For years there have been standards for color correctness under fluorescent lighting and
one of the lamps which is known for this is the Philips Colortone 50. Why
are these lamps the standard for all kinds of color matching and true color
rendition? It's because they have a very high color rendering index which
is 92 and they're the ones that have been used as a standard throughout the
years. This has been true for many decades and it's the industry standard
for matching colors in for the printing and auto industry but also for color
proofing of all types. With most fluorescent bulbs, you won't be able to get
this kind of high color rendition as you do in the Philips Colortone 50, they're
made for this special application. Although they have this special use,
they are commonly used as overhead fluorescent lighting because of the clean,
white light they put out. These also fall under the category of full
spectrum fluorescents and they're used that way in many business offices.
The only thing to keep in mind is that the light output is lower than other
variations of fluorescent lamps, 2200 lumens on the Philips Colortone 50 as
opposed to around 3100 lumens for other colors. These typically come in
the F40T12 tube which is the standard for the more common colors like cool white
or warm white that's been used in offices throughout the world. So
wherever you have those in your light fixtures, then the Philips Colortone 50 lamps will work just fine.
As with all fluorescent bulbs, they rely on ballasts inside of the fixtures
in order to make them work. Ballasts are available from Osram Sylvania, among others. Almost all fixtures for these bulbs
come with ballasts already mounted and wired. You can't change from one type of
fluorescent to another without changing the ballast in most cases.
On some occasions there may be a ballast that is made for several different
types such as in the case of T8 lamps. Most of the time the ballast and the lamp
are matched electrically and so it's good to make sure the ballast you have is
the right one for the lamp you choose. The F40T12 fluorescent typically operates
on a magnetic ballast which is less efficient than it's electronic counterpart.
With the advent of higher electrical costs, many businesses are looking for ways
to save energy with lighting. There are many choices in this area right
now and one of the most popular type of lamps are the FO32T8 fluorescent light
bulbs with matching electronic ballasts. This combination has been a standard
for saving energy and many times has electric utility rebates associated with
it. What makes them such a natural is that the sockets used for less
efficient F40T12 lamps are exactly the same making it an easy retrofit. Now
there are T8 versions of the Philips Colortone 50 which will give you the ability to use them in all your T8
lighting situations. This would probably be common for many newer
installations, but older fixtures will probably still use the F40T12 Colortone 50.
Because it's still very pervasive in many office environments across the
country, we make the F40T12 fluorescent light bulbs and the Philips Colortone 50
a substantial part of our offering. There will probably never be a time when
these will not be used in applications for color correct lighting and it only
seems to be increasing. Remember, there are many types of color correct
lighting, we describe some of the most common used in commercial lighting
here. Whatever type of fluorescent you choose or have, you will be getting the
best color rendering lamp when you choose the Philips Colortone 50. If
you need help identifying a light bulb, our customer service
representatives can help you determine what you have.
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