Lamps or bulbs

Sponsored Links
Lamps are lamps, but which ones?

I say bulb as it's a bulb shape.

MUCH like tube. I say tube, as it's a tube shape.
 
This is a lamp
270375_10150693179790063_7410889_n.jpg
it does not have any electric parts and consists of a jet mantel and globe. Before these modern ones we used oil lamps which could be removed from the wall to light and then once re-fuelled and lit replaced on the spigot.

The electric light bulb
edison5.jpg
replaced the gas mantel from 1879 onwards. Thanks to the improvements of Thomas Edison. 20 years latter in 1896 he invented the fluorescent lamp but it was 1904 before the tube started to be used.

This tube could not of course at that time be called a bulb as it was not bulbous in shape however today we compact the tube and often fit in inside a bulb of glass or plastic.

To call the tube or bulb a lamp can result in mistakes where the complete fitting is supplied instead of just the tube or bulb. So common sense must prevail and to prevent any ambiguity using the term tube or bulb would seem to the the best option.

To add words like "electric light bulb" or with the lamp "tail lamp", "gas lamp", "oil lamp", "head lamp" where the whole unit is required again is just common sense. Since the shades and globes used to surround an electric light bulb often have a wattage rating so they will not over heat to use a phrase like "60W lamp" is still ambiguous as it could refer to a fitting able to work with a 60W bulb.

Having worked as an Auto Electrician I would never ask for a head lamp if all I wanted was a head lamp bulb. Often they came with no bulb anyway.

So the whole thing minus spigot if required is a lamp. As in miners lamp. The bit inside is a wick, mantel, bulb, tube according to type of lamp.

Not sure why such an old post has been restarted?
 

DIYnot Local

Staff member

If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.

Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.


Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local

 
Sponsored Links
Back
Top