Just as we’re all getting used to the idea of tossing out our old incandescent light bulbs, and replacing them with the “new” standard CFL bulbs, a new kind of bulb has come along that may make the transition from old to new, a little more complicated. They’re called Switch Lights, and are garnering raves from industry magazines such as Slate, and Gizmag. The reason newer and better alternatives to the CFL bulbs are needed is because CFL bulbs have a small amount of mercury in them which makes them slightly hazardous if they should break. Also, there is the problem of what to do with them after they have outlived their usefulness. Because of this, research companies have looked for other alternatives, and thus far, the best and brightest of the bunch appear to be those made from Light Emitting Diodes (LED) which many people have likely seen lately as most new bulbs for Christmas trees use them. The problem with LED’s though is that they are thus far, not bright enough to fill a room with light. This is where the Switch Lights come in.
Switch Lights differ from other LED bulbs in the way their light is diffused. Whereas most LED bulbs try to increase their shine power by simply adding more LEDs and reflective material, the folks at Switch Lights have immersed them in a secret fluid that causes the bulbs to glow bright enough to fill any room. The brightest ones are comparable, the company says, to a regular 100 watt incandescent bulb.
This is good news, because LED bulbs don’t have any hazardous materials in them, and the fluid the Switch Light’s use is actually consumable, the company says. There’s also the nice little attribute that LEDs use a lot less electricity than do either incandescent or CFL bulbs, and perhaps even better yet, they last longer. Because LEDs don’t put off much heat, and because the Switch Lights also immerse them in fluid, they don’t degrade. This means, buyers can expect a Switch Light bulb to least for twenty or thirty years. Of course by then, engineers will have come up with something else, but that’s not the point. The point is, once you buy one of these light bulbs, you won’t have to worry about replacing it.
Switch Lights also have another feature that consumers are likely to enjoy, and that is the way the glass outer skin of the bulb has been sculpted to resemble a cut glass snow globe, which makes it look like a piece of art, rather than a simple light bulb. Some might even choose to forgo a lamp.