DIYbanter - View Single Post - Inexpensive replacement for these garage flourescent lights?

Ralph Mowery

In article , says...

Meanie wrote:

Correct. T12 are obsolete.

Thanks for confirming. The funny thing is that the only difference is the
diameter (and the wattage), so, it's odd that they're "obsolete" just
because they're a bit fatter.

What's so bad about a 40W tube versus a 32W tube?
Is the 8 watts really a big deal?

Or is there some other reason to ban "fat" tubes?

It could be the 8 watts or more likely the makeup of the tube. Less
glass and material. The tubes do contain mercury so less of that to
deal with. They kept cutting down on the mercury in the t12 tubes and
someetimes they would not start up if it was much below 50 deg F. Not
sure of the makeup of the coating on the inside ot the tubes, but less
used there also.

I worked in a large company that had thousands of bulbs. Toward the
last of the t12 tubes we had many that would not start up and this was
in a room that was over 70 deg F.