Halogen Lamps

Halogen lamps, sometimes called tungsten halogen lamps, work using a tungsten filament, suspended in a strong (high-silica) glass bulb of halogen gas under high pressure. They’re effectively a more modern upgrade to the traditional incandescent lamp, and offer high lumen output at increased efficiency and lower energy cost.

Halogen bulbs are widely found in a range of specialist applications, with LED replacements also becoming increasingly popular for more general use scenarios.

What sorts of halogen lamps are available?

Our range of halogen lamps and bulbs includes:

• Standard halogen bulbs - available in a broad selection of wattages, shapes, luminosities and sizes for both bayonet (BA15 to B22) and screw (SES to E27) fittings.
• Halogen candle bulbs - halogen filament lamps designed with an ornamental flourish, intended to mimic the physical shape of candle flames while using 20-30% less energy than older incandescent versions.
• Halogen car bulbs - halogen versions of crucial automotive lamps, particularly well suited to use as headlight bulbs for brighter night-time driving illumination and a longer life cycle.
• Dichroic halogen lamps - halogen bulbs that also make use of a reflector technology to bounce visible light while allowing infrared to pass through, resulting in a halogen lamp that runs cooler and lasts longer.

We also stock numerous specialist lamp types, including both halogen capsule bulbs and linear halogen lamps.

What are the pros and cons of halogen bulbs?

Advantages of halogen lamps:

• Lightweight
• Cheap to make and buy
• Improved luminosity and light colour temperature over traditional incandescent lamps
• Longer life cycle than traditional bulbs
• Dimmable
• Instant-on (no ’warm-up’ time to full brightness)

Limitations of halogen lamps:

• Tend to run hot, and must be handled with care
• Grease or fingerprints on the glass can cause uneven heating and reduce life expectancy of lamps
• Only offer around 1/10 the typical lifespan of an equivalent LED bulb
• Considerably less energy-efficient under extended running than LED or HID lamps
• Higher wattages are being phased out