NEW GE Reveal Lightbulb

LEDagent · #1 12-03-2001, 10:33 PM

Has anyone had any experience with these new bulbs? I've recently just started seeing these advertised on TV. I also went to Wallmart looking for Christmas decorations and found these new lights too.

They are supposedly able to filter out yellow light better. More info can be found at GE's website here: GE Lighting - Reveal

Please let us know if you've tried them out. I want to know if i should make the switch.

Here are some before and after pictures found on their website...

geepondy · #2 12-03-2001, 11:36 PM

Yes, I have recently tried them. I just put a post on full spectrum lights on the chit chat forum when I realized I should have put it here.

Yes, the reveal lights are more whiter although I think the pictures over dramatize it a bit. Mostly I think the pictures dramatize the "ordinary" bulb as most soft whites aren't as yellow as the pictures depict. However the reveals are closer to full spectrum and appear to be brighter for the given wattage. Maybe not so good for mood lighting though. The lights are very prevalent at Walmart and are not expensive.

LEDagent · #3 12-04-2001, 12:00 AM

THanks for the reply, i'll check yer post out in the chit chat room too. But do you think it is a good buy? I am mainly looking for a better light bulb for my study room.

It's 2:00am PT. I see i'm not the only one up at this time in CPF! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]

geepondy · #4 12-04-2001, 01:55 AM

Yes, they're cheap. It's certainly worth a try although of course if placed inside a frosted globe, it would defeat the purpose.

Quickbeam · #5 12-04-2001, 03:05 AM

Lights like these have been available for years and years as "full spectrum plant lights". I had one in a lamp over 15 years ago. The full spectrum light is good at keeping away "winter depression" that results from the reduced amount of sunlight during winter at northern latitudes.

GE is just mass producing them at a lower cost and advertising heavily now. These really aren't anything "new".

Alaric Darconville · #6 12-04-2001, 04:56 AM

They do seem a lot brighter than the non-Reveal lights at the same wattage. I put two 40W "Reveal" bulbs in one of those bathroom mirror light bars (like you'd find in a "Hollywood dressing room", and they seem much brighter than the other two standard 40W globes. Both are inside frosted. The only thing I can see that might cause this disparity other than the thinner coating on the "Reveal" bulbs is the standard ones are actually 130V "Long Life" and not the 115V that the Reveals are.

The coating is reminiscent of plant lights, but they are a lot cheaper than the ones sold as plant lights (but still a bit more than standard bulbs.)

On the other hand, it could be they are just the household equivalent of those "cool blue" headlight bulbs we hate so much...

geepondy · #7 12-04-2001, 02:09 PM

From the GE reveal web site.

"The quality of the Reveal light is achieved by adding the element Neodymium to the glass. It’s what gives GE Reveal bulbs their distinctive powder-blue color when unlit. When lit, the element provides a pure, true light by filtering out much of the dulling yellow cast common from ordinary light bulbs."

From my online search on full spectrum light bulbs, I've seen other Neodymium lights but they cost several times what the GE Reveal bulbs do although they do claim to be much longer lasting then the Reveal bulb. I like the Reveal bulb. If not gradually trying to convert my household lighting over to compact florescent, I certainly would buy more.

Alaric Darconville · #8 12-05-2001, 05:45 AM

Do those silly "cool blue" bulbs for autos use Neodymium in their envelopes or is it just a simple blue tint mixed in the glass?

If they use the Neodymium, how come those bulbs are so vilified despite the technology working so well in the home? If they don't use Neodymium, why not?

On examination of GE's statements on how the bulbs work, it seems that if they filter out the yellow light, don't they then cut down on the total light emitted? The only way I can see that that wouldn't be counterproductive is that the yellow light may make the pupils constrict more even though the retina is more sensitive to blue light.

Maybe that's a test for the more practical scientists in the forum....

Speaking of practical, I would suggest converting to compact flourescents whenever possible, as they last much longer, provide more lumens/watt, and produce less heat (not as much of a concern in the wintertime, but in the summertime you want as little extraneous heat as possible.)

geepondy · #9 12-05-2001, 08:02 AM

Aren't those "silly blue" bulbs in automobiles actually metal Halide lights?

sunspot · #10 12-05-2001, 08:25 AM

Neodymium is also used to make what I call super magnets. I have some of these Reveals at home although I have not tried them yet. I will tonight. I want to see if steel or another Neodymium magnet will affect them.
Alaric. Is there a hum on your florescent bulbs? Where are you buying them. What is the equivalent watt coversion? I also would like less heat from bulbs but the transformer hum drives me over the edge. [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]

Alaric Darconville · #11 12-05-2001, 11:05 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Brock:
Alaric, don't forget the glued on fake rear spoiler and stick-on window tinting [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Furthermore, it's stuck on w/ the heat of a common blow-dryer, it's bubbly, and it's PURPLE!

Yes, that's precisely the image I get when I see those $17.00 Wal-Mart Specials. Some teenager thinking "Man, my car will be COOL now!!!"

Darell · #12 12-05-2001, 04:27 PM

Double neon wiper blads and rakishly-applied chrome splash guards too! Good for another 10hp, minimum! Ug. sorry, couldn't help myself.

The_LED_Museum · #13 12-05-2001, 09:10 PM

You'll love this site then. http://www.riceboypage.com

Alaric Darconville · #14 12-05-2001, 10:02 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by geepondy:
Aren't those "silly blue" bulbs in automobiles actually metal Halide lights?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I'm talking about the Wal-Mart Automotive Department-style silly blue bulbs. They're the ones that say they "look like expensive HID systems" but invariably look fake, and change color depending on the viewing angle. You'll find them installed on the same cars with the fake cellular antennas and the air freshener shaped like a crown on the rear windowsill.

Brock · #15 12-05-2001, 10:47 PM

Alaric, don't forget the glued on fake rear spoiler and stick-on window tinting [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

snakebite · #16 12-09-2001, 04:01 AM

dont forget those silly fart tips on the exhaust.
makes them sound like my 2 stroke dirt bike. [img]images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

lightlover · #17 12-09-2001, 08:35 PM

Just one point, the "Daylight" bulbs all seem to show/accentuate a different portion of the spectrum. Depending on the manufacturer, "Daylight" is defined as something different with each one.

If you want a full-spectrum unit, there's still the balance of the different wavelengths to consider, one bulb might have no UV, or less UV than others, while having more of the chlorophyll-stimulating wavelengths.
Basically, you need to check if the light has all the wavelengths, in the right balance, for true "medical" "Daylight".

lightlover [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img]

The_LED_Museum · #18 12-18-2001, 02:37 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by geepondy:
Yes, they're cheap. It's certainly worth a try although of course if placed inside a frosted globe, it would defeat the purpose.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I bought a pack of Reveal light bubs this afternoon just because I was curious about them. $4.99 for a 4-pack.

First thing that struck me when I screwed one in was that it looked slightly, though noticeably pinkish. I'm going to try them in a couple of lamps and see where they work best. Could be the bathroom, or above the TV where some houseplants are located.

After a short exposure, the pinkish tint becomes less noticeable as the eye adapts to the new spectrum.

Spectrally, there are two very strong absorption bands in the yellow (around 15-20nm apart), and several weaker but noticeable absorption bands in the green & blue-green.

Strong absorption in the yellow is characteristic of neodymium glass; it absorbs those bands and re-emits them as a fluorescence band centered at 1064nm in the mid-IR where the eye cannot detect it.

LiteFreek · #19 12-18-2001, 04:52 PM

Hey now! I have that silly window tint stuck to my lil Eagle Summits windows and it does look cool now! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

-The local LiteFreek

Alaric Darconville · #20 12-18-2001, 08:24 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by phred:

Alaric. Is there a hum on your florescent bulbs? Where are you buying them. What is the equivalent watt coversion? I also would like less heat from bulbs but the transformer hum drives me over the edge. [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I'm getting the "Lights of America" Twister bulbs. I don't notice a hum at all, but I do notice a high UV emission, as certain papers turn purple like they would under black light... It takes a while for it to warm up on a cold morning (55degrees in the room).
The main one I use is a 20W designed to replace a 150W incandescent bulb. It's more than enough light for this room. I also have some of their circline ones in the garage. They get a lot of flicker on startup but still don't notice any hum....

**DONOTDELETE** · #21 12-21-2001, 06:20 AM

I would beware of LOA compact fluorescent lamps. They are known to have a short life due to marginal electronic components and or design. I would recommend a CFL by one of the big three Philips, Ge of Osram Sylvania
PS Philips invented the compact fluorescent lamp in the early eighties.

**DONOTDELETE** · #22 12-28-2001, 09:58 AM

Those HID-look lights are just halogens with colored glass. Their light output is less than if the glass were uncolored. I had a pair of blue ones in my car for about 2 weeks. The light was inferior to the regular halogen bulbs. Junk. True HID or metal halide lamps need a ballast that requires retrofitting of the vehicle.

LEDagent · #23 12-28-2001, 01:54 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by The Human Lumen:
I would beware of LOA compact fluorescent lamps. They are known to have a short life due to marginal electronic components and or design.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I would TOTALLY agree by experience! I bought one of those circular flourescent bulbs thinking that it would last MUCH longer than a regular incan. BUT NO. It lasted just about the same or maybe only twice as long...which isn't much for a bulb that costs almost 20 dollars! [img]images/icons/mad.gif[/img]
THe thing started clicking and flashing at the end of its life trying to restart every time i flipped the switch. I think there was a problem with the starter rather than a spent bulb.
Oh well...live and learn.

**DONOTDELETE** · #24 12-28-2001, 02:36 PM

Philips Dimmable Earthlights..no flicker, just gradually brightens, no hum, no radio interference, no burn out during brown-outs (the dimmable models) available in 'warm' (yellowish) or 'daylight' (bluish) -- I like the ones that come inside of (weatherproof-outdoor) globes or domes, the light is more diffuse, the tubes don't collect dust... [img]images/icons/cool.gif[/img]