Do NOT buy replica light bulbs from Amazon

[1918ColonialRevival]

To anyone planning to order historic replica bulbs from Amazon, let this be a warning.

Over the years, I've tried just about every kind of so-called replica bulb out there and I've found that the better ones in terms of authentic appearance and quality are made by Ferrowatt and Bulbrite. Kyp-go also made good bulbs, but I don't know if they're still around since the owner passed away a couple of years ago.

Twice in the past month, I've tried to order Bulbrite bulbs from Amazon. Both times, the vendors pulled a bait and switch. They've advertised the Bulbrites, complete with the part number, and sent cheap Chinese knock-offs. The first time, I was able to send them back and get a refund. This time, the vendor (a different one than the first) is putting up resistance, so I'm in the process of a dispute claim.

The reason for this post? Those of you who use the historic bulbs, get them somewhere else besides Amazon. There is zero policing of their vendors and you never know what you'll end up with.

[Mick_VT]

Good advice... and really... buy local if you can, even from a big box store, not from Amazon

[1918ColonialRevival]

Good advice... and really... buy local if you can, even from a big box store, not from Amazon

Agree 100%.

The only reason I resorted to online is that I can't find either bulb at any local electric suppliers. You'd think in a big area like Baltimore that wouldn't be the case. We had one that used to stock the Ferrowatt line, but they haven't had them in a couple of years now.

[Mick_VT]

I have used the brand that home depot sells, not the best but better than tungsten

[nhguy]

I bought through Lowes and have been very happy.

[phil]

It didnt' taker long after they figured out how to make light bulbs to realize that they can easily make ones that last. since then they have steadily decreased the life of bulbs to the point where they can pretty accurately estimate their lifespan. the objective is to sell them so they work out of the package and for long enough for you not to complain that they don't last. If they made them to last then they wouldnt' need to sell more. As LED and fluorescent technology has been pushed down our throats the bulb manufacturers that made incandescents further decreased the lifespan. you pay about ten bucks a bulb for these cheap chinese knock offs.. for 10 bucks apiece why not just buy real ones? lots still work after even a hundred years. this auction is just ending so maybe it will jump up but just as an example.. they are about 10 bucks apiece now for the working ones.

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Lot-Of-8-Antique ... SwZQRYhjaF

[1918ColonialRevival]

It didnt' taker long after they figured out how to make light bulbs to realize that they can easily make ones that last. since then they have steadily decreased the life of bulbs to the point where they can pretty accurately estimate their lifespan. the objective is to sell them so they work out of the package and for long enough for you not to complain that they don't last. If they made them to last then they wouldnt' need to sell more. As LED and fluorescent technology has been pushed down our throats the bulb manufacturers that made incandescents further decreased the lifespan. you pay about ten bucks a bulb for these cheap chinese knock offs.. for 10 bucks apiece why not just buy real ones? lots still work after even a hundred years. this auction is just ending so maybe it will jump up but just as an example.. they are about 10 bucks apiece now for the working ones.

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Lot-Of-8-Antique ... SwZQRYhjaF

You're referring to the light bulb "cartel" of the mid 1920s when they decided that bulbs were lasting way too long and they could make more money by having shorter life bulbs.

I found a couple of old "squirrelcage" filament GE Mazda bulbs tucked up on a ledge in the basement several years ago. Still good.

Lowes has "vintage style" bulbs around here, but the glass envelope isn't correct on them (tip is way too blunt).

[phil]

Lowes has "vintage style" bulbs around here, but the glass envelope isn't correct on them (tip is way too blunt).

Yea I saw that Home depot has a bunch of different repro bulbs, same thing it has a bump to indicate where the pip was on early ones. I haven't had very good luck with newer bulbs. I remember them being way less fragile.

I think the cartel is still alive and well maybe they set up in china now under a different name !

when I bought my house it still had some of the ones that were white and round but had sort of flat sides. It brought back memories of when they used to be shaped that way and those were still good until I broke them by accident.

so far I haven't' had to resort to new bulbs. I got a couple boxes from garage sales and such. some people were trying to save power by replacing every bulb in the house with newer style ones. I got a box of old stock industrial ones and they fare slightly better.

I've also got some TV tubes. they are absolutely worthless as hardly any one restores old TV's ,, at least tube TV's. since I collect radios not TV's they seem to come along for the ride with others. the first numbers are usually the filament voltage and you can recognize these tubes usually when you see batches where the first couple of numbers is an odd number. they also usually have different shapes and sometimes sockets with more pins. anyway I started fiddling to try to see what sort of voltage I could put through the filament before it actually blew. I was surprised I could increase the voltage quite a bit,, then they get brighter. I thought maybe I could make an interesting lamp or something. I thought of doing a Christmas tree with old radio tubes but they get a little too hot for that.

The mogul ones seem harder to get now. they used to always be on the shelf when i looked but last time I asked they looked at me like it was a strange request. you often see them in the older tri-light upright lamps.. the ones with the great big sockets. I'm sure you can get them online I was just a little surprised that they are disappearing.

some of the older 1920's radio tubes are getting hard to find and expensive. I saw one article where it described how to remove the base and insert a little grain of wheat light bulb. some of them can have their function replaced with a little diode or modern part so the idea was that you could re-use the old burned out ones by faking people into thinking they were on.. maybe good for a little display or something.

somethign else that is still off topic but I find neat is the nixie tube clocks. Nixie tubes look like radio tubes but they display digits or letters. You can get the parts to build a clock or calendar. here is a kind of neat steampunk one but there are all sorts of neat ideas around how to enclose them.

http://www.tubeclockdb.com/images/stori ... ampunk.jpg

[1918ColonialRevival]

We've got a local mom and pop hardware store that still stocks the 3-way Mogul bulbs. You can still find them here and there, but I agree they aren't as commonplace as they used to be. If all else failed, there's another source for Mogul bulbs that a lot of people don't think of - mortuary supply companies. They usually have both soft white and white/red Mogul base bulbs.

I know what you're saying with the tv tubes, especially the 1970s/80s manufacture tubes that seem to be everywhere.

[phil]

We've got a local mom and pop hardware store that still stocks the 3-way Mogul bulbs. You can still find them here and there, but I agree they aren't as commonplace as they used to be. If all else failed, there's another source for Mogul bulbs that a lot of people don't think of - mortuary supply companies. They usually have both soft white and white/red Mogul base bulbs.

I know what you're saying with the tv tubes, especially the 1970s/80s manufacture tubes that seem to be everywhere.

you are right mortuary supply companies aren't the first place you;d think of going to get light bulbs

on the TV's there are some people who restore the older black and white ones and I have a couple of examples.. The ones that didnt' seem to get restored were the tube type color TV's ( by tube type not referring to the CRT)
I remember us not getting one , but our neighbors did. I think it was about half the price of a new car. they didn't' come cheap like today.
the old philco predictas and such are still desirable and fun.