Both regular incandescent bulbs and halogen bulbs create light by heating a filament (made of tungsten) inside the bulb; the heat makes the filament white-hot, producing the light that you see. Usually, the bulb burns out when the filament wears out. The filament on a regular incandescent bulb wears out over time because the tungsten on the filament evaporates and is redeposited on the bulb's glass.

As a result of grain boundary etching and the development of porosity due to tungsten evaporation (near the end of life, a cross-section of the filament resembles Swiss cheese) within the filament, the resistance increases during life so the current decreases at constant volts. However, the current decrease is not substantial. Light output over life will depend upon both operating wattage and any bulb blackening caused by tungsten deposits on the bulb wall.

The life of incandescent and halogen light bulbs, referred to as tungsten filament lamps, is limited by the state of the filament. The filament is the wire inside the bulb that produces light when heated. The light bulb will not work if the filament is broken which may occur as a result of the application of force, such as dropping the bulb, or by lack of tungsten in a particular area over the filament.

Halogen bulbs produce a whiter light and are 10 to 20% more efficient than regular incandescent bulbs. Halogen can produce more light with a smaller bulb, and are often used in modern fixtures with sleek designs. Both types of bulbs can last as long as 6000 hours on average, but halogen bulbs tend to be more expensive to replace. If you need more light from an existing lamp there are halogen bulbs designed to replace most regular incandescent bulbs.

A - It saves some energy, but the light output drops much faster than the energy saved. This is because as an incandescent lamp is dimmed, it still consumes a lot of energy generating infrared heat, so the energy savings are not as great as the reduction in light. If you need less light, a better solution is to use a lower wattage lamp, or use a more efficient source like a CFL. For instance, dimming a 75-watt incandescent lamp by 25% will still use 66 watts.

Eye Saver is an incandescent bulb. NASA conducted research with other light sources but found the incandescent light bulb is the best light source for this application because it produces the maximum amount of light with less glare. (back to top)

Halogen bulbs are more efficient than ordinary incandescent bulbs. They can give a longer lamp life expectancy because of the halogen cycle.

Using a dimming switch on an incandescent light bulb will not only reduce the energy consumption of the lamp, but also it will extend the life of the lamp. A 10% reduction in voltage (12 volts) in a lamp designed for 120 volt operation will extend the life almost 400%. However, light output is reduced by 1/3.

Yes, the unit can be used to power resistive loads such as coffee pots, hot plates, blenders, and incandescent and halogen lighting (not fluorescent).

The gases in the Halogen bulb illuminate at a higher temperature, therefore creating more intensity (foot-candles) to desired the location. The Halogen bulb will create a whiter (Kelvin temp), and depending upon the engineering and design of the product, cooler field of illumination.

Incandescent lamps are quite sensitive to voltage. If a "10 volt" lamp is operated at 12 volts it will produce twice the light, but will suffer a 95% reduction in life. Minor levels of overvolting (10% or less) will improve efficiency without unacceptable reductions in lamp life. Nightsun's Tri-Light and SunSport both use overdriven lamps.

During use, tungsten from the filament evaporates into the gas inside the light bulb. When the tungsten comes in contact with a cool surface it will condense. Often, with incandescent products, the tungsten condenses on the bulb wall, eventually accumulating, and causing darkening of the bulb. Halogen light bulbs eliminate the bulb darkening because halogen light bulbs have a special gas inside their bulb containing halogens.

You can use a dimmer with a halogen lamps but some low voltage halogen lamps require a special dimmer. Particles from the filament in a halogen bulb will cycle from the filament to the inside of the quartz envelope and back while in operation. Halogen bulbs used on a dimmer will last longer if they are set to full "ON" for two minutes before being turned off — this helps the particles from the filament complete their cycle.

The limits of the halogen technology was reached with the introduction of the PREMIUM lamp. This lamp offer 30% more light on the road ahead compared to a standard lamp. The only way for further improvements was via a new technology. The gas discharge lamp proved the answer.

Dimming increases incandescent lamp life, and haloge lamps are incandescent lamps. Lutron test data suggests that all halogen lamps will have an expected lamp life similar to that of other incandescent (non power factor corrected) lamps when dimmed, i.e. a halogen lamp dimmed 25% has a life extension of about four times that of a non-dimmed lamp.

Halides are reactive elements that include iodine and bromine. These are added in very small amounts to the inert argon gas in the lamp. The "halide cycle" acts to redeposit tungsten evaporated from the filament thereby preventing the tungsten from condensing on the inside of bulb, causing gradual darkening.

LBL Lighting manufacturer recommends the Xelogen lamp, if available. Unlike MR 16 Halogen's parabolic dome-shape metal housing, Xelogen bulb gives off more evenly dispersed lighting and makes the colors from hand blown glass shade glow much better. The socket will receive both the Halogen and Xelogen bulbs. Thus, if you pick Xelogen on your order now, you can always switch back to MR16 Halogen later. MR16 Halogen bulbs are widely available in most hardware stores for about $2-3 apiece.

Regular incandescent lamps produce light by passing an electric current through a filament in a vacuum or gas filled bulb. They provide low initial cost, good color rendition and excellent optical control. Halogen lamps also use a filament; but since it is sealed in a pressurized capsule containing halogen gas , the lamp provides brighter, whiter light and improved energy efficiency.

Hot-burning "halogen bulbs" can last two or three times longer than regular bulbs because they are filled with chemically active halogen gases that preserve the filament. The filament of an ordinary light bulb burns out because atoms of tungsten evaporate from its surface, so that it becomes thinner and thinner until it breaks. The evaporated tungsten is deposited on the inside surface of the bulb, where it forms a dark deposit.

There are two kinds of bulbs used in halogen lamps: transparent and translucent quartz bulbs. Materials inside the halogen lamp include tungsten filament, molybdenum foil, and filling gases consisting of a combination of Nitrogen (N2), Argon (AR), Krypton (Kr) and a small amount of halogen gas made up of iodine (I), bromine (Br), chlorine (Cl), and fluorine (F). The base of the lamp is usually made of steatite or heat-resistant metal.