UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum - View Single Post

hamid_1 · 26th Apr 2019, 7:45 pm

Nice vintage lamps there!

I especially like the valve-shaped one. There used to be other shapes too - the mushroom bulb was one I remember. The squirrel-cage filament bulbs are still on sale. Pound shops occasionally have some. I bought a few last year from Poundworld when they were closing down, reduced to 45p / 30p. They don't give out much light, though. And one of them blew a 3 amp fuse immediately when I switched it on. I actually took the faulty bulb back to Poundworld, who gave me a new one without question, which was very nice of them. Years ago, the electrical shops had a live lampholder by the till. When you bought a bulb, the shop assistant plugged it in to show you it lit up. After that there were no comebacks.

Another advert I remember from the 70s or 80s - Mazda Doublelife bulbs - "Double the life but not double the cost". They claimed a 2000 hour lifetime. Around 1990 I got one of those Innovations catalogues through the post. It offered a 10,000 hour life filament bulb, but expensive (£10?), and they admitted it didn't give out as much light. So it was certainly possible to make longer-lasting bulbs. I guess 1000 hours was a compromise between lamp life, light output and profit for the manufacturers. Longer-lasting bulbs = fewer sales and less profit, or a higher unit price must be charged. Too short a life = dissatisfied customers who may be tempted by a competitior's longer-lasting products.

Presumably 1000 hours life for a lightbulb that cost a few pence is what most customers were happy with. When compact fluorescent bulbs first appeared, they were not popular even though they lasted longer and used less electricity. People thought they cost too much to buy. It was only when they were virtually given away by government subsidy, and filament bulbs were banned, that people changed their habits.

Nowadays, the lifespan of TVs and electrical goods is much shorter than of old, but they are cheaper to buy in real terms. Customers seem to have accepted this. It suits manufacturers better. More replacements sold = better cashflow and high volume manufacturing achieves better economies of scale.

Long ago (around 1991) I saw a story on an American TV news programme (ABC or CBS news). General Electric USA had taken over the Tungsram lightbulb factory in Hungary after the fall of communism. People then started to notice that they had to replace their lightbulbs more often. "Welcome to capitalism" was the headline.

26th Apr 2019, 7:45 pm	#39
hamid_1 Heptode Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: High Wycombe, Bucks. UK. Posts: 811	Re: The lightbulb conspiracy Nice vintage lamps there! I especially like the valve-shaped one. There used to be other shapes too - the mushroom bulb was one I remember. The squirrel-cage filament bulbs are still on sale. Pound shops occasionally have some. I bought a few last year from Poundworld when they were closing down, reduced to 45p / 30p. They don't give out much light, though. And one of them blew a 3 amp fuse immediately when I switched it on. I actually took the faulty bulb back to Poundworld, who gave me a new one without question, which was very nice of them. Years ago, the electrical shops had a live lampholder by the till. When you bought a bulb, the shop assistant plugged it in to show you it lit up. After that there were no comebacks. Another advert I remember from the 70s or 80s - Mazda Doublelife bulbs - "Double the life but not double the cost". They claimed a 2000 hour lifetime. Around 1990 I got one of those Innovations catalogues through the post. It offered a 10,000 hour life filament bulb, but expensive (£10?), and they admitted it didn't give out as much light. So it was certainly possible to make longer-lasting bulbs. I guess 1000 hours was a compromise between lamp life, light output and profit for the manufacturers. Longer-lasting bulbs = fewer sales and less profit, or a higher unit price must be charged. Too short a life = dissatisfied customers who may be tempted by a competitior's longer-lasting products. Presumably 1000 hours life for a lightbulb that cost a few pence is what most customers were happy with. When compact fluorescent bulbs first appeared, they were not popular even though they lasted longer and used less electricity. People thought they cost too much to buy. It was only when they were virtually given away by government subsidy, and filament bulbs were banned, that people changed their habits. Nowadays, the lifespan of TVs and electrical goods is much shorter than of old, but they are cheaper to buy in real terms. Customers seem to have accepted this. It suits manufacturers better. More replacements sold = better cashflow and high volume manufacturing achieves better economies of scale. Long ago (around 1991) I saw a story on an American TV news programme (ABC or CBS news). General Electric USA had taken over the Tungsram lightbulb factory in Hungary after the fall of communism. People then started to notice that they had to replace their lightbulbs more often. "Welcome to capitalism" was the headline.