Posted: 12/22/04
By Aaron Vehling
I am sure many of you have seen the television commerical before.
Two police officers bring a suspect into an interrogation room. As they turn the light on in the room and prepare to go at the suspect, they are taken aback by the vibrant colors of the suspectís attire.
The commercial is for General Electricís Reveal light bulb, which they say ìmakes colors ëpopí in a way they don't with standard incandescent bulbs.î
After seeing this commerical on television numerous times, I decided to see for myself if, in fact, colors did ìpop.î
I went to Target in Cambridge and purchased a single package of four 60-watt light bulbs for $2.09, considerably more expensive than GEís own Soft White light bulbs which sell for 84 cents for a comparable package.
I replaced two highly-used lamps in my apartment with the Reveal light bulbs. The results were startling.
The yellow, sort-of monotonous glow that once dominated areas lit by those lamps was now alive with a much clearer set of colors. Blues and reds were much more interesting to look at and were not tinged with a mustardesque look.
GE attributes this result to the neodymium that is in the glass in each light bulb. According to their product information, when the bulbs are lit the neodymium element filters out much of the ìyellowî light and provides a pure, clean light.
A revolution, this neodymium-laced light is not. I have seen colors ìpopî before - under the illumination of a regular, olí fluorescent light.
The ìwhiteî light that the Reveal bulb gives off is a nice contrast to the ìyellowî of a standard incandescent, but many compact fluorescent bulbs that I have used are also quite industrious at exposing richer colors.
Compact fluorescent bulbs are fluorescent lights that are designed to replace standard incandescent lights. They use 66 percent less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than their incandescent counterparts, according to Energy Star.
In addition, a 32-watt compact fluorescent, depending on the life of the bulb, can save up to 7 cents an hour over a 100-watt incandescent, said Ed Legge of Xcel Energy.
Derreck Nunemaker, a salesman at Main Street Hardware in North Branch, said that he has seen a lot of people purchase the Reveal bulbs.
ìSome people have come in and bought several,î he said. ìEnough to fill their whole house.î
If you are looking for a way to give your home some vibrant lighting, the Reveal is the way to go. It gets rid of the dull yellow colors of a standard incandescent light bulb.
But if you are concerned about energy efficiency, a compact fluorescent kills two birds with one stone. The colors look better and you can save a little on your electricity bill.
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