Reader Find: Microsun Lamps
By Chuck Cage
Joe recommended Microsun’s table lamps for craft and hobby table work to us because they make so much light. He writes: “These lamps make approximately 6,000 lumens on 68 watts of power. I’ve had one for years in my office, and it creates an almost daylight effect. They’re great lamps for indoor use. I wish they made something specifically for the shop. They do have two regular 25W incandescent lamps that you can use like night lights by placing them on a separate switch.”
The website’s vague about is how their lightbulbs generate different colored light, but they claim that their bulbs produce more “daylight-correct” lighting — more so than halogen, fluorescent, or metal-halide bulbs. (But aren’t halogen lights incandescent? Hmm.)
Anyway, at first glance, the Microsun site appears to only sell lamps. But if you click on the “Replacements” tab at the top of the page, you’ll see that you can buy the Microsun bulbs themselves for $28 each.
At $200+, the lamps are a bit excessive, it’d seem.
Microsun Lamps & Bulbs [Corporate Site]
February 2nd, 2007 at 10:41 pm
They are probably color corrected with a colored powder mixture on the inside of the bulb. It basically works, from a photographers perspective, you can only push or pull a light color so far–but this seems to be within an acceptable range.
I am currently getting by with dual fluorescents over my workbench, and I would like a solution that gives me a more diffused light–to me the quality of the light is much more important than the color.
February 3rd, 2007 at 2:56 am
Uh - these ARE metal halide lamps. As such, they’ll only work when driven by a special ballast; you can’t use them in a standard socket.
(Actually, I bet you can’t _physically_ screw them into a standard socket, unless Microsun are pretty dumb. No good can come from mixing up incandescent and halide bulbs.)
February 3rd, 2007 at 10:19 am
They sure do look like metal halides that I’ve seen at work!
Concept seems cool, but things don’t add up here?
February 5th, 2007 at 4:21 pm
Can I use the Microsun bulb in my own lamp at home?
The Microsun bulb is unlike any other. If our bulb was purchased and installed in the socket of an ordinary lamp, it would not turn on. Our bulbs require a special power supply, installed on every Microsun table and floor lamp, which allows it to operate correctly.
February 6th, 2007 at 1:05 am
Nice item! The older I get the more light I always want to work with. Working in the dark just isn’t a formula for good results for me.
July 7th, 2008 at 12:35 am
I’ve been using a Microsun floor lamp for several years now and I’m mostly happy with it. Pros: Generates a lot of light (more than 500W halogens) without too much heat. Energy efficient. Cons: Takes a while (like several minutes) to reach full brightness.