Light Bulbs

One of the light bulbs burned out on the car the other day. Not a big deal. After work, I stopped by the auto parts store to get a replacement. I was confronted by an assortment of bulbs, all the right size. The question was: How bright did I want to go?

For a mere $22, I could get a pair of OEM replacement bulbs. For just $3 more, I could get a pair that promised up to 30% brighter. $15 more than that, and I could have 45%. And for another $10 above that, I could give my vehicle up to 50% more light than it previously had.

Being frugal, and pretty happy with the lights on the vehicle, I opted to get the first step up set, and hurried home.

While I was replacing the bulbs, my curiosity kicked in. How do they make the bulbs brighter? I read the back of the carton, just to see if there were any clues.

Where they higher wattage? Nope. Same 55/60 watts as the original. Different style? Nope. Halogen. Different shape? Not that I could discern. Different emitted wavelength? Ah, yes. The new ones emit light equivalent to 3200K, compared to the originals at 3100K. A higher Kelvin rating on a bulb will indicate a whiter (but not necessarily brighter) light. Whiter light may allow us to see more clearly, but that is just perceived brightness, not actual brightness, as measured by the lumen output.

And then I read the very, very fine print. It indicated that halogen bulbs dim over time, that towards the end of its life, a bulb could emit as much as 20% less light than when new. Replacing your old, worn out bulbs with these new ones will give you 30% more brightness when compared with the old bulb!

Well, sure! And the direct replacement will give you 25% more light than an old one.

But that's not the comparison we expect (or at least, that I expected). I figured that a bulb that was 30% brighter was a comparison of new to new - if you multiply 30% by 80%, it turns out that the new, brighter bulb I purchased emits only 4% more light when new than the OEM bulb would emit when new.

Is the advertising false? Well, not directly; They do print the actual comparison, it is factually true. But is it deceptive? Absolutely. Would I have sprung the extra dollars for a bulb that was measured to be only 4% brighter? Probably not.

Am I angry? No, not really. I'm more amused than anything. Amused that I would fall for something so deceptive. Amused that this activity (purposefully deceptive advertising) is so widespread and accepted in our society. Amused that my desire for safety could be so easily manipulated into worthless spending.

And, quite honestly, surprised that we put up with it.

Caveat Emptor!


(That 50% brighter bulb? Turns out that it's only a 20% improvement over new...)