Rare Today, Gone Tomorrow?

Incandescent light bulbs
are rapidly being replaced by LED and compact fluorescent bulbs
Light bulb

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There are 17 comments for this item.

Posted by notsteve at 9:40 am (PDT) on Wed September 20, 2023   
I say good riddance.

Incandescents are inefficient power hogs, and CFLs were only meant to be an interim fix and are now effectively obsolete. Today's LEDs are (mostly) dimmable, super-efficient, available in a multitude of color temperatures, and have CRI (color rendering index) of up to 98 - - rivaling halogen. 

BTW - specialty incandescents, such as appliance bulbs, are not restricted.
Posted by CJ at 9:20 am (PDT) on Tue August 8, 2023   
@Duff - Yes, LED's produce more light. But the down-side to that is that the brighter light makes it easier to see just how screwed up the world is now compared to what was in our days. PLEASE!!!! Bring back the dimmer incandescent lights because I don't want to see how bad things are now! LOL
Posted by Duff at 7:51 am (PDT) on Mon August 7, 2023   
Well, they've pulled the plug!  As of this month, most incandescent light bulbs can no longer be sold in the U.S.  This includes both conventional and halogen bulbs.  Bulbs must now produce at least 45 lumens per watt; incandescent bulbs produce less than 1/3 of that.  And that baseline is due to rise to over 120 lumens per watt at the end of 2024, which will cause CFLs to be banned as well.


Now excuse me while I concoct a trivia question about incandescent lightbulbs.
Posted by Bob K at 7:27 am (PDT) on Sun October 16, 2016   
I'm thinking that the "reformulation" for the Easy Bake Oven will have to be replacing the incandescent bulb with a Klystron tube to change it from a convection oven to a microwave. Ps. I don't like LED bulbs. The shadows they create irritate me.
Posted by LoyalTubist at 12:21 am (PDT) on Sun October 9, 2016   
Easy Bake Ovens have been "reformulated."
Posted by Chuck Kopsho at 11:58 pm (PDT) on Sat October 8, 2016   
The thing I miss about conventional light bulbs is that they gave off a nice warm glow. And, yes, they could heat up a room to temps in the 70's and 80's. It was someone's hair-brained scheme to switch us from incandescents to compact flourescent lights for no fathomable reason.
Posted by freddo30 at 9:58 pm (PDT) on Sun April 10, 2016   
Absolutely hate LEDs. Just want ordinary light bulbs like we had since ... when ?

I had a great-grandma of whom I was very fond born in 1878, a year ahead of Mr. Edison's creation and just 2 years after Mr. Bell's "infernal device"
Posted by Bob K at 7:30 am (PDT) on Sun May 17, 2015   
I'm with you Bob.
Posted by Bob Matthews at 4:40 pm (PDT) on Fri May 15, 2015   
Will never give up my 75 & 100W incandescents! (thanks, ebay Cool)
Posted by CJ at 5:22 pm (PDT) on Wed May 13, 2015   
And without the heat produced from incandesent bulbs...what will those that still own the old Easy Bake Ovens use to bake their treats?
Posted by copyman at 8:05 pm (PDT) on Sat September 1, 2012   
That, too, is part of the problem. It's so much easier to toss coily bulbs in the trash. The long tubes beg for recycling.

Better we should increase our power supply. Europe -- good, Green, Europe -- is dependent upon, nay, enjoys nuclear power... up to 60% in France, 70% in The Netherlands.

Where's OUR nuclear advantage?
Posted by GlenEllyn at 9:23 pm (PDT) on Fri August 31, 2012   
People complain about the mercury content in the new compact fluorescent bulbs but they forget that all those fluorescent tubes we've had around for years also contain mercury. Granted, most people don't have the tubes in their homes, although there are plenty who have them in their garage or workshop. We owned a home that had recessed fluorescent lights in the kitchen. We never thought anything about it and they lasted so long that we never had to replace them in the 5 years we lived there. I'm glad we didn't because I'm sure we weren't aware back then that they shouldn't go in the regular trash.
Posted by Rivvy at 3:27 pm (PST) on Fri December 23, 2011   
I like mini lights, can't stand big glare with my glaucoma...LED's don't put out heat, but I like the minis, because they help keep my house warm.
Posted by copyman at 5:45 pm (PST) on Tue December 13, 2011   
I've got stacks >/= 40W. "Barry, don't take my tungsten light away!" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLsDxvAErTU
Posted by Balonna at 5:11 pm (PST) on Sat December 10, 2011   
I am hoarding 100 watt bulbs.
Posted by copyman at 1:10 pm (PST) on Tue November 22, 2011   
I think it's retrogressive for the government to force us to use fluorescent light bulbs with toxic ingredients. However... the last American incandescent light bulb manufacturer has closed. Once the government decides that they've begun to reintroduce mercury into the groundwater, we'll have to buy the "inkies" from the Chinese. Now THERE's a conspiracy theory for you.
Posted by Duff at 6:51 pm (PST) on Tue January 26, 2010   
Speaking of light bulbs, I've got a little conspiracy theory.

I own some sconce-type light fixtures that take an oddly-shaped "CEN25" bulb (as seen here). While pink bulbs may still be available, I've been unable to locate white ones, which I'd prefer. I've tried other, smaller, bulbs, but they don't allow the fixtures' shades to fit properly. I've encountered this sort of situation with more than one fixture over the years.

I suspect that the bulb manufacturers approach fixture makers, saying, "Please design a fixture that uses only these bulbs we're about to discontinue. It'll allow us to get rid of excess inventory, and will force your customers to buy new fixtures in a couple of years, when they can no longer get replacement bulbs. It's a win-win!"

What do you think?

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