B22 (BC) Pygmy Bulb 15W 60lm Non-Dimmable - Warm White 2800K

This is a pygmy bulb, the short stubby lamp roughly the size of a thumb that goes where a full size household bulb will not fit. It takes a B22 bayonet cap, the push and twist fitting with two pins on the side, so it drops into any standard bayonet holder small enough to hold it. The glass is clear, which leaves the tungsten filament on show and gives a bright point of light rather than a soft diffused glow. It draws 15W and gives 60 lumens at 2,800K, a warm white close in colour to the old household lamps most of us grew up with.

Pygmy lamps earn their keep in the small fittings around a house: appliance housings, night lights, cabinet and sign fittings, salt lamps and the little shaded lamps on a landing or a hall table. Sixty lumens is a modest output, so treat it as a marker light or a glow you can leave running rather than something to read by. The warm 2,800K tone sits comfortably beside older tungsten lighting elsewhere in the room, so a fitting running one of these will not look blue or clinical next to its neighbours. Before you order, check the cap on the lamp you are replacing: B22 has two pins and pushes in with a quarter turn, while the similar looking B15 is noticeably narrower across the base.

The specification lists this lamp as non-dimmable, so wire it to a plain on and off switch rather than a dimmer plate. The pack prints a lamp life of 1 year, or 1,000 hours, and the energy label rates it G at 15 kWh per 1,000 hours. Each box holds one bulb and the minimum order is 10, sold in multiples of 10. We also list the same 15W pygmy with a B15 (SBC) cap, both singly and in a two pack.

Will this fit a standard bayonet lamp holder?

Yes, provided the holder is a B22 bayonet. The cap has two pins on the side and locks with a push and a quarter turn, the same action as a normal household bayonet bulb, though the glass itself is far smaller.

How bright is 60 lumens in practice?

Modest. It gives a glow rather than a working light, closer to a night light or an indicator than to a reading lamp, so use it where you want presence rather than illumination.

Can I run it on a dimmer switch?

No. The specification lists this lamp as non-dimmable, so fit it to a plain on and off switch. Running a non-dimmable lamp on a dimmer can cause flicker and shorten its life.

What colour is the light?

Warm white at 2,800K as printed on the pack, the yellow toned light people associate with older household bulbs rather than the crisper white of many LED lamps.

Is a protection rating printed for this lamp?

No. The manufacturer states no IP rating for this bulb, so treat it as offering no protection against moisture and keep it to dry indoor fittings.

Does it get warm in use?

An incandescent filament turns most of the power it draws into heat, so expect the glass to get hot while running and give it a moment to cool before handling.