Filament Bulbs

Why choose filament bulbs

A filament bulb shows you where its light comes from. Rather than hiding the source behind frosted or opal glass, it lets the strands glow in plain sight, so the bulb is worth choosing with care. Most of the filament bulbs we stock are LED filament bulbs, where the strands are thin strips of tiny LEDs made to look like the glowing wire of an incandescent bulb.

That makes filament bulbs the natural choice wherever the bulb is on show: a bare pendant, an open cage or a clear glass shade. If you would rather not see the light source, an opal bulb is the better pick, because its milky glass diffuses the light into an even glow.

Filament bulb shapes

Because the bulb is on show, its shape matters as much as its light. We stock GLS bulbs, the familiar household pear shape, for pendants, table lamps and floor lamps. Candle bulbs suit chandeliers and wall lights, while golf ball shapes are a neat, rounded choice for small shades.

Globe bulbs come into their own hanging from a bare flex, and tube shapes suit slim cages and pendants hung in a row. Squirrel cage bulbs have their strands arranged like the bars of a cage, so the filament becomes the focus. We also stock a few giant shapes, such as a beehive, a teardrop or a star, to hang over a table or in a stairwell.

Clear and tinted filament bulbs

The glass sets the character of the light, and we stock clear, amber and gold finishes. Clear glass gives the crispest look, with the strands sharp and easy to see. Amber lends a deep honey glow and gold a softer golden tone, and either makes the light look warmer.

Some of our filament bulbs are smoke-tinted, which darkens the glow for a moodier look. Tinted glass trades a little brightness for colour, so for a reading lamp or a kitchen pendant, clear glass is usually the better choice; save amber and gold for a glow over the dining table.

Colour temperature for filament bulbs

Colour temperature decides how the light feels, so choose it room by room. We stock very warm white bulbs with a rich, candle-like glow for a dining room or a bedroom in the evening. Warm white is the usual household tone, and many of our bulbs sit at 2700K, the soft white you would expect from a living room lamp.

For a kitchen, a study or a utility room, we stock cool white bulbs with a crisper, more neutral light. A few are daylight white, the coolest tone, for work areas where you need to judge colour. Keep to the same white within a room so the fittings match.

Filament bulb caps

The cap is the part that goes into the lamp holder, and it decides whether a bulb fits your light, so the surest check is to take out the old bulb and match its cap. Most of our range uses an E27 cap, the large screw cap. We also stock many with an E14 cap, the small screw cap common in chandeliers and wall lights, and many with a B22 cap, the push-and-twist bayonet cap long used in UK homes.

A few of our filament bulbs use B15, the small bayonet cap. Screw and bayonet caps are not interchangeable, and a small cap will not fit a large holder, so match the type and the size. Check too that the shade or cage leaves room around the glass, especially with a globe.

Dimming filament bulbs

Many of our filament bulbs are dimmable. Most are not, though, so if the bulb will sit on a dimmer switch, check that it is marked dimmable before you buy. A non-dimmable bulb on a dimmer can flicker or buzz, so keep those on an ordinary switch.

For a dimmable bulb, use a dimmer made for LED, usually a trailing-edge type. Older dimmers built for incandescent bulbs expect a much heavier load, so with LED bulbs they can flicker, hum or fail to dim smoothly. If a dimmer runs a group of lights, check that its minimum load suits the total load on the circuit.

Filament bulb brightness

Brightness is measured in lumens, not watts. Watts tell you the power a bulb draws, and an LED needs far less power than an incandescent bulb for the same light, so its watts say little about how bright it will be. To match an old bulb, compare lumen figures; many of our bulbs also give a wattage equivalent, which tells you the old bulb they match.

We stock filament bulbs with a soft, low glow for lamps and wall lights, and brighter bulbs for a main ceiling light. Where a pendant is the only light in a room, choose a brighter bulb. A bright clear bulb at eye level can glare, so for a low pendant or a lamp you look straight at, a softer output is easier on the eyes.