Sylvania 69 Watts Incandescent Traffic Signal Bulb | Long-Life Comparable to Basic Incandescent

Testing a Sylvania 69 watts Incandescent Traffic Signal Bulb. This is an incandescent bulb filled with Krypton gas. The filament is extremely heavy duty to withstand movement and vibration. The bulb is rated for 8,000 hours of operation at 130 volts, it will likely last double that or more running at 120 volts.
These traffic light bulbs have been a curiosity to me ever since they were mentioned. Since we can no longer buy regular 'general illumination' 60 and 100 watts incandescent bulbs, I'm always looking for ways around that. This seems like a pretty good option. It ironically does end up consuming more power than a basic incandescent bulb would as the efficiency decreases when operated at less than design voltage, but the quality of light is flawless. It radiates the same warm, inviting glow that any other regular incandescent bulb would.
This is designed to go in a traffic light, but with a standard E26 base and only slightly wider form factor than standard A19 (this is A21), there's nothing stopping me from putting this in a lamp and using it for top quality general illumination that lasts quite possibly for decades per bulb.

[@LemontTheFanMan]

Wow bro that’s cool how the bulb can last that long in your lamps for decades I enjoyed the video

[@Gnomad-g5v]

This may very well be what I was looking for, thank you.

[@JordanU]

You're welcome.

[@Xyspade]

So the bulb can't survive the heat of being mounted base-up, but it can survive the heat of a totally enclosed traffic light in the hot summer sun? A 40W bulb can be 0 lumens if it's burned out.

[@JordanU]

I tend to think the operating temperature of the bulb inside the intended application would end up being rather low as it's only intermittent duty. I've been noticing more and more bulbs are labeled as not for use base-up, yet I've used many of those bulbs base-up over the years with no issues. Chances are that label is just there to cover the manufacturer in case of a rare failure. I suppose that is true, but by that logic, every bulb should have a lumens range from 0 to maximum theoretical.

[@sccpsteve]

A 40 watt bulb can be 0 watts as well if it's burned out.

[@Madness832]

When I was younger, I had some of those (shamelessly stolen from broken traffic lights). The "base down or horiz." is no joke. One time, I put one in a cellar light, and the glass envelope cracked, at the base, and fell in one piece. Also, they come in 116W.

[@JordanU]

Thanks for letting me know.

[@ArronWatkinsRETURNS]

Funny enough I've a 60 watt 130 volt light bulb, don't know if it's a traffic signal bulb however.

[@LightsandFansGuy1999]

Nice video! I have one of these bulbs as well.

[@JordanU]

Thanks for letting me know.

[@bigloudnoise]

A thicker element makes sense, especially if the bulb is going to be used in a traffic signal that flashes. Better able to handle the rapid power cycling that a regular filament would quickly fail from.

[@JordanU]

Correct

[@djbrucebanner9882]

I like it 😊

[@JordanU]

OK

[@AlexanderCrump]

Sylvania and GE sold out about ten years ago when they transferred production out of US factories and they put their brand on crappy Chinese imports. Traffic signal bulbs can be used in lots of lighting applications AS LONG AS THE BASE IS DOWN TO HORIZONTAL. This is because the filament is closer to the base than in an ordinary bulb. The formula for calculating life of 130 volt incandescent (excluding halogen) lamps being run on 120 volts is about 2.3 times. That is not a vacuum lamp. It probably has an inert gas other than krypton. If it had krypton, it would likely say that on the bulb. The filament on that Chinese bulb is actually very good. Very even and straight. I have some Chinese Philips 67W traffic signal bulbs that have excellent filaments. An 8,000 hour bulb run at 90 percent voltage will last a very, very long time. It gets exponentially longer life as you reduce voltage (and efficiency). The cost savings is only in the replacement cost of the lamp. You are getting way less light per watt than from a 1,000 hour ordinary bulb and will pay vastly more over the lifetime of the bulb for the same amount of light. But I do love these ultra long life lamps.

[@JordanU]

The ad on Amazon says Krypton filled, but it sure wouldn't be the first time something on there was inaccurate. I am aware these are far more costly to operate than regular bulbs, but I use incandescent because I like the quality of light, not because I want to save money. I'll gladly pay extra to get the quality of light I want and prolong having to dip into my irreplaceable supply purchased before the ban.

[@AlexanderCrump]

@@JordanU I completely agree with you, one hundred percent. The quality of incandescent light is unmatchable by LED. LEDs cannot produce the infrared that gives incandescent light sources their warmth and why we as animals are drawn to incandescent light sources (fire for warmth). I just wanted to point out the actual cost of light. That's why 1,000 hours was settled upon as the most common life rating for standard household bulbs - it's a good balance between efficiency and longevity. I like some of the long life bulbs because the light is warmer and softer than hotter burning incadescents with shorter lives. I have also stockpiled every imaginable type of incandescent bulb because I've always collected them. I have enough to last ten lifetimes. Krypton, long life, ceramic colors, everything. Some of my favorite incandescents are neodymium bulbs (GE Reveal, reptile bulbs). Once you get used to having them in table lamps and fixtures around your house, you can't live without them. They really make colors pop and provide such a warm and pleasant light. I had one burn our in a ceiling fixture and replaced it with a 2,700K high CRI LED and the light just looked blah. I ended up re-lamping with an incandescent neodymium and the space looks fantastic. The GE LED Reveals are terrible. They are nothing like incandescent neodymiums and produce a weird color of light that is off-putting (like most LEDs).

[@ThunderClawShocktrix]

really bright 40 or really dim 60 so it's about what 50 watts bulb would do

[@JordanU]

I agree.

[@bulbsgalore9649]

Do these bulbs come in frosted or white versions?

[@JordanU]

I'm not sure of all the configurations available.

[@AllLoudNation365]

69 watts... Nice :)

[@sccpsteve]

That joke is old.

[@AllLoudNation365]

Who cares

[@cultivatingcuriousity5542]

Sylvania made a decent product for once.

[@logansmokes.2762]

My grandma had an old 13in sylvania crt tv in her bedroom when I was a kid so reminiscent

[@JordanU]

It looks promising, but time will tell.

[@ZT_1234]

What highschool freshman working at Sylvania decided on 69 watts?

[@JordanU]

I wouldn't be surprised if it was selected based off it being 60 watts at 120v.

[@mrlux0716]

1:30 ledvance = osram

[@connorm955]

I thought traffic signals used 235 watt bulbs

[@JordanU]

The bulbs are available in a variety of wattages.

[@plainsabertooth7828]

Can only imagine if you ran it on a 110 volts lol

[@JordanU]

It would last quite a long time.

[@plainsabertooth7828]

@JordanU where do you get them?

[@DunceReviews]

Unfortunately they use horrible LED in Traffic Signals now

[@JordanU]

Some are still incandescent.

[@DiegoGene-fh3zp]

Same here some are incandescent and some are LEDs but what I think they should of done is keep the one's that was incandescent instead of LED.

[@DunceReviews]

@ this is also true, but unfortunately they’re all gonna be replaced

[@Wiencourager]

Terrible bulbs for household use. long life but bad lumens and yellow color. They run the filament at a lower temp for long life. Makes sense in a traffic light where you need reliability . But you get bad efficiency and yellow color. There are good reasons household bulbs were not made to last that long. Basically you’re using 69 watts to get the light of a 40 watt bulb.

[@JordanU]

I think it's great for household use. I like the warmer color. I don't care about the efficiency; I don't use incandescent because I want the most efficient option, I use incandescent for the quality of light.

[@fishbowl7098]

I put one in my sisters Easy Bake oven and it turned it into a microwave!

[@JordanU]

Thanks for letting me know.