Looking for fluorescent desk lamp light bulb

November 25, 2024 8:28 AM

Hello, I find light bulbs confusing so I am maybe just being dense about this. Looking for something quite specific though.

But does anyone have a recommendation on a fluorescent/fluorescent-like light bulb I can use for my desk lamp? It is an IKEA lamp that requires an E12 bulb.

I currently have a bulb in there that is 450 lm 4.3W 2700K 120V 46mA 60Hz 105lm/W....this is what I find confusing! Not sure what part of that is actually relevant or what any of it means. Anyway, the current bulb is a warm yellow light. Way too yellowy and warm for me.

I do not want natural light at my desk. I want a cold, lifeless white light. I need it to be able to read and also concentrate generally. Something bright but not blinding obviously.

Thank you so much in advance! Every time I browse bulbs at ikea or amazon or home depot I get overwhelmed.

posted by justsomebody to Home & Garden (9 answers total)

FWIW, those means 450 lumens, 4.3W consumption, 2700K visual temperature (whiteness), 120V (obvious), 46mA current, 60Hz electrical system, 105 lumens per watt (efficiency).

You need something with a higher visual color temp, maybe 3000K.
posted by kschang at 8:39 AM on November 25

I do not want natural light at my desk. I want a cold, lifeless white light.

You want to focus on "color temperature." If you google color temperature light bulb scale you'll see some very helpful charts that will help you determine how lifeless and cold you like it.

For close work things like crafts, kitchen, and bathroom I like a cool daylight temperature, between 5000K-6000K and I'm guessing that's what you're looking for, too. The other bulb parameters you need can stay the same, but you'll want that K number to be higher.
posted by phunniemee at 8:40 AM on November 25 [1 favorite]

Seconding the recommendation of around 5000K bulbs. I use these for working on art at night or taking photos of said art where I need things not to be tinted yellow.
posted by ceramicspaniel at 9:11 AM on November 25

Yeah, 2700-3000K is the usual range I've seen for warm/yellow light and 5000-6500K is the range for cool/white light. (Where I live I've actually never seen 5000K bulbs - it's all 6500K for white light.)

Brightness is more about lumens, or watts if lumens aren't listed.

And for completeness: E12 is the type of socket for the bulb - in this case a screw socket 12mm in diameter.
posted by trig at 9:25 AM on November 25

If it's an Ikea light, it may not be able to handle the heat/weight of a fluorescent.

I don't know what country you're in, but the Ikea Canada SOLHETTA is a 450 lumen, cool daylight (5000 K) LED bulb with an E12 base
posted by scruss at 10:00 AM on November 25 [3 favorites]

If it's an Ikea light, it might need Ikea bulbs, and for the past 10 years or so, Ikea lights have been designed to take LED bulbs, not fluorescent. So buying a bulb at Ikea might be your best bet. In your shoes, I would go to Ikea and look at the bulbs in their lighting section. Take photos of your lamp's socket and the bulb that fits it. I would even say, bring your actual lamp if it's not too large.

PS, don't feel bad for being confused! Shopping for lightbulbs and lamps ABSOLUTELY SUCKS. Light is a very subjective and intuitive thing, and shopping for it with a string of product numbers and a photoshopped Amazon image is nearly impossible. I haven't had a proper lamp in my bedroom for over a year even though I desperately need one, because I'm picky about colour temperature (meaning I don't like LED or fluorescent bulbs) AND I'm nervous about old wiring (meaning I don't trust older incandescent lamps) AND I want something that fits a specific space and looks nice (hard enough to find just as a baseline, without the added complications of my overly strong opinions about colour temperature and wattage.) You're not alone!
posted by nouvelle-personne at 11:50 AM on November 25

Nthing that bulb technology (like fluorescent vs LED) isn't really that important, but color temperature is. For that style of socket you're likely going to only be able to fit an LED bulb in there, but plenty of cool white 5000K+ LED bulbs are made. Searching "e12 bulb 5000k" or "e12 bulb daylight" or "e12 bulb cool white" at your favorite e-commerce site are all likely going to turn up plenty of results for what you're looking for, if you can't find them at your local hardware store.

(Also, it is/was totally possible to get warm-white fluorescent bulbs, so even then you'd want to look at the color temperature before buying one. I don't think I've seen a fluorescent E12 bulb tho.)
posted by Aleyn at 12:32 PM on November 25

Bulb technology is important as to how hot things get - and yes, modern lamps are totally going to be designed for colder bulbs. Incandescent = hot enough you can use it to warm a room. Fluorescent or halogen - colder but still too hot to touch when it's been on for a while. LED - only warms a little bit even with long use.

This also translates into wattage, with equal light output (measured in lumens) requiring much more energy in the older technologies because they turn so much more into heat. Good news is that about every type of bulb (e12 is a type of bulb) comes in LED now. LEDs are more expensive to buy, but cheaper to use in the long run because they eat less electricity and are supposed to last longer.
posted by I claim sanctuary at 12:53 PM on November 25

There should be a sticker on or near the socket stating how much power the lamp is able to take. That's more important than the wattage of the bulb you're using right now. With this information, you can go looking for an LED bulb that fits your requirements for color temperatur (in Kelvin) and brightness (in lumen) and which doesn't exceed the allowed wattage and fits into the E12 socket. You don't need to buy one from Ikea, you can get them at any hardware store.
posted by amf at 12:56 PM on November 25