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Steve Jones
 
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Default Life expectancy of low energy light bulbs

Hi,

I've been buying low energy bulbs from Wilkinsons for some time now.

I've become so suspicious of there life expectancy that I started to mark
the purchase date on the base of the bulb.

I've just has one fail after five months. If it was on for 24/7 this only
amounts to 3600 hours. The bulb was in the bathroom so I'd only expect it
to be on for 4 hours/day or less. So it's failed after about 600 hours.

A standard filament bulb has a life expectancy of 1000 hours and it only
costs 20p, not two quid.

Am I just unlucky, do they really last six times longer - as advertised?

Steve.
  #2   Report Post  
Andy R
 
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Default


"Steve Jones" wrote in message
...
Hi,

I've been buying low energy bulbs from Wilkinsons for some time now.

I've become so suspicious of there life expectancy that I started to mark
the purchase date on the base of the bulb.

I've just has one fail after five months. If it was on for 24/7 this only
amounts to 3600 hours. The bulb was in the bathroom so I'd only expect it
to be on for 4 hours/day or less. So it's failed after about 600 hours.

A standard filament bulb has a life expectancy of 1000 hours and it only
costs 20p, not two quid.

Am I just unlucky, do they really last six times longer - as advertised?


I've got various different makes around the house and although I've not
studied it to the degree you have I've noticed some big differences in life.
I've got one in the downstairs loo which I'd expected to pack up ages ago
cos it gets switched on and off umpteen times a day but still it keeps going
yet I've had others that have had very little use and die prematurely.

Ive got an ancient one on the landing which in winter gets switched on when
we get up at 6.00 in the morning and no-one ever bothers to switch it off
til the last person goes to bed at night. It's gone a bit black at the
edges and takes ages to get bright but I suspect it'll last for ever.

Rgds

Andy R


  #3   Report Post  
Andrew Gabriel
 
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Default

In article ,
Steve Jones writes:
Hi,

I've been buying low energy bulbs from Wilkinsons for some time now.

I've become so suspicious of there life expectancy that I started to mark
the purchase date on the base of the bulb.

I've just has one fail after five months. If it was on for 24/7 this only
amounts to 3600 hours. The bulb was in the bathroom so I'd only expect it
to be on for 4 hours/day or less. So it's failed after about 600 hours.


Take it back and get a replacement.
I've no idea what make Wilkinsons stock, but I wouldn't be surprised
if it's one I never heard of before;-)

Generally, if you buy really cheap ones, you shouldn't be surprised
to find you have the lowest quality. I have been pleasently surprised
by the cheap IKEA ones though -- I bought a lot of them nearly 5 years
ago and so far just had one early failure and the rest all still working.
(The bathroom one has outlasted two bathroom fan motors actually. ;-)
At the time, IKEA was about the cheapest source, but there are now many
other equally cheap sources. OTOH, the ones IKEA now stock are not the
same types, so I don't know that you can necessarily make assumptions
about their current range.

A standard filament bulb has a life expectancy of 1000 hours and it only
costs 20p, not two quid.


Well, most of the cost is the electricity, not the 20p.

Am I just unlucky, do they really last six times longer - as advertised?


Good ones do.

--
Andrew Gabriel
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Default

Steve Jones wrote:

Hi,

I've been buying low energy bulbs from Wilkinsons for some time now.

I've become so suspicious of there life expectancy that I started to

mark
the purchase date on the base of the bulb.

I've just has one fail after five months. If it was on for 24/7 this

only
amounts to 3600 hours. The bulb was in the bathroom so I'd only

expect it
to be on for 4 hours/day or less. So it's failed after about 600

hours.

A standard filament bulb has a life expectancy of 1000 hours and it

only
costs 20p, not two quid.

Am I just unlucky, do they really last six times longer - as

advertised?

Steve.


Some brands dont meet their claimed lifetimes.
But early failures are relatively common with cfls. As long as only a
minority fail, that in itself doesnt invalidate the average life
claims. Some can go on way beyond claimed ave life times: there are
still cfls over 20 years old still going.

Was yours in an enclosed fitting? That will make a difference by
driving temp right up.


NT

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Christian McArdle
 
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Default

I've just has one fail after five months. If it was on for 24/7 this only
amounts to 3600 hours. The bulb was in the bathroom so I'd only expect it
to be on for 4 hours/day or less. So it's failed after about 600 hours.


I have used low energy bulbs exclusively since 1996. During that time, only
2 bulbs have reached the end of their life and stopped working, both of
which were old style mechanical starter types. All other failures have been
due to mechanical damage (trodden on, or water leaks) or obvious
manufacturing/transportation fault (i.e. they stop working within a couple
of hours).

Am I just unlucky, do they really last six times longer - as advertised?


I find they last far in excess of the claimed.

Perhaps you should stop buying the Wilkinsons ones.

Christian.




  #6   Report Post  
Andy Dingley
 
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Default

On Thu, 10 Feb 2005 09:09:46 +0000, Steve Jones
wrote:

I've been buying low energy bulbs from Wilkinsons for some time now.


Try Lidl. They're made by some recognisable brand name (I forget
which), they're bright, they're lasting well and best of all they have
really fast warm-up at switch on.

  #7   Report Post  
Tim Mitchell
 
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In article , Christian
McArdle writes
I've just has one fail after five months. If it was on for 24/7 this only
amounts to 3600 hours. The bulb was in the bathroom so I'd only expect it
to be on for 4 hours/day or less. So it's failed after about 600 hours.


I have used low energy bulbs exclusively since 1996. During that time, only
2 bulbs have reached the end of their life and stopped working, both of
which were old style mechanical starter types. All other failures have been
due to mechanical damage (trodden on, or water leaks) or obvious
manufacturing/transportation fault (i.e. they stop working within a couple
of hours).

Am I just unlucky, do they really last six times longer - as advertised?


I find they last far in excess of the claimed.

Perhaps you should stop buying the Wilkinsons ones.

They really don't like being turned on and off a lot, so that might be
part of the problem.
--
Tim Mitchell
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Ian Stirling
 
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Default

Andy Dingley wrote:
On Thu, 10 Feb 2005 09:09:46 +0000, Steve Jones
wrote:

I've been buying low energy bulbs from Wilkinsons for some time now.


Try Lidl. They're made by some recognisable brand name (I forget
which), they're bright, they're lasting well and best of all they have
really fast warm-up at switch on.


Were these the ones with really skinny tubes?
I had one early failure (started flickering at 2 hours) due to the
bulb being missasembled, and a couple of resistors shorting out, and
needing re-bent.
  #9   Report Post  
Colin
 
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They really don't like being turned on and off a lot, so that might be
part of the problem.


I have always suspected that the children jumping up and down on the floor
above a light fitting causes bulbs to fail prematurely.

(BTW: Screwfix have on several occasions replaced my bulbs free of charge
after they have failed early.)


  #10   Report Post  
Andy Dingley
 
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On 10 Feb 2005 16:25:51 GMT, Ian Stirling
wrote:

Were these the ones with really skinny tubes?
I had one early failure (started flickering at 2 hours


Fairly skinny. The 21W has three "hairpin" loops. Made by Osram.
I've got four of them in service, two of which are on pretty much
continually and are now about 2 years old.



  #11   Report Post  
Steve Jones
 
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Ian Stirling wrote:

Were these the ones with really skinny tubes?


Yes, they seem to light up faster than the fat tube version.

I must have bought twenty of these over the past two years and have replaced
about six so far.

Steve.

  #12   Report Post  
Mike
 
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Default


"Steve Jones" wrote in message
...
Hi,

I've been buying low energy bulbs from Wilkinsons for some time now.

I've become so suspicious of there life expectancy that I started to mark
the purchase date on the base of the bulb.

I've just has one fail after five months. If it was on for 24/7 this only
amounts to 3600 hours. The bulb was in the bathroom so I'd only expect it
to be on for 4 hours/day or less. So it's failed after about 600 hours.


Have you measured your voltage. Some brands didn't use to like anything
much above 240-ish volts but this problem seems to have gone away recently.


  #13   Report Post  
brugnospamsia
 
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Default


"Colin" wrote in message
...

They really don't like being turned on and off a lot, so that might be
part of the problem.


I have always suspected that the children jumping up and down on the floor
above a light fitting causes bulbs to fail prematurely.


this doesn't bode well for my plan to use them on my bicycle. I can see I'll
have to go to town on the rubber mounting ...

=======================


  #14   Report Post  
Tim Mitchell
 
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In article ,
brugnospamsia writes

"Colin" wrote in message
...

They really don't like being turned on and off a lot, so that might be
part of the problem.


I have always suspected that the children jumping up and down on the floor
above a light fitting causes bulbs to fail prematurely.


this doesn't bode well for my plan to use them on my bicycle. I can see I'll
have to go to town on the rubber mounting ...

that long mains cable is going to keep tangling up as well
--
Tim Mitchell
  #15   Report Post  
brugnospamsia
 
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Default


"Tim Mitchell" wrote in message
...
In article ,
brugnospamsia writes

"Colin" wrote in message
...

They really don't like being turned on and off a lot, so that might

be
part of the problem.

I have always suspected that the children jumping up and down on the

floor
above a light fitting causes bulbs to fail prematurely.


this doesn't bode well for my plan to use them on my bicycle. I can see

I'll
have to go to town on the rubber mounting ...

that long mains cable is going to keep tangling up as well


lol :-)

I'll have to watch I don't exceed the maximum permitted brightness - I
bought a 9 watt super twist for a reading lamp and it's too bright ...

I currently use a 12 volt 21 watt incandescent front and back and a 12 volt
7A/H battery.


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