Linestra light bulbs from Osram Sylvania.

There are two major manufacturers of Linestra light bulbs and one of them is Osram Sylvania. Well, there is actually only one manufacturer of these bulbs and that is Sylvania, but Philips lighting also makes something called Philinea which is an equal to the Sylvania Linestra brand. These are a long incandescent lamp with an extended filament which runs the length of the tube. They are sometimes called an incandescent T10 lamp or a side prong tubular bulb. The side prongs have a heavy-duty construction and the bulb is actually pushed into sockets which are usually rectangular in shape. It makes a positive contact and runs on 120 volt line voltage. There are other higher voltages available but we don't have them, they are generally only available in Europe. These aren't known for very long life, as a matter of fact they're rated life is 2000 hours. So it would help to have many on hand in case they do burn out on occasion.

Many people have seen these used in bathrooms mostly but they have other applications as well. In the past, they've also been available in a single prong version, but we only carry the dual socket version that you see here. The reason they been used in bathrooms and specified by architects is that they have an excellent color rendition and they are very flattering to skin tones. They are a beautiful light and the quality of the lighting that comes out is excellent. It's very soft, not harsh like many florescent type of lamps are. You won't get that kind of light with Linestra bulbs. Many people don't like the short life, but they love the excellent color that these will put out.

Linestra light bulbs come in several wattages including the longest one which is the 150 watt version. This one is the longest one available and is 1 m in length which is about 3 feet. The other wattage available is 60 watt which is the shorter version. The finish that is available is what is sometimes called an opal or white finish. So if you have a Linestra bulb with an opal finish, then you know you have the correct one. Evidently, there are some that are clear or as in the case of some Philips lamps, they have a frosted look. We don't carry the frosted as it doesn't hide the filament as well as the opal color. The opal white hides everything very well and just gives you a nice soft even light.

Sometimes we have people replacing the lamp when there really isn't a problem with it. There are times when some oxidation will cause the lamp and the socket not to make a good contact. In those cases it might be time to replace the socket as well as the lamp. Linestra bulbs or Philinea light bulbs are still a popular item today because of the excellent color that they put out that's perfect for certain applications. I'm sure that architects will continue to specify this in high-end homes and businesses. Nothing works better than Sylvania Linestra light bulbs in certain bathroom applications.