Lamp (Light Bulb) Guide

There are many different types of light bulbs for the various light fittings on our website. The guide below will describe the advantages and disadvantages of each lamp type to help you choose the right light fittings for your project. For expert lighting advice on any light bulbs or fittings on our website you can email us or give us a call on 01896 830421.

Capsule Lamps
	Halogen Capsule Lamps are commonly used in modern decorative fittings. Halogen Light Bulbs produce a very crisp and clear light output, they are not energy saving bulbs but they are more efficient than a normal light bulb. Mains voltage (240v) halogen capsule lamps can be easily dimmed while low voltage (12v) capsule lamps may require a more specialist dimmer switch.
GU10 Lamps
	Halogen GU10 Lamps are mains voltage (240v) lamps, most commonly found in ceiling spotlight and downlight fittings. GU10's produce a very crisp and clear light out-put and standard 50w and 35w are easily dimmable. You can also get retro-fit LED GU10's that will fit into all fittings that take normal GU10's, these LED lamps last for much longer and use far less energy, the only drawback is most LED GU10's are non-dimmable.
Dichroic Lamps
	Dichroic lamps are usually found in spotlight or track fittings. Dichroic lamps are low voltage (12v) lamps and require a transformer to operate. Usually you are able to dim dichroic lamps but it does depend on the transformer being used. Dichroic lamps are available with different beam angles from narrow spot lights of as small as 7° to wide flood lamps of 60°
Golfball Lamps
	GolfBall lamps can be found in a multitude of different light fittings. Small and shaped like a golfball (hence the name!) these lamps are available in several different wattages and types. Standard golfball lamps will last roughly the same time as an ordinary light bulb, however the new halogen, CFL and LED golf balls will last much longer and run at a lower wattage saving on electricity. If you want the old style opal golf balls you can find the modern equivalent in light bulbs > halogen savers
Candle Lamps
	Candle lamps are often found in decorative fittings such as wall lights or most commonly centre lights/chandeliers. Standard candle lamps last for between 600 and 1000 hours, however we advise most people to purchase the new halogen saver, CFL or LED candles which last much longer. Standard and halogen saver candles are both easily dimmable and come in a verity of types including fancy decorative finishes such as twisted and twisted tip.
Linear Halogen lamps
	Linear halogens come in two different sizes 78mm and 117mm. Sometimes the 117mm will be called 118mm, this however is identical to the 117mm it just depends if the manufacturer rounds the size of the bulb up or down to the nearest millimetre. Linear Halogens are most commonly found in exterior flood lights and some ceiling and wall fittings. They provide a strong, bright light and are easily dimmable. Modern linear halogens are more efficient than the older type and provide the same wattage while using less energy.
GLS Lamps (Normal Light Bulbs)
	GLS stands for General Lighting Service (Lamp). This is the most common type of light bulb found in houses and businesses up and down the country. The incandescent GLS lamp is currently being phased out by the EU however there are lots of different replacement options including Halogen savers, Mini Spiral lamps and LED versions. The halogen version of the GLS lamp gives the same bright warm light while using less energy and still allowing the product to be easily dimmed.
2D Lamps
	2D lamps are very efficient energy saving lamps. They are most commonly found in flush fittings and are very popular for commercial installations such as offices due to their low power consumption and maintenance costs (The lamp life is generally 10,000 to 15,000 hours). 2D lamps are dedicated energy saving lamps which simply means less efficient normal or halogen lamp simply wont fit into a 2D fitting. 2D lamps come in different wattages and can be 2 or 4 pin. 2D lamps are not dimmable with standard dimmer switches.