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Do you still use fluorescent lightbulbs in 2026? Or any other bulbs that aren't LED?
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SHY_TUCKER
lemmy.ml
SHY_TUCKER@lemmy.ml
Joined: 2025-12-29
#52 Posted:   Subject: Re: Do you still use fluorescent lightbulbs in 2026? Or any ... Quote Reply

Ok, what are power factor and dark bastard amber?

My thumbs will fall off if I answer that. I sort of answered in another response you can read about Dark Bastard Amber (Rosco 03). Power Factor is why it's stupid to ban Halogen's and why LEDs are not as efficient as has been claimed. A Halogen bulb has a much higher CRI and power Factor of 1, a cheap LED has a Power factor of half of that (.5). That means the cheap LED uses twice as much current as the Halogen and can't come close to the Halogen's CRI. In commercial applications ( Like a stadium, for example) the power company charges on Kva demand and charges extra for Power Factor. That's because in real energy terms and on a commercial building's bill, a building full of cheap LEDs is way more expensive than the light it provides should be. So they often have to install capacitor banks on commercial buildings. And the LED needs just as much or more copper (Wire gauge/ breaker capacity) as the Halogen. All for a much shittier quality. Sure, encourage the USE of LEDs, go for it. But that old Twaine quote applies here: "don't ban steaks for men just because babies can't chew them".

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SHY_TUCKER
lemmy.ml
SHY_TUCKER@lemmy.ml
Joined: 2025-12-29
#53 Posted:   Subject: Re: Do you still use fluorescent lightbulbs in 2026? Or any ... Quote Reply

What colors are your go to pairing for a wash? I usually had ambers like 16 or 321 for my warm and 60 or 68 for cool. I have also been limited to what's available for most of my work.

For years I did work for events that had an audience, stage video recording, Imag and a couple times even film. Rosco 03, with an absurd amount of light and power. You can beautifully white balance the cameras and display and it looks great and matched to an audience in a dark hall. I like to pair R60 and R51. If you've got the circuits, add some lee 202 .5 correction, but careful not to lose white balance in scene changes.. Does anyone actually use gels/poly anymore? I moved on years ago to commercial AV installation. I assume it's all LEDs now right? The last time I did stage lighting was 2005. My memory might be failing me here, so if the colors sound crazy, I've probably forgotten or mixed up. I have actually designed a bunch of installations using LEDs (S4, ETC, etc lol). The technology we are discussing is ancient history now right?

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MonkeyTown
midwest.social
MonkeyTown@midwest.social
Joined: 2025-01-07
#54 Posted: · edited   Subject: Re: Do you still use fluorescent lightbulbs in 2026? Or any ... Quote Reply

I'll give it another shot

Another thing you may want to talk to an optometrist about, especially if your photophobia causes headaches or migraines, is the FL-41 coating for glasses which filters out blue wavelengths that tend to be more triggering of sensitivities.

It made a big difference for me just with the lightest tint. Feels like glare reduction. The darkest one looks like the apocalypse, though, can’t recommend it unless you actually need that much blue block.

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xthexder
l.sw0.com

xthexder@l.sw0.com
Joined: 2023-07-09
#55 Posted: · edited   Subject: Re: Do you still use fluorescent lightbulbs in 2026? Or any ... Quote Reply

I still use an incandescent bulb for my front door light, because I've gone through like 5 LEDs and they always start flickering when it's cold out. I don't usually have this light on long enough to warm up properly, so a CFL's warm up time is also a no-go.

Everything else I have is color-temperature selectable LEDs (One of my biggest annoyances I've seen people have, is mismatched color temperatures in the same room). I have them controlled by Zigbee at the outlet rather than having the bulbs themselves have wireless antennas.

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distal
lemmy.ml
distal@lemmy.ml
Joined: 2026-08-06
#56 Posted: · edited   Subject: Re: Do you still use fluorescent lightbulbs in 2026? Or any ... Quote Reply

I want to use sodium-vapor lamps one day.

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xthexder
l.sw0.com

xthexder@l.sw0.com
Joined: 2023-07-09
#57 Posted:   Subject: Re: Do you still use fluorescent lightbulbs in 2026? Or any ... Quote Reply

We have an addition built in the 1990s and there are these, I don't know what they are called but like high shelves with uplighting? They have those long flourescent tubes and I guess when they die we will have to remodel. The actual light from them is so nice, diffuse and soft. And on the old side of the house the bathroom fixture only works with incandescent bulbs. So yeah. We have a mix.

You can get LED replacement tubes for those fluorescent lights, there's 2 different kinds that work with or without the old ballast in place. If you're replacing all of them you could switch to ballast-less LED replacement tubes.

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billwashere
lemmy.world
billwashere@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-06-12
#58 Posted:   Subject: Re: Do you still use fluorescent lightbulbs in 2026? Or any ... Quote Reply

I have incandescent bulb for a filament drying box project. Think easy bake oven. I have it turn on when a temp drops to a certain level and off when it reaches a certain level. I guess im effectively using it as a heating element.

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multifariace
lemmy.world
multifariace@lemmy.world
Joined: 2024-03-10
#59 Posted:   Subject: Re: Do you still use fluorescent lightbulbs in 2026? Or any ... Quote Reply

For years I did work for events that had an audience, stage video recording, Imag and a couple times even film. Rosco 03, with an absurd amount of light and power. You can beautifully white balance the cameras and display and it looks great and matched to an audience in a dark hall. I like to pair R60 and R51. If you've got the circuits, add some lee 202 .5 correction, but careful not to lose w...

True, most professional spaces are using LED now. The colors are usually programmed for Rosco, though. Not everyone has the budget to update yet. They usually start by adding motion lights a little at a time. You don't really have follow spot operators anymore. When I was working for television it was all about filters for temperature instead of colors. I preferred theatre. I find special effects are more fun on older boards.

3
☂️-
lemmy.ml

umbrella@lemmy.ml
Joined: 2023-07-12
#60 Posted: · edited   Subject: Re: Do you still use fluorescent lightbulbs in 2026? Or any ... Quote Reply

i have a couple holdouts holding on still.

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ThreeKnew
lemdro.id
ThreeKnew@lemdro.id
Joined: 2026-07-23
#61 Posted:   Subject: Re: Do you still use fluorescent lightbulbs in 2026? Or any ... Quote Reply

I want to use sodium-vapor lamps one day.

Surely not as a primary source of light in your home?

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distal
lemmy.ml
distal@lemmy.ml
Joined: 2026-08-06
#62 Posted:   Subject: Re: Do you still use fluorescent lightbulbs in 2026? Or any ... Quote Reply

Surely not as a primary source of light in your home?

No.

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selokichtli
lemmy.ml
selokichtli@lemmy.ml
Joined: 2021-03-20
#63 Posted:   Subject: Re: Do you still use fluorescent lightbulbs in 2026? Or any ... Quote Reply

OMG. As an old (Gen x) lighting designer who lives in CA, may God help you if you asked me this question at a party. In order not to bore you to death I'll try to spit it out before you fall asleep. Never ask me "What is Power factor?", All would be lost. Or for god's sake, "What is Dark Bastard Amber?"( Rosco 03)"Are ellipsoidal fixtures most accurately called Lekos or source four?". You could...

Bright lights stress me.

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Scrath
lemmy.dbzer0.com
Scrath@lemmy.dbzer0.com
Joined: 2023-12-08
#64 Posted:   Subject: Re: Do you still use fluorescent lightbulbs in 2026? Or any ... Quote Reply

Our dining table has a light fixture built out of driftwood with 6 incasdescant bulbs hanging down.

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muusemuuse
sh.itjust.works

muusemuuse@sh.itjust.works
Joined: 2025-06-25
#65 Posted:   Subject: Re: Do you still use fluorescent lightbulbs in 2026? Or any ... Quote Reply

I use these to find what boxes contain them.

-moves old box in basement, glass breaks- yea that one had curly bulbs.

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Cam
scribe.disroot.org

dawcas@scribe.disroot.org
Joined: 2025-07-02
#66 Posted:   Subject: Re: Do you still use fluorescent lightbulbs in 2026? Or any ... Quote Reply

I live in an old home and there are fluorescent lights in the kitchen. Heck, I haven't switched some incandescent light bulbs because I almost don't switch on those lights. Maybe I should.

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SHY_TUCKER
lemmy.ml
SHY_TUCKER@lemmy.ml
Joined: 2025-12-29
#67 Posted:   Subject: Re: Do you still use fluorescent lightbulbs in 2026? Or any ... Quote Reply

Bright lights stress me.

Of course. Me too. I don't just like bright all the time. I like control. For example in my living room, there are 17 light sources. Let's say "bulbs" to stay out of the weeds. Nearly everyone of those 17 "bulbs" is dimmable and can be adjusted for color, or at least color temperature. One of my favorite presets is titled "chiller". And that is exactly what it does. It "chills" you out
All of the light sources are dimmed way down. None of them are set to "white". Over here is pink, over there is amber up here is a cool blue. What it adds up to is a very dim, relaxed vibe with a ton of depth and you see everything. You can read a paper book. You can see expressions. It's as if you were sitting on a west facing beach watching a sunset.

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Trainguyrom
reddthat.com
Trainguyrom@reddthat.com
Joined: 2023-06-10
#68 Posted:   Subject: Re: Do you still use fluorescent lightbulbs in 2026? Or any ... Quote Reply

When I bought my house in '21 most of the fixtures had already been converted to LED, I quickly swapped out most of the remaining bulbs. The only remaining flourescents are in a handful of fixtures that are very infrequently used, specifically the basement and detached garage where I can't immediately find the ballast to replace them with LED tubes, plus one fixture in a bathroom that takes a specialty base so it's not cost effective to replace the CFL.

I did hang onto the flourescents I replaced and I've swapped a couple in the basement out as they failed. Down to about 2 used flourescents to swap out then the basement will start to migrate to LED. The garage will be a slightly bigger project to rewire the fixtures for LEDs

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