do bulbs need a few runs/cycles to reach max potential?

im not sure how to phrase this question. lets say for example you have a bulb with a 50 hour run time, one bulb has 10 hours on it, and the other is brand new. will one bulb be brighter than the other? i know batteries often need a few charging cycles to reach their max. obviously bulbs dont cycle the same way, but do they need to run a while before they can reach their max brightness? or is a brand new fresh out the box bulb going to give you the best results?

thanks!

That's an interesting question. I know that the high power Xenon arc lamps (like an IMAX projectors use) are supposed to have a "break in" period of about half an hour or so after which their output and profile are supposed to stay fairly constant, but I have no idea if that holds true for smaller/lower power types of bulbs like in flashlights or most home applications.

As far as regular flashlight bulbs go, the filament starts wearing out the second you turn them on, so you'll get the most light when new. It is possible runtime will improve with wear (smaller diameter wire = less current going through), but I doubt you will see much of a difference unless you integrate a timer to your light.

High power xenon, Arc and HID's can be different as the gas inside will get conditionned with some usage. Some high power bulbs might even need to be used regularly to give the best performance, as gas can get ionized with debris from the filament or anode/cathode, but I'm mostly speculating based on knowledge acquired back in college.

Moved to Incandescent Flashlights - Norm

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