Jeff Wisnia wrote:

Hi, I told you already, take a look at thermistor or diode "bulb
savers"
they'll give you a soft start or the effect of reduced voltage you
need.
They are available to suit both standard and candelabra base sizes

Here's some:


http://www.acehardware.com/sm-lemra-...i-1379643.html

and:


http://www.scottenterprises.com/cgi-...oduct_Code=220

For the little money they cost it's worth giving them a try before
bothering to start rewiring stuff, isn't it?

Those are apparently the "diode" version of bulb saver, not the
thermistor. According to Don Klipstein's webpage (somebody already
mentioned that link, here it is again,
http://members.misty.com/don/bulb1.html), they reduce light output by
70 percent while reducing power by 40%. So that's 30% of the light for
60% of the power, meaning you're paying twice as much to get the same
light. The same page explains the tradeoff of bulb life and bulb
efficiency: with the electricity cost far exceeding the cost of the
bulb, it appears these devices are false economy.

The only non-diode, drop-in soft starters I could find were Bulb Boss
and Longlite

http://www.beacon-light.com/bulbboss.htm
http://longlite.beyourown.net/PowerControllers.aspx

I think I remember seeing Bulb Boss drop-in dimmers at home depot.

%mod%