The Bayonet Lightbulb - Page 3 - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

Dave Moll · 14th May 2019, 10:13 am

Perhaps that announcement should have been made at the start of last month!

hamid_1 · 15th May 2019, 1:16 am

Poundland has plenty of BC LED light bulbs as well as ES and SES types. No sign of the bulbs disappearing yet. They even have BC filament bulbs, the red Fireglow ones as well as antique style cage filament bulbs from time to time.

SBC bulbs are rare now. I got several SBC LED bulbs from Homebase last year, when they were selling them off for 13p each! I even got a couple of BC/ES to SBC adaptors so I can use them anywhere.

Globalisation means that most new light fittings are now made in China. To obtain the lowest price per unit, only ES fittings are made in huge quantities for a worldwide market. Thus I haven't seen any new BC table lamps for a number of years. However it will be a long time before BC bulbs disappear completely. As well as the UK, BC bulbs are popular in former British colonies like India and Pakistan - a market of more than a billion people. Those people won't replace all their BC light fittings overnight, so there is still a big enough market for China to produce replacement BC bulbs for those countries.

kalee20 · 15th May 2019, 12:59 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by hamid_1

Globalisation means that most new light fittings are now made in China. To obtain the lowest price per unit, only ES fittings are made in huge quantities for a worldwide market.

I'd go partly with that. Yes the majority of the world might want ES, but the minority can just ride on the back of that. The bulb is exactly the same whatever, the leadouts are the same, the features in the glasswork for the base are the same. All that is different is the base.

If the BC base needed a different-shaped bulb, or the leads to come out somewhere different, I'd expect the lamp manufacturers to be un-cooperative. But it doesn't. The worst extra cost is the manufacture of the small quantity of BC bases

AC/HL · 15th May 2019, 3:06 pm

Don't forget the importer. They also have to stock both versions. OK for the bulbs, there is a demand for both for now, but there isn't for the finished lamp. Customers will choose the base, or the shade, but not the bulb. Tempus fugit, it's a one way street, but as said above no rush yet.

avocollector · 24th May 2019, 4:06 pm

Having both BC and screw fittings, I find it is remarkable how often the last spare bulb in a specific wattage is the WRONG one to replace the once that just failed - some fiendish refinement of sods law I surmise!!

14th May 2019, 10:13 am	#41
Dave Moll Dekatron Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: West Cumbria (CA13), UK Posts: 6,127	Re: The Bayonet Lightbulb Perhaps that announcement should have been made at the start of last month! __________________ Mending is better than Ending (cf Brave New World by Aldous Huxley)

15th May 2019, 1:16 am	#42
hamid_1 Heptode Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: High Wycombe, Bucks. UK. Posts: 811	Re: The Bayonet Lightbulb Poundland has plenty of BC LED light bulbs as well as ES and SES types. No sign of the bulbs disappearing yet. They even have BC filament bulbs, the red Fireglow ones as well as antique style cage filament bulbs from time to time. SBC bulbs are rare now. I got several SBC LED bulbs from Homebase last year, when they were selling them off for 13p each! I even got a couple of BC/ES to SBC adaptors so I can use them anywhere. Globalisation means that most new light fittings are now made in China. To obtain the lowest price per unit, only ES fittings are made in huge quantities for a worldwide market. Thus I haven't seen any new BC table lamps for a number of years. However it will be a long time before BC bulbs disappear completely. As well as the UK, BC bulbs are popular in former British colonies like India and Pakistan - a market of more than a billion people. Those people won't replace all their BC light fittings overnight, so there is still a big enough market for China to produce replacement BC bulbs for those countries.

15th May 2019, 3:06 pm	#44
AC/HL Dekatron Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire, UK. Posts: 9,642	Re: The Bayonet Lightbulb Don't forget the importer. They also have to stock both versions. OK for the bulbs, there is a demand for both for now, but there isn't for the finished lamp. Customers will choose the base, or the shade, but not the bulb. Tempus fugit, it's a one way street, but as said above no rush yet.

24th May 2019, 4:06 pm	#45
avocollector Heptode Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Wellington, New Zealand. Posts: 653	Re: The Bayonet Lightbulb Having both BC and screw fittings, I find it is remarkable how often the last spare bulb in a specific wattage is the WRONG one to replace the once that just failed - some fiendish refinement of sods law I surmise!!