What do I get if I buy GEC rather than unbranded?

[WM]

Here in the UK, I was buying a GLS bulb at the supermarket. I had a
choice of:

(1) a bulb made by GEC for something like £1 (approx $1.60)

OR

(2) a "value" bulb for 18p (under 30 cents).


OK, so the GEC bulb might be manufactured to a higher spec and may be
checked afterwards more carefully but exactly what user benefit do I
get to notice if I buy the GEC bulb rather than the cheap one:

Is the brightness of the two essentially the same?
And is the colour spectrum largely the same?
Maybe the cheapo bulb has a wickedly short life?

 

[Andrew Gabriel]

Here in the UK, I was buying a GLS bulb at the supermarket. I had a
choice of:

(1) a bulb made by GEC for something like £1 (approx $1.60)

GEC hasn't existed for something like 5 years (it was renamed
Marconi), and AFAIK, it hasn't made lamps since the days of
GEC Osram, and GEC sold Osram off some ~20 years ago.

Are you sure it wasn't GE (which is not related to GEC)?

 

[WM]

GEC hasn't existed for something like 5 years (it was renamed
Marconi), and AFAIK, it hasn't made lamps since the days of
GEC Osram, and GEC sold Osram off some ~20 years ago.

Are you sure it wasn't GE (which is not related to GEC)?

Yes, maybe it was GE. I think it said "General Electric" on the
box.

My question isn't really restricted to just General Electric
because branded bulbs from companies like Philips probably sell
for more or less the same sort of price as General Electric.

 

[TKM]

Here in the UK, I was buying a GLS bulb at the supermarket. I had a
choice of:

(1) a bulb made by GEC for something like £1 (approx $1.60)

OR

(2) a "value" bulb for 18p (under 30 cents).


OK, so the GEC bulb might be manufactured to a higher spec and may be
checked afterwards more carefully but exactly what user benefit do I
get to notice if I buy the GEC bulb rather than the cheap one:

Is the brightness of the two essentially the same?
And is the colour spectrum largely the same?
Maybe the cheapo bulb has a wickedly short life?

One difference that I like (and use) is product service. if something,
like short life, goes wrong, a branded lamp is backed by a company with some
resources and experience to make it right. Unbranded products depend upon
the retailer. I haven't had very good experiences with them. I don't know
if it's worth the price spread that you quote, however.

Terry McGowan

 

[David Lee]

WM wrote...

Here in the UK, I was buying a GLS bulb at the supermarket. I had a
choice of:

(1) a bulb made by GEC for something like £1 (approx $1.60)

OR

(2) a "value" bulb for 18p (under 30 cents).


OK, so the GEC bulb might be manufactured to a higher spec and may be
checked afterwards more carefully but exactly what user benefit do I
get to notice if I buy the GEC bulb rather than the cheap one:

Is the brightness of the two essentially the same?
And is the colour spectrum largely the same?
Maybe the cheapo bulb has a wickedly short life?

Generally avoid the cheapos since they tend to have poor lifetime. However
£1 is way too expensive (assuming that it was a "normal" power lamp - ie
40-100watt) and, if I was desperate for a lamp, in this case I would
definitely buy the cheap one.

Last time I bought GLS lamps I picked up a pack of 10 Philips 100W lamps for
£1.99 - normal price at a small chain of hardware shops in North Wales
(Stermat). However whilst branded Philips - 1 year lifetime - they were
actually made in Poland.

A 200W Philips GLS bought at the same time was still only 99p (and that
wasn't marked as made in Poland).

David

 

[Daniel J. Stern]

OK, so the GE bulb might be manufactured to a higher spec and may be
checked afterwards more carefully but exactly what user benefit do I get
to notice if I buy the GEC bulb rather than the cheap one

You get:

-A bulb that probably lives up to its claimed output rating

-A bulb that probably lives up to its (longer) claimed lifespan rating

-A bulb with a base that's probably accurately made of proper materials so
as to be easy and safe to install and remove properly.

-The ability to buy another such bulb in future (if nobody buys the good
stuff, only the crap remains on the market.)