"the Amazon description says nothing about this..."
When I bought 6 Jan 2011 the description said:
"SYLVANIA 65-Watt 130-Volt BR30 Indoor Flood, 6-Pack Consumer Value Pack # 65BR30 CVP 6PK"
"Voltage: 130 volts"
I _AGREE_ that Amazon should SHOUT that these are 130V lamps, AND that they will be LESS-BRIGHT and LAST LONGER when used on common 115V-125V supply.
But 130V incandescent lamps ARE a common practice for certain situations.
130V lamps on 120V power last 2.5 times longer!!
As a rough guide: if incandescent lamp replacement costs (salary, ladder, downtime) are more than the bulb, you will probably save money by using the next higher voltage bulb.
"for houses that don't exist (who has 130 volt lines?)"
Many-many homes now get 125V power. I have 124V. Standard 120V-design lamps burn bright and die early.
"...for houses that do exist they'll be dimmer than the advertised 65w."
Yes, although "65W" is not the light, it is the power consumed at nominal 130V voltage. Both power and light will be less at 120V, but life will be longer.
The Sylvania box is quite clear:
Performance === at 130V = at 120V
Watts actual: ===== 65 ----- 57
Lumens (light): === 640 ---- 470
Lifetime avg: ==== 2000 --- 5000
Yes, 73% as much light for 88% as much electric bill, but _250%_ as much life!
When replacement cost is small, such as home undercounter lights, 130V lamps are a bad buy.
When line-voltage is near 125V (which is very common), 120V lamps have short life, 130V lamps may be a better balance of life and light.
When replacement cost is large, when you have to pay a worker to go up a ladder, the reduced replacement labor costs can often justify the extra lights and power required to get a specific light level. Schools and factories often specify 130V because of high labor costs.
Suppose I want 12 foot-candles all over my 2-car garage. I need 5700 lumens. I can use nine 120@120 lamps or twelve 130@120 lamps.
I compute cost for a full year 24/7 (2.4 hours/day for 10 years will be similar). Each of the nine 120@120 sockets will eat 4.4 bulbs. Each of the twelve 130@120 sockets will eat only 1.8 bulbs.
The nine 65W (120@120) consume 582 Watts. The twelve 57W (130@120) consume 684 Watts.
rating: === 120@120 ----- 130@120
bulbs ======= $200 ---------$110 (at $5/bulb)
power: ====== $770 -------- $900 (at $0.15/KWh)
total: ======= $970 ------ $1,100
difference: ---------------- +$130 (130@120V eats more power for the same light)
bulb changes == 40 ----------- 22 (130@120V lasts longer for the same light)
$130 more operating cost but 18 fewer lamp-changes. If a bulb-change costs over $7.22 (labor or inconvenience), the 130V bulbs are cheaper total operating cost.
If your actual voltage is closer to 125V, then 130V bulbs may make sense even at $3/change costs.
In a kitchen, use the 120v bulbs. In my 124V garage I need the long ladder to reach the ceiling, and I'd rather do that less often. Sylvania 15172 65-Watt 130-Volt BR30 Indoor Flood, 6 Pack
Instead of having to drive to Home Depot and waste gas, make a line, and pay sales tax, these light bulbs were delivered free and at a better price. They work just as you would expect from a light bulb.
Have used only one in our kitchen. Bright white light. Will replace our older regular floods with these when they burn out unless the comparison causes us to move sooner. Sorry about the other reviewer. This is a great light.
Received the shipment and all the bulbs are working. One thing I noticed though, Amazon has increased the price from 14.99 to 20.99. It is interesting to see such a fluctuation in price in such a short time (it has been less than a month).
I was a bit wary of ordering these bulbs considering the reviews of people getting bad bulbs, but the price was too good to pass up and I needed a bunch. I ordered 3 cases and have used 9 bulbs from 2 of the cases and every single bulb worked fine. I'm also not sure why the fuss about 130V since my understanding is that this will only translate into a slightly lower actual wattage, but longer life. Anyways from a practical standpoint, when I replaced the bulbs they were just as bright as the other bulbs we have. I'm glad I took the chance and will definitely order again when I need more bulbs. Also, Amazon packaged them very well with a lot of air-packing and not a single bulb was broken!
I bought a case of 12 of these about a year ago because we have 8 can lights in the kitchen and four of the previous Verilux bulbs all seemed to need replacing at once. Well, we have gone through eleven of these in one year! We replaced those four Verilux right away, and then over the next year replaced the four other Verilux and three of these Sylvanias. I came down this morning (it's a grey day here in Seattle) and when I turned on the light the kitchen looked kind of gloomy. Three more Sylvanias have burned out! And it was February of 2010 when I bought them. This is not what I consider a good life for a light bulb (bulbs we put in our pendant lamps in 2007 are still going strong) so I'm on the hunt for a different bulb.
The box states clearly on the front "Notice: This product is designed for 130 volts. When used on the normal line voltage of 120 volts, bulb life is noticeably increased but the efficiency and light output are reduced." So the spec'ed rating is for houses that don't exist (who has 130 volt lines?) and for houses that do exist they'll be dimmer than the advertised 65w. Not sure how many stars to give it -- the box is very clear, but the Amazon description says nothing about this (that I could see) - Compact Fluorescent'
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