long life bulbs

After changing a so called domestic " Long life bulb" for the third time this year, I have began to wonder how come my light bulbs in my TF have lasted ( knock on wood ) for almost six years. Now remember that they have to endure frequent switching and almost constant vibration. Add to this that they are not expensive, I wonder if we are being ripped off by these oversize, slow starting waste of time so called wonders ?

Eagle;14447 wrote: After changing a so called " Long life bulb" for the third time this year, I have began to wonder how come my light bulbs in my TF have lasted ( knock on wood ) for almost six years. Now remember that they have to endure frequent switching and almost constant vibration. Add to this that they are not expensive, I wonder if we are being ripped off by these oversize, slow starting waste of time so called wonders ?

I think the way they are constructed, designed, should give long life, but then they try to make them cheaper and cheaper. Quality suffers.

As for headlamp bulbs - I think the same applies. I tried some hi output cheap no-name ebay specials and three out of four lasted almost a month!
So I bought some Osram Nightbreakers and - no problem, still in there, eighteen months later.

Car bulbs are designed for the rigors of use, my Honda Accord has some of the original bulbs and its now 10 years old and covered 80K miles. I do also have two MGs! Only buy good branded bulbs, and try to get the manufacturers replacements rather than the cheapos from Halfrauds or other motor factors. Vehicle Wiring Products supply a range of good quality bulbs. www.vehiclewiringproducts.co.uk

It is the same with domestic light bulbs, only buy the branded ones and not the supermarkets own brands. The average life of a tungsten light bulb is 1000 hours , and a low energy lamp should last about 8000 hours or longer, a great deal depends on how many times it is switched on and off. I know of a local electrical wholesalers shop where the window display lights have been on 24/7 for over five years now, without a single lamp change. Hope this helps

I have just changed a headlamp bulb for the second time on my 2000 Honda Accord, which will be 11 years old in January and covered over 81,000 miles the main beam bulbs are the originals. thought everyone would like to know how long branded auto bulbs last.:woohoo:

Bryan Young;16961 wrote: I have just changed a headlamp bulb for the second time on my 2000 Honda Accord, which will be 11 years old in January and covered over 81,000 miles the main beam bulbs are the originals. thought everyone would like to know how long branded auto bulbs last.:woohoo:

I think, with bulbs, it is better to go with known quality brands rather than these ebay cheapies from Kazakstan or wherever.:lol:
Philips, Osram, Hella etc. Yes they are more expensive, but in the long run, they're better value for money!:yesnod:

A car is one of the worst environment that you can put a filament lamp in, with constant thermal cycling and vibration it is a wonder they last more than a day. Good design and carefully chosen materials is the key, both of which are probably lacking in cheaper lamps.