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Re: T5s vs. T12s

>>lamps. Another problem is the cost of
>>the lamps. T5s cost a lot more than
T12s
>>but this expense is mainly offset by
the
>>long life of T5s and by the fact that
>>fewer lamps and fewer reflectors are
>>required. T8s actually cost less than
>>their high CRI T12 counterparts with
800

>Wellll... I dunno about that. With
Chroma 50's available for
>$5, I don't think so, at least when I
worked out the
>numbers.

Well first of all Chroma 50s are not an
800 series phosphor lamp. Secondly I pay
$5 for a T8 Philips 850 and they
definately last a lot longer. That type
of phosphor is quite expensive as it
contains a mixture of rare earths. The
T5 diameter uses much less phosphor than
a T12 so the larger diameter T12 with
the premium 850 phosphor costs more.
That is not to say that Chroma 50s are
not good lamps though.

>>series phosphors and have even longer
>>lives than either one. If it is
feasable
>>to use them then they are probably the
>>lowest cost lighting system. I think
it
>>is only a matter of time though before
>>T5 lamps are much more commonplace and
>>the price drops a lot.

>Unlikely, I think. The market is driven
by boatloads of
>T12 for industrial use. The small bulb
market is a niche
>and there's a reason T5s cost 10X what
T12s cost. It's
>a shame and I think we're pretty lucky
to be able to
>get cheap T12's in anything other that
CW or WW.

Linear T8s are commonplace in commercial
applications and will only become more
common as time goes by because they cost
less to run. In fact the goverment in
Ontario has mandated there use in
goverment buildings. It would have been
better to have gone directly to T5s but
now that a large investment has been
made in T8 technology it is probably
going to take quite a while for T5s to
be accepted. I am guessing however that
the  PC T5s will probably always be
rather pricy because they look more
costly to manufacture and they are not
as efficient as linear T5s which I think
should limit their use to a niche
market.

Wayne