These bulbs are a rather broad category of halogen light bulbs because it’s something that’s used in nearly every type of small light fixture. A JC G9 bi-pin light bulb is merely a halogen capsule that has the two looped pins coming out the bottom. These were often specified in fixtures that had a shallow profile and were used in places like undercabinet lighting or kitchen counter lighting. It was a perfect choice to get a lot of good halogen light in a minimal space, not taking up much room. These are still popular today as many people use them for this purpose as well as many other types of applications.

The bases on these can vary greatly, and when somebody says they have a bi-pin base, we always question them as to what the spacing is on the pins. There are different pin spacings, and they are measured in millimeters, a G4 base would be four-millimeter pin spacing on center, a G6.35 would have a 6.35mm pin spacing, and the G8 would be eight millimeters. Most of the time the G4 is associated with a low-voltage type of lighting. It could be anything from six volts all the way up to 24 volts. There are some rare occasions where people have these in a 120 volt, but it is very unusual. The 6.35mm pin spacing is used for low-voltage and 120 volts. It’s the only one that genuinely uses both types of voltages, so you need to be aware of what voltage is feeding that light fixture or what it specifies. Usually, there’s a label on the light fixture that will tell you exactly which voltage you have to use. That’s often the labels somewhere inside the light, and it will be visible. If it’s faded out or it’s not there anymore, give us a call, and we can help you figure out which one it is. The G8 which is the widest pin spacing is always 120 volt. So these are some of the ways to identify the pin spacing you have on these bi-pin halogen light bulbs.

Not only is voltage significant, but the wattage can vary greatly depending on what you have specified for the existing light fixture. The wattages can vary greatly and so it’s important to know what the light fixture says for a wattage limit. Usually, this is marked, and you’ll see what that limit is but obviously, you could use something in a lower wattage as well. You don’t have to go with the maximum watt rating, but most people do. With the G4 base bulbs you’ll usually see anywhere from five watts up to about 50 watts and the G6.35 and G8 you’ll see anywhere from 20 watts all the way up to 200 watts. So the critical thing to keep in mind is what your light fixture is rated for. You don’t want to go over the wattage limit because that can build up heat inside the fixture and they can deteriorate over time very quickly. So if you're going to have good longevity, you’ll want to make sure you choose the right wattage.

If you’re one of those people that want an LED option, we have many choices of that as well using far fewer watts than the halogen type. Up until recently, the LED didn’t give you the same amount of light output, but now it does with a lot of innovations that have developed. You can replace your halogen bi-pin light bulbs with LED and save a lot of energy. If you’re curious as to how much you can save, make sure you download our free Excel spreadsheet on the left-hand column of our website. It will give you all the information you need to help you make an informed decision. All you need to do is input some of the data you have on your existing lighting system and then comparing it to one of our products that are LED that replaces it. You’ll find that you can get very fast paybacks with something like this type of bi-pin lighting. Many people use them throughout the day and paybacks can be in a matter of months not to mention hardly ever having to replace those bulbs again. It’s a good time to take a look at saving energy with this type of LED bi-pin light bulbs.

If you are unsure about what light bulb you have, you can always give us a call. We’ve probably seen almost every variation of this type of light and can help walk you through getting the right one. There are a lot of options, and it can be a little bit confusing, but we’ve helped thousands of people get the right light for their light fixture. If you’re looking for a larger quantity of these, you can always call us for a particular quote on your replacement needs. We have all the variations in both halogen and LED and can help you if you’re a homeowner looking to replace a few or a larger commercial building that needs to replace many of these. We want to help you get the best quality lighting and make it as easy as possible for you.