duramax version of the 85 Watt BR40 is still available. The price is going to be a bit different but in light of the fact that there isn't anything that is a perfect replacement, it may be worth the price. The bulb will be the exactly the same. Depending on whether you are currently using a 120 volt bulb or a 130 volt bulb, the brightness may vary just slightly.

What is the difference in a "Standard" and a "Medium" base light bulb?

The simple answer? There is no difference. Different manufacturers generally call bases the same thing as they are industry standard or need to be the same across the board for user ease. But one base that you may find multiple descriptions on is your "medium" base light bulbs. Most light bulbs that a homeowner will use in their home will be this base type. You may also see this type of base referred to as a "standard" base size. Or an original "Edison" base.

Philips 150 watt Traffic Light Bulbs

More than 10 years ago Philips went from producing their A21 traffic lights from a glass cover to a polycarbonate cover. For some of you, you may have had a stock pile of bulbs and are just now needing new ones and aren't aware of the change.

When they went to the polycarbonate, the 150 watt bulbs were developing a white burn spot on the ends because the wattage was too hot for the material. As a result, Philips discontinued the 150 watt traffic lights and changed it to a 116 watt traffic signal bulb. Those are available in the 130 volt as well as the 120 volt but the 130 volt will by far last the longest. But with Philips the highest wattage in the traffic signal bulbs is now a 116 watt.

Do I need to use a special timer with Halogena' light bulbs?

The simple answer is no. All Halogena', halogen and incandescent light bulbs can be used with any timer or dimmer. No special mechanism is needed. If you are having a problem, it's not your light bulb. It is probably a faulty timer or dimmer or wiring.

What is the difference between Halogen bulbs and Halogena' light bulbs?

Philips created an ad campaign to air on national television revolving around their Halogen bulb collection. In the process of this, they created a "retail shelf" line called Halogena'. If you look at regular halogen light bulbs from Philips and their halogena' equivalent, you will find that the specs are exactly the same. So, it really doesn't matter whether the name Halogena' is on the box. If it's from Philips, it's a quality product.