Replacement Lamps

Just google the lamp code (EHL, etc.) along with "bulb", "lamp", or "globe". There are some huge online warehouses with prices way below photo-centric suppliers, for name-brand bulbs. They'll show all the data for each brand so you can decide to go Ushio or cheaper, etc.

Ebay often will have what you need, new & unopened, at half the price of retail. Theaters often upgrade or discard lights yet have a big stock of lamps and people will list them. Especially for pricey 750 - 2k lamps that may be $30-$40... I've often found them for $15 or so. Use the same search terms on eBay and remember eBay users can be a little dumb about descriptions or categories - it can take a few searches to find what you want (if it's there that is).
 
I have to second eBay as a source. I have a bunch of different lights with different globe needs and I have yet to find a one stop shop for the best price on all of them. One place has the best price for one and other places will have a lower price on others. I would put together a list of the bulbs you need and then do a search with the codes and see what you can find.

Here are a couple of places I have bought from:

http://stores.ebay.com/bulbamerica

http://stores.ebay.com/lights64
 
Well all is good, as I found my missing extra lamp box.
With the exception of the large mogul bulbs needed for a Mole type 1000 bell lamp.
 
David W. Jones said:
Well all is good, as I found my missing extra lamp box.
With the exception of the large mogul bulbs needed for a Mole type 1000 bell lamp.
Click to expand...

David, let me ask you something. I was going to make a thread about this, but you always have great ideas, so I thought I would ask you... How many replacement bulbs do you carry for each type you have? I try to have two of everything, but a film set is a space time portal focal point for Murphy's Law and just having two makes me nervous, sometimes.
 
I always try to have a replacement for each fixture as a just in case. And if a light can run multiple wattage lamps extras on those as well. The issue I ran into was I bought a dozen lights on eBay that I'm refinishing. I'm thinking about starting a thread about putting a light kit together on the cheap by buying used. For example... One of my eBay finds was listed as, lot of 2 hot lights, one Colortran Quartz King 650w and one unknown light. From the picture I knew the unknown light to be an LTM Pepper 100. I paid $39 for the two lights, and the Pepper sells new for $200.
 
I always buy Osram bulbs, have a whole box of them. They last a VERY long time. Honestly I've had a baby light that I havent replaced a bulb for about a year. And its been in more-or-less constant use.
Some cheaper ones may not last as long, and they would end up only being maybe at most 5$ cheaper. Get yourself some extra hundred hours with Osram (sounds like a tagline)
 
I had a dewalt drill stolen and kept the big suitcase-style case; I cut out all the dividers and cut sheets of foam with slots of all my main tungsten lamps. Really handy, especially when you're re-lamping for power. (I keep some white cotton jeweler's gloves in it too, makes changing lamps fast & clean... and a couple alcohol wipes...)

One thing I also do is use a fine pt. black sharpie and mark wattage on the ceramic bases/ends of each lamp. If the wattage is 750 & up, use a pencil, the sharpie disappears pretty fast at that heat!

I have several rectangular theatrical open faced lights with doors, which use the "shop light" bulbs and can be lamped at 100, 150, 200, 300, 650, 750, or 1k. That's a lot of little pencil-shaped bulbs to have on hand, organizing and marking them is a huge time saver.
 
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