Rough Service light bulbs

[Tom in TN]

I used to be able to buy "rough service" light bulbs for use in my trouble lights. They were tough enough that I could actually throw the trouble light under whatever I was working on, then lie down and slide under the machine, and still have a functioning trouble light,

I've been looking for rough service bulbs for quite a while now, and I can't find any. Home Depot, TSC, ACE Hardware all looked at me like I was out of my mind when I asked them where they stock their rough service bulbs.

I don't know anything about CFL or LED bulbs to know if they can sustain rugged service.

What do you use in your trouble lights?

Thanks for any advice.

Tom in TN

 

[Bob Bancroft]

My local auto supply type store still stocks them.

 

[rustyfarmall]

I've had a few rough service bulbs. They didn't seem to last any longer than ordinary bulbs, so now I just use the regular incandescent bulbs and exercise caution.

 

[danmcdonald]

I use LED I have not killed one yet and they don't get hot.

 

[IowaJohn]

We get them at Menards for the garage door opener.

 

[D beatty]

I would go with the LED bulb. They cost more but will take more of a beating.

 

[Steve@Advance]

Here are some that can be ordered.

But it would be worth a shot to try an LED!

Back in the day, we used to refer to the drop light as the "brandin' iron"! LOL

Oh, the memories of laying under the dash, have the light fall against your face, and couldn't get untangled enough to move it!
Rough service lamps

 

[John-MI]

An electric engineer told me to buy 130 volt bulbs instead of 115 volt because they have a heavier element in them. Don't confuse volts with watts.

 

[Dean]

For the time being at least, you can buy garage door opener (rough service) bulbs at Sears, etc.

Don't wait. I'm sure that the federales will close this "loop hole" once they discover it.

Dean

 

[marloweg]

just got some today at Menard's so Lows or HD should have them just got to ask the right person

 

[Billy Shafer]

I bought some made by Havells. Supposed to be rough service. Just don't drop them or expect them to last long.Installed three last month in my house.
Two have already burned out.

 

[Tom in TN]

Thanks guys, for all of the responses.

I'm going to try a garage door opener bulb and an LED to see if one or the other will last longer than the regular bulbs I've been going through.

There's a really good, old fashioned auto supply house about 15 miles away, so the next time I'm near them, I'll also ask them if they have a recommendation.

There are no Menard's in our area and Home Depot is marginally helpful with just about anything.

Thanks again.

I feel like I'm on my way to a solution.

Tom in TN

 

[Russ from MN]

I think because they are special purpose bulbs they are exempt from the ban on incandescence, but LED's are so much better why would anyone want them.

 

[BobReeves]

When mine went out last time I grabbed one of the newer fluorescents the wife keeps on hand for the house. Works great and doesn't get near as hot as the old rough service bulbs did. Haven't dropped it yet so can't tell how well it will hold up but expect the drop test won't be too long in coming.

 

[Russ from MN]

HD is a pretty good place to buy bulbs, I was in ours today.

 

[jeffcat]

You need to go to a for real electrical supply place and they will have them or can order. Rough service have five element suports as where regular only have three. They also may have the 130volt bulbs. Last much longer. I would go for DAYLIGHT LED bulbs. Don,t buy cool white casuse they have crummy color light. The daylight LEDs will show you everything just like you were out in broad day light!

 

[MarkB_MI]

Although rough service bulbs are still available, I think LEDs have pretty much supplanted them. Why get burned by a hot incandescent bulb if you don't have to?

 

[M-MAN]

Our local Lowes keeps them on the shelf.

 

[Butch(OH)]

I have been using CFLs. They are a lot tougher than regular light bulbs, not sure about pitching the light under a vehicle though? Downside is waiting a few sends for them to get fully lighted but huge plus is they don't get hot enough to burn you and that's a good enough reason for me to keep using them.

 

[hanovertom]

I agree, best move I made, good light, rugged and does not burn

 

[markct]

Most auto parts stores carry them, I don't use them for droplights tho, I use them for keeping stuff from freezing since a 130 volt bulb gives off more heat and less light. Droplights I use led which don't burn you and are shatter proof

 

[markiz41]

Ditto. There are CFL, 100 watt equivalent and rubber coated to prevent shattering. I would classify them as "bright white".

 

[PJH]

I have a post mounted grinder with worn bushings, and it has a lot of vibration. A regular incandescent bulb will only last a few seconds in that grinder light. In desperation (I had used my last spare rough service bulb), I tried a common CFL bulb. It's been in that old grinder for over a year now. Those CFL's are pretty tough for vibration, but I wouldn't pitch one under a car, ha.

I've always had nightmares of busting an old trouble light bulb right after spilling a flammable liquid.

For my trouble lights, I converted them all to LED. They've taken some pretty hard knocks with no apparent ill effects. Here's a link to an LED head similar to the ones I use. Mine did NOT come from Sears.
LED conversion

 

[PJH]

Tom - here's a link to ebay hits on rough service bulbs. Let someone else do the driving. . .
on ebay

 

[rustyfarmall]

I am not totally sold on those LEDs. I bought 4 of the 60 watt LEDs to replace the incandesents in a ceiling fan light. 3 of those bulbs work just fine. The 4th worked fine for about 2 hours, and then decided to be a strobe light. Had to take it out and put the incandescent back in.

 

[Jon Hagen]

We have good luck using CFL bulbs in the trouble lights. The open squiggly ones are cheap and so tough that you actually have to bang them hard enough to break the glass to kill them.
The only problem is if you use them around where you are welding, one welding spatter will crack the squiggly tube and break the bulb. For welding , we use the CFL's that have the ordinary glass globe over the squiggly tube. This outer globe takes the weld spatters and protects the squiggly tube.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

Maybe the person you asked at HD, Lowes, etc. didn't specifically know where the rough service bulbs were, but they certainly have them right there in the aisle with all the other light bulbs.

Heck the light bulb aisle is the first thing you see when you walk into a Home Depot.

Rough service bulbs are not something everyone knows about.

Just drives me up a wall when people complain because a teenage kid working his/her first job doesn't know everything about the roughly 100,000 items on the shelves at a big box store. "Kids are worthless! Our country is doomed!" Give the kid a break; knowledge comes with experience, and he/she has none.

 

[DENNIS MIN]

tom in tenn,

First time I sent the misses in for rough service bulb, well the store person didn't quite get ...they looked for a rough surface bulb...

Not joking, but funny.

D.

 

[Bob]

Take a chance, risk $3 and get a 60 Watt equivalent LED at Wallaby World, and give it a try.

NO burned fingers or melted plastic from an incandescent or glass with a trace of mercury when you break one of those abominable coiled florescent pieces of *$&!$.

You might even like it!

 

[Alan K]

You are having "trouble" finding a bulb for your..."trouble" light. (Yes it is bad humor but the week is almost over) I thought I had seen some at Menards. Will take another look there.

 

[D beatty]

Stay away from LED bulbs from Wally world. I tried them and they all quit at under a year old. I would go with Sylvania or Feit LED bulbs have yet to have one of them die.

 

[ldj]

(quoted from post at 13:05:08 10/05/16)

Just drives me up a wall when people complain because a teenage kid working his/her first job doesn't know everything about the roughly 100,000 items on the shelves at a big box store. "Kids are worthless! Our country is doomed!" Give the kid a break; knowledge comes with experience, and he/she has none.

That teenage kid that doesn't know about what I ask isn't what T's me off. It is their attitude, them not offering or wanting to help you find your answer, it's them that are more interested in their cell phone than my question. Those that don't know but offer to find out are the ones that may manage that store someday. Those other ones are the ones that will never have a pot to P in or a window to throw it out of.