Here in the UK many of the desk lamps I can buy nowadays take a bulb
with an Ediscon Screw fitting. Also many wall lights for outdoor use
(sometimes with a PIR detector) take an ES fitting bulb.

Until recently all I ever needed for a general purpose light bulb was
a bayonet fitting. Now ES fittings seem to be appearing!
Pictures: http://www.bltdirect.co.uk/base.htm


Is there a particular advantage of the ES fitting over the bayonet
fitting in these sorts of applications?

Is there a particular advantage of the ES fitting over the bayonet
fitting in these sorts of applications?

No. There are several significant disadvantages to ES bulbs over BC
(polarity reversal safety and the bulbs stick, meaning you sometimes need to
replace the entire fitting, not just the bulb).

They are becoming more common simply because some markets do not have good
availability of BC bulbs and they only want to produce one version of their
product.

Christian.

In uk.d-i-y, Christian McArdle wrote:

There are several significant disadvantages to ES bulbs over BC
(polarity reversal safety

Wossat?

--
Mike Barnes

Lars wrote:
Here in the UK many of the desk lamps I can buy nowadays take a bulb
with an Ediscon Screw fitting. Also many wall lights for outdoor use
(sometimes with a PIR detector) take an ES fitting bulb.

Try and avoid them.


Until recently all I ever needed for a general purpose light bulb was
a bayonet fitting. Now ES fittings seem to be appearing!
Pictures: http://www.bltdirect.co.uk/base.htm


Is there a particular advantage of the ES fitting over the bayonet
fitting in these sorts of applications?

No, they are not as good as bayonet fittings.

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Christian McArdle wrote:

Is there a particular advantage of the ES fitting over the bayonet
fitting in these sorts of applications?

No. There are several significant disadvantages to ES bulbs over BC
(polarity reversal safety and the bulbs stick, meaning you sometimes
need to replace the entire fitting, not just the bulb).

I actually find that they're *easier* to remove than bayonet bulbs. On
bayonet bulbs, the contact patches are quite soft and the pins from the
fitting tend to sink in - making it very difficult to rotate the bulb by the
amount needed to release it from the bayonet.
--
Cheers,
Set Square
______
Please reply to newsgroup. Reply address is invalid.

Lars wrote...
Here in the UK many of the desk lamps I can buy nowadays take a bulb
with an Ediscon Screw fitting. Also many wall lights for outdoor use
(sometimes with a PIR detector) take an ES fitting bulb.

Until recently all I ever needed for a general purpose light bulb was
a bayonet fitting. Now ES fittings seem to be appearing!
Pictures: http://www.bltdirect.co.uk/base.htm


Is there a particular advantage of the ES fitting over the bayonet
fitting in these sorts of applications?

One very nasty DISadvantage is that if an ES fitting has been incorrectly
wired then the cap will be live and it is possible to get a mains shock
whilst changing a bulb - particularly if you have multi-way or pull switches
where it is not obvious or impossible to tell whether the circuit has been
switched off.

It's not just those terrible ES fittings that are perverting our standards -
just about all light fittings commonly available from UK DIY stores are not
suitable for normal use as supplied. Every one I have seen is supplied with
just a two-pole connector or two-terminal piece of choc-strip and hence
should be connected via a junction box. I have never seen one that contains
proper instructions explaining how the unit should correctly be fitted in a
domestic UK installation.

I suppose it won't be a problem in future since you'll have to shell out a
couple of hundred quid for a Part-P certified sparky to fit it for you -
right?

David

Lars wrote:

Here in the UK many of the desk lamps I can buy nowadays take a bulb
with an Ediscon Screw fitting. Also many wall lights for outdoor use
(sometimes with a PIR detector) take an ES fitting bulb.

Until recently all I ever needed for a general purpose light bulb was
a bayonet fitting. Now ES fittings seem to be appearing!
Pictures: http://www.bltdirect.co.uk/base.htm


Is there a particular advantage of the ES fitting over the bayonet
fitting in these sorts of applications?

Not my field but just a lay observation:

The only one I can think of is for making a water/vapour
tight seal between the lamp and fitting.

The screw-in fittings can facilitate a compression seal
between lamp and fitting.

A bayonet-type can obviously apply compression on the way
in, but some of that compression will be lost at the pins
move outward as they lock into place.

From the manufactuing viewpoint, I would think that both
screw fittings and lamps are cheaper to make than bayonet. I
may be wrong, but the ES fittings I see look to be cheap
alternatives to bayonet equivalents..

Presumably the heating and cooling cycles of use for a lamp
do have a greater effect on screw than bayonet - I would
have thought that they would tend to either get tigher and
tighter or the converse. I am not sure how this is designed
for, as it would seem very difficult to get it exactly
right, with no creep at all.

--
Sue

David Lee wrote:

snip
It's not just those terrible ES fittings that are perverting our standards -
just about all light fittings commonly available from UK DIY stores are not
suitable for normal use as supplied. Every one I have seen is supplied with
just a two-pole connector or two-terminal piece of choc-strip and hence
should be connected via a junction box. I have never seen one that contains
proper instructions explaining how the unit should correctly be fitted in a
domestic UK installation.

I suppose it won't be a problem in future since you'll have to shell out a
couple of hundred quid for a Part-P certified sparky to fit it for you -
right?

IIUC, not, in general if you are merely replacing an
existing fitting.

--
Sue

I would have thought that they would tend to either get tigher
and tighter or the converse. I am not sure how this is
designed for, as it would seem very difficult to get it
exactly right, with no creep at all.

They don't. ES bulbs are always either dropping out or welding themselves
in.

Christian.

Palindr?me wrote...
David Lee wrote:

snip
It's not just those terrible ES fittings that are perverting our
standards - just about all light fittings commonly available from UK DIY
stores are not suitable for normal use as supplied. Every one I have
seen is supplied with just a two-pole connector or two-terminal piece of
choc-strip and hence should be connected via a junction box. I have
never seen one that contains proper instructions explaining how the unit
should correctly be fitted in a domestic UK installation.

I suppose it won't be a problem in future since you'll have to shell out
a couple of hundred quid for a Part-P certified sparky to fit it for
you - right?

IIUC, not, in general if you are merely replacing an existing fitting.

That's point of my ironic comment - simple replacement is impossible without
bodging around with bits of choc-strip. Hence one of the exceptions to the
Part-P fiasco is also one of the ones more likely to cause hazardous
problems. The legislation should have ensured that all fittings and
appliances considered for DIY replacement should be fit for purpose exactly
as supplied and sold with full and correct installation instructions (just
as all plug tops must be supplied with wiring instructions). As it is it
penalizes competent householders, whilst providing no protection at all
against badly carried out "trivial" work, which can be just as dangerous in
incompetent hands.

David

On Fri, 25 Nov 2005 11:38:47 +0000 someone who may be Mike Barnes
wrote this:-

There are several significant disadvantages to ES bulbs over BC
(polarity reversal safety

Wossat?

If someone wires the live to the screw part of the fitting then it
is quite easy for people to touch that part, especially if replacing
a bulb.

Of course in many places whether the live is wired to the inner or
outer part of the fitting depends on which way round the plug is
inserted.

While this doesn't kill millions every day, it is undesirable.



--
David Hansen, Edinburgh
I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents me
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/00023--e.htm#54

David Lee wrote:

Palindr?me wrote...

David Lee wrote:

snip

It's not just those terrible ES fittings that are perverting our
standards - just about all light fittings commonly available from UK DIY
stores are not suitable for normal use as supplied. Every one I have
seen is supplied with just a two-pole connector or two-terminal piece of
choc-strip and hence should be connected via a junction box. I have
never seen one that contains proper instructions explaining how the unit
should correctly be fitted in a domestic UK installation.

I suppose it won't be a problem in future since you'll have to shell out
a couple of hundred quid for a Part-P certified sparky to fit it for
you - right?

IIUC, not, in general if you are merely replacing an existing fitting.


That's point of my ironic comment - simple replacement is impossible without
bodging around with bits of choc-strip. Hence one of the exceptions to the
Part-P fiasco is also one of the ones more likely to cause hazardous
problems. The legislation should have ensured that all fittings and
appliances considered for DIY replacement should be fit for purpose exactly
as supplied and sold with full and correct installation instructions (just
as all plug tops must be supplied with wiring instructions). As it is it
penalizes competent householders, whilst providing no protection at all
against badly carried out "trivial" work, which can be just as dangerous in
incompetent hands.

Part P is a treasury measure designed to make working in the
black economy more difficult - not to be confused for
something introduced to actually address the problem of
electrical safety in the home or home installations.

As such, it will be ignored by most householders - who will
continue to do things in much the same way as they always
have. And I am yet to find a man who reads the instructions
when installing anything - until afterwards when it doesn't
work, catches fire or he has bits left over.

What it will mean is that more householders will have a go
themselves, to avoid the financial costs that you mentioned.

--
Sue

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Palindr~»me wrote:

And I am yet to find a man who reads the instructions
when installing anything - until afterwards when it doesn't
work, catches fire or he has bits left over.

Surely not! Not in uk-diy! g
--
Cheers,
Set Square
______
Please reply to newsgroup. Reply address is invalid.

David Lee wrote:

One very nasty DISadvantage is that if an ES fitting has been incorrectly
wired then the cap will be live and it is possible to get a mains shock
whilst changing a bulb

Decent ES fittings have two fingers in the bottom, one contacting center
and the other contacting the base from below.

After the first quarter turn out, the base is isolated. The fitting is
tall enough to make touching the base very unlikely.

These must have been standard since at least 30 years.


Thomas

On Fri, 25 Nov 2005 12:18:04 UTC, "David Lee"
wrote:

One very nasty DISadvantage is that if an ES fitting has been incorrectly
wired then the cap will be live and it is possible to get a mains shock
whilst changing a bulb - particularly if you have multi-way or pull switches
where it is not obvious or impossible to tell whether the circuit has been
switched off.

And you can get 'safety' BC fittings where the contacts aren't live
unless a bulb is actually fitted - I haven't seen those for ES.

--
The information contained in this post is copyright the
poster, and specifically may not be published in, or used by
Avenue Supplies, http://avenuesupplies.co.uk

On Fri, 25 Nov 2005 12:16:50 UTC, "Set Square" wrote:

I actually find that they're *easier* to remove than bayonet bulbs. On
bayonet bulbs, the contact patches are quite soft and the pins from the
fitting tend to sink in - making it very difficult to rotate the bulb by the
amount needed to release it from the bayonet.

Choose a different fitting. I use BC fittings that have a springy metal
strip (the also disconnects itself when not 'sprung').
--
The information contained in this post is copyright the
poster, and specifically may not be published in, or used by
Avenue Supplies, http://avenuesupplies.co.uk

Christian McArdle wrote:
I would have thought that they would tend to either get tigher
and tighter or the converse. I am not sure how this is
designed for, as it would seem very difficult to get it
exactly right, with no creep at all.

They don't. ES bulbs are always either dropping out or welding themselves
in.

Christian.

ES bulbs also cost more in the shops. I would avoid them, unles there
is a fitting I especially want, and its ES only.

NT

On Fri, 25 Nov 2005 12:50:57 +0000, Palindr?me wrote:

David Lee wrote:

Palindr?me wrote...

David Lee wrote:

snip

It's not just those terrible ES fittings that are perverting our
standards - just about all light fittings commonly available from UK DIY
stores are not suitable for normal use as supplied. Every one I have
seen is supplied with just a two-pole connector or two-terminal piece of
choc-strip and hence should be connected via a junction box. I have
never seen one that contains proper instructions explaining how the unit
should correctly be fitted in a domestic UK installation.

I suppose it won't be a problem in future since you'll have to shell out
a couple of hundred quid for a Part-P certified sparky to fit it for
you - right?

IIUC, not, in general if you are merely replacing an existing fitting.


That's point of my ironic comment - simple replacement is impossible without
bodging around with bits of choc-strip. Hence one of the exceptions to the
Part-P fiasco is also one of the ones more likely to cause hazardous
problems. The legislation should have ensured that all fittings and
appliances considered for DIY replacement should be fit for purpose exactly
as supplied and sold with full and correct installation instructions (just
as all plug tops must be supplied with wiring instructions). As it is it
penalizes competent householders, whilst providing no protection at all
against badly carried out "trivial" work, which can be just as dangerous in
incompetent hands.

Part P is a treasury measure designed to make working in the
black economy more difficult - not to be confused for
something introduced to actually address the problem of
electrical safety in the home or home installations.

As such, it will be ignored by most householders - who will
continue to do things in much the same way as they always
have. And I am yet to find a man who reads the instructions
when installing anything - until afterwards when it doesn't
work, catches fire or he has bits left over.

What it will mean is that more householders will have a go
themselves, to avoid the financial costs that you mentioned.

...or just not make necessary improvements to socket provision, instead buying cheap multi-way
extension leads that melt at the slightest hint of a load.

I actually find that they're *easier* to remove than bayonet bulbs. On
bayonet bulbs, the contact patches are quite soft and the pins from the
fitting tend to sink in - making it very difficult to rotate the bulb by
the
amount needed to release it from the bayonet.

Funny that. In all my life I've never had any problem removing a bulb from a
BC fitting. However, with ES fittings, several bulbs have had to be removed
using pliers, including at least 2 which left the fitting unfit for future
service and one that has given me an electric shock. This is despite the
fact that over 90% of the total fittings I have used have been BC.

Christian.

"Lars" wrote in message
...
Here in the UK many of the desk lamps I can buy nowadays take a bulb
with an Ediscon Screw fitting. Also many wall lights for outdoor use
(sometimes with a PIR detector) take an ES fitting bulb.

Until recently all I ever needed for a general purpose light bulb was
a bayonet fitting. Now ES fittings seem to be appearing!
Pictures: http://www.bltdirect.co.uk/base.htm


Is there a particular advantage of the ES fitting over the bayonet
fitting in these sorts of applications?

Here in the U.S. 'screw base' bulbs are the norm, and I've never seen
bayonet base bulbs made for home lighting. It would be very awkward to touch
the base when installing them. The only common application we have for
bayonet type bulbs is in the automotive field.

Palindr?me wrote...
...And I am yet to find a man who reads the instructions when installing
anything - until afterwards when it doesn't work, catches fire or he has
bits left over.
...

So I must be unusual - every time I have had to do anything new on electrics
I have always got hold of the latest edition of the IEE regs (or the
electricians commentary) before doing anything. Particularly important
where earthing is involved since there is a lot that isn't intuitive.

Of course it won't be an issue in future since all the jobs I still have to
do will have to have been completed by last Christmas! Seriously - in most
cases how can anyone prove otherwise? Although it was pointed out to me
that a really serious inspector could track the serial number of something
like a consumer unit if he really was out to get you!

David

Zak wrote in message
.. .
David Lee wrote:

One very nasty DISadvantage is that if an ES fitting has been incorrectly
wired then the cap will be live and it is possible to get a mains shock
whilst changing a bulb

Decent ES fittings have two fingers in the bottom, one contacting center
and the other contacting the base from below.

After the first quarter turn out, the base is isolated. The fitting is
tall enough to make touching the base very unlikely.

These must have been standard since at least 30 years.


Maybe in Holland (I assume that's where ...news.tweaknews.nl... means you
are).
However my experience is very different - only Tuesday evening I had to
check some ES lamps in a school hall very much younger than 30 years and
there was about 1/2 inch of cap standing proud of the fittings. Turned out
not to be a problem as it happened, since some clot had turned off the
circuit breaker for the lighting circuit!

David

In uk.d-i-y, ?B?UGFsaW5kcuKYu21l?= wrote:
And I am yet to find a man who reads the instructions when installing
anything - until afterwards when it doesn't work, catches fire or he
has bits left over.

Now be fair - I bet you didn't *come* with instructions.

--
Mike Barnes

On Fri, 25 Nov 2005, Zak wrote:

Decent ES fittings have two fingers in the bottom, one contacting center
and the other contacting the base from below. After the first quarter
turn out, the base is isolated. The fitting is tall enough to make
touching the base very unlikely. These must have been standard since at
least 30 years.

Wow. Not in North America, where bayonet-base lamps are not used and the
threaded shell is for lamp retention *and* contact. 'Course, we have half
the mains voltage...

On Fri, 25 Nov 2005, PanHandler wrote:

Here in the U.S. 'screw base' bulbs are the norm, and I've never seen
bayonet base bulbs made for home lighting. It would be very awkward to
touch the base when installing them.

Not really! Many lamp sockets, even when in proper repair, are constructed
and installed such that it's very easy to touch the socket shell when
installing or removing a bulb. Let the socket degrade or break partially,
and it gets even easier. Let there be a problem with the lamps (remember
the Action Tungsram A-line lamps that were widely sold in the '80s and
*SUDDENLY* disappeared from store shelves?) and it gets even easier.

David Lee wrote:
Palindr?me wrote...

...And I am yet to find a man who reads the instructions when installing
anything - until afterwards when it doesn't work, catches fire or he has
bits left over.
...


So I must be unusual - every time I have had to do anything new on electrics
I have always got hold of the latest edition of the IEE regs (or the
electricians commentary) before doing anything. Particularly important
where earthing is involved since there is a lot that isn't intuitive.

Of course it won't be an issue in future since all the jobs I still have to
do will have to have been completed by last Christmas! Seriously - in most
cases how can anyone prove otherwise? Although it was pointed out to me
that a really serious inspector could track the serial number of something
like a consumer unit if he really was out to get you!

Lucky Mrs David..

IMHO, it will only be an issue when selling and when the work is
patently obviously recent. Even so, you could still argue that you had
merely rewired/replaced existing fittings, as allowed in the regs.

--
Sue

Mike Barnes wrote:
In uk.d-i-y, ?B?UGFsaW5kcuKYu21l?= wrote:

And I am yet to find a man who reads the instructions when installing
anything - until afterwards when it doesn't work, catches fire or he
has bits left over.


Now be fair - I bet you didn't *come* with instructions.

LOL, well, I have never caught fire or found myself with bits left
over.. so maybe my late husband could get something right by trial and
error..
--
Sue

I have had many occasions where BC bulbs stick in holders usually the
srings on teh BC contacts have siezed up ... never had an ES bulb size
in place, maybe it's just luck.

In article ,
Christian McArdle wrote:
Funny that. In all my life I've never had any problem removing a bulb
from a BC fitting. However, with ES fittings, several bulbs have had to
be removed using pliers, including at least 2 which left the fitting
unfit for future service and one that has given me an electric shock.
This is despite the fact that over 90% of the total fittings I have used
have been BC.

Yup - I've had several where the glass has detached from the base.

--
*Any connection between your reality and mine is purely coincidental

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Something's pretty fishy about this post. I spent a lot of time
in Wales and London both, and never came across a bayonet bulb on
anything run from the Mains.
I did see bayonets on some lab equipment in Wales, but those
weren't run from the mains. I think we're being led down the
proverbial path here, or:

Perhaps the OP would/could explain further?

My take is, if a desk lamp takes a bayonet, it's not run from the
mains; there is a transformer or ballast of some sort in that
appliance. And desk lamps fit that category.
Maybe the OP is talking about non-mains non-direct connectons.
A lot of outdoor lights, etc. are run on LV via transofrmers et
al.

HTH,
Pop


"PanHandler" wrote in message
.. .
:
: "Lars" wrote in message
: ...
: Here in the UK many of the desk lamps I can buy nowadays take
a bulb
: with an Ediscon Screw fitting. Also many wall lights for
outdoor use
: (sometimes with a PIR detector) take an ES fitting bulb.
:
: Until recently all I ever needed for a general purpose light
bulb was
: a bayonet fitting. Now ES fittings seem to be appearing!
: Pictures: http://www.bltdirect.co.uk/base.htm
:
:
: Is there a particular advantage of the ES fitting over the
bayonet
: fitting in these sorts of applications?
:
: Here in the U.S. 'screw base' bulbs are the norm, and I've
never seen
: bayonet base bulbs made for home lighting. It would be very
awkward to touch
: the base when installing them. The only common application we
have for
: bayonet type bulbs is in the automotive field.
:
:

"Daniel J. Stern" wrote in message
n.umich.edu...
: On Fri, 25 Nov 2005, Zak wrote:
:
: Decent ES fittings have two fingers in the bottom, one
contacting center
: and the other contacting the base from below. After the first
quarter
: turn out, the base is isolated. The fitting is tall enough to
make
: touching the base very unlikely. These must have been
standard since at
: least 30 years.
:
: Wow. Not in North America, where bayonet-base lamps are not
used and the
: threaded shell is for lamp retention *and* contact. 'Course, we
have half
: the mains voltage...

What? Of COURSE in NA! The only power in a properly plugged in
lamp socket is the small metal in the bottom center of the
socket. The threaded metal is neutral; no harmful voltage there.
That's why lamps have polarized plugs if the mains connects to
the bulb.

240/50 vs 120/60 - they both kill in very nearly the same length
of time. The heart succumbs at about 46V ac.

Palindr?me wrote...
David Lee wrote:
So I must be unusual - every time I have had to do anything new on
electrics I have always got hold of the latest edition of the IEE regs
(or the electricians commentary) before doing anything. ...

Lucky Mrs David..

Do you really think it may help if I put it in the specifications if I
finally decide to advertise for a "Mrs David"? ;-)

IMHO, it will only be an issue when selling and when the work is patently
obviously recent. Even so, you could still argue that you had merely
rewired/replaced existing fittings, as allowed in the regs.

Interesting point - would a new consumer unit come under "rewired/replaced
existing fittings"? If so then it really would make a mockery of the whole
sorry business!

David

Pop wrote...
Something's pretty fishy about this post. I spent a lot of time
in Wales and London both, and never came across a bayonet bulb on
anything run from the Mains.

Obviously not long enough or else you spent most of your time with your eyes
closed!

BC fittings are standard in the UK. ES fittings are increasingly common but
they are still very much in the minority. The lamp over my desk at the
moment just happens to be ES purely because it's a floor mounted unit that
was going absolutely dirt cheap. However (with the exception of a posey
Japanese paper lamp) every other fixture in the house takes a BC bulb.

David

Pop wrote...
What? Of COURSE in NA! The only power in a properly plugged in
lamp socket is the small metal in the bottom center of the
socket. The threaded metal is neutral; no harmful voltage there.
That's why lamps have polarized plugs if the mains connects to
the bulb.

Are you saying that no US mains-powered lamps can be plugged into a standard
two-pin socket? I find that a bit hard to believe.

Anyway, apart from that, in the event of a disconnected-neutral fault (eg
broken wire or loose terminal in the plug) the "neutral" at the lamp will
rise to mains potential. The user will probably assume the fault is a blown
bulb and could receive a mains shock if he could come into contact with any
part of the cap before it is unscrewed from the holder.

David

In article ,
Pop wrote:
Something's pretty fishy about this post. I spent a lot of time
in Wales and London both, and never came across a bayonet bulb on
anything run from the Mains.

You can't have looked very hard. Bayonet is still more common for things
like pendant lamps. Of course if your hosts only had IKEA products they'll
be ES. ;-)

I did see bayonets on some lab equipment in Wales, but those
weren't run from the mains. I think we're being led down the
proverbial path here, or:

Many desk lamps these days are low voltage, and these don't use ES
fittings either.;-)

Dunno what you mean by lab equipment? Bayonets are only used for lighting.

--
*Be nice to your kids. They'll choose your nursing home.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Fri, 25 Nov 2005 11:02:19 +0000, Lars wrote:

Here in the UK many of the desk lamps I can buy nowadays take a bulb
with an Ediscon Screw fitting. Also many wall lights for outdoor use
(sometimes with a PIR detector) take an ES fitting bulb.

Until recently all I ever needed for a general purpose light bulb was
a bayonet fitting. Now ES fittings seem to be appearing!
Pictures: http://www.bltdirect.co.uk/base.htm


Is there a particular advantage of the ES fitting over the bayonet
fitting in these sorts of applications?

In my experience both ES and BC holders each have their own disadvantages.

Poor quality BC holders often deform on the lugs.
ES holders can be wired wrongly and make it very easy to get a shock when
changing bulbs. ES holders are notorious for jamming.

Over all I'd say quality BCs are best.
Cheap BCs are no better than ES holders.



--
Ed Sirett - Property maintainer and registered gas fitter.
The FAQ for uk.diy is at http://www.diyfaq.org.uk
Gas fitting FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/GasFitting.html
Sealed CH FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/SealedCH.html

Ed Sirett wrote...
In my experience both ES and BC holders each have their own disadvantages.

Poor quality BC holders often deform on the lugs.
ES holders can be wired wrongly and make it very easy to get a shock when
changing bulbs. ES holders are notorious for jamming.

Over all I'd say quality BCs are best.
Cheap BCs are no better than ES holders.

I've never ever seen such problems with "proper" design cheap BC sockets.
However an increasing number of lamps supplied from places that generally
use ES fittings seem to have some very nasty looking non-standard design BC
holders which I would not touch with the proverbial bargepole - even if it
were wired for only 1.5volts! Perhaps it's these abominations of which you
speak?

David

This is the first post to get this number of replies since I have been
monitoring the group, can we have more posting from the UK please.

Regarding ES v BC, BC are the best overall for ease of replacement and
safety, providing you buy a Uk made one and not a cheap import.

Bill B

BillB@abc .net wrote in message
...
This is the first post to get this number of replies since I have been
monitoring the group, can we have more posting from the UK please.

Regarding ES v BC, BC are the best overall for ease of replacement and
safety, providing you buy a Uk made one and not a cheap import.

Bill B

i prefer ec type
sometimes the bayonet type have a pronounced wobble when fitted and i'm not
sure the contact made is thus a good one

David Lee wrote:

After the first quarter turn out, the base is isolated. The fitting is
tall enough to make touching the base very unlikely.

These must have been standard since at least 30 years.

Maybe in Holland (I assume that's where ...news.tweaknews.nl... means you
are).

True - these things are different everywhere it seems. The only
fittings that I remember were one could touch a live bulb base were
brass inside and outside with a porcelain isolating ring.

However my experience is very different - only Tuesday evening I had to
check some ES lamps in a school hall very much younger than 30 years and
there was about 1/2 inch of cap standing proud of the fittings. Turned out
not to be a problem as it happened, since some clot had turned off the
circuit breaker for the lighting circuit!

Not good. Edison (and other, I suppose) fittings also have the problem
that they can screw open when onetries to unscrew a bulb. Fittings thus
have some kind of ratchet inside: onde closed they are hard to
impossible to open again, for example to re-do the wiring. Sometmes the
ratchet is a metal plate than can be pushed down with ease. Other times
it is two bits of plastic pointing a bit outwards; breaking them off is
the only way to open the fitting in that case.

I guess that using the most common type of fitting makes sense, wherever
one lives. Implementation is perhaps more important than the basic
principles...


Thomas