Incandescent Lightbulbs in Arg: Now Illegal?

MorganF

MorganF

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Fellow Expats --

I'm new to the forum although I've been going back and forth between BA and the USA for more than 10 years now. I'd like to appeal to all of your collective wisdom on a subject to get your advice.

Incandescent lightbulbs. Now illegal in Argentina, and my local ferreteria proprietors tell me that they're running out of supplies soon, never to be replenished. As much as I might want to blame Cristina, they're just following the US's lead - a similar law takes effect in 2014 in the USA.

The problem is, the other types of light (excluding fire) just hurt my eyes. Flourescent and halogen lights make me feel like I'm in an institution.

It pains me to have to put those into my apt in BA. And it also pains me to think that I might resort to candle power - I feel like I'm in the middle ages.

Does anyone here have any advice or expertise on lights or how to deal with this situation?

While they're still being sold (before supplies run out!) should I stock up? Should I buy big candles? (Where?). Will they still sell them in Uruguay so I can, once per six months, take a Buquebus to Carmelo to pick some up? Will an underground supply likely emerge? Or....?

I'd love any solutions for dealing with this. Life in Arg (and, as of 2014, the USA) will be much duller (pun intended, bad joke I know) without good lights...

I'd love to hear anyone's suggestions!

gratefully,
morgan
 
MorganF said:
... The problem is, the other types of light (excluding fire) just hurt my eyes. Flourescent and halogen lights make me feel like I'm in an institution. ...
Does anyone here have any advice or expertise on lights or how to deal with this situation?
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I have problems with the usual bluish-white bajo consumo bulbs too, but e.g. OSRAM Duluxstar Lumilux Warm White doesn't give me problems - buy one - test it.
 
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(1) I don't buy "OSRAM" because they are made in Argentina and the ones I've bought in the past didn't last much more than a month. The old school bulbs could last for years and years if they are made air-tight, but OSRAM, and/or its workers chose NOT to make a quality product. So I moved on to Philips or GE because they were made outside the country.

I would love to support the local workers, check that, I would GO OUT OF MY WAY to support the local workers, but if they are going to make a piece of crap, I'm not going to buy it.

I compare it to the US auto industry in the '80s and early '90s. Don't make a piece of crap and then tell me it's the best thing on the road.


2) Virtually all of the new bulbs come in a variety of tones.

Cool (Blue)
Neutral
Warm (White with a hint of yellow-ish)


3) I've been replacing the old bulbs gradually with the new bulbs. Every time another OSRAM (from my foolish days) blows out, I replace it with the new kind of bulb. (GE or Philips.)

Try out different "heats" of lights. They're expensive, but perhaps you can go to a light store and ask to try some different bulbs so that you can hopefully find a tone that you like.
 
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Napoleon said:
Try out different "heats" of lights. They're expensive, but perhaps you can go to a light store and ask to try some different bulbs so that you can hopefully find a tone that you like.
Click to expand...

Even better to try the lights : in Easy and in most of the medium/big supermarkets they have bulb sockets nearby the lights (intended to check whether or not the bulb is ok). You can try dozens of bulbs without molesting anyone.
 
Napoleon said:
(1) I don't buy "OSRAM" because they are made in Argentina and the ones I've bought in the past didn't last much more than a month.
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I bought 32 OSRAMs in Argentina almost 8 months ago, all in excellent working condition today.
 
John.St said:
I bought 32 OSRAMs in Argentina almost 8 months ago, all in excellent working condition today.
Click to expand...

I do not share your luck with regards to OSRAM light bulbs.

If I did, my apartment would be filled with OSRAMs because they (a) are slightly less expensive and (b) they support the national economy.

I have OSRAM luck envy.
 
I have a similar hatred of those stupid fluorescent bulbs. AND they're made with mercury so disposing of them is super bad for the environment. To digress slightly, I once did some work for a company that manufactures them in the USA - and you'd be BAFFLED by how much lobbying money internationally has been shelled out by producers of fluorescent and LED products. Its amazing. The profit margin on these products for producers are insanely higher than the incandescents, and when you add disposal costs, it really makes no sense environmentally to make a 100% switch to them.

Anyways, digression over. I've made myself not want to suicidarme by buying floor lamps that are not just a shade and a bulb, but sort of like a fabric cylinder that the bulb sits about halfway down. That way i don't have that gross blue light going on. And pick the "warmer" heats.

Best of luck to you. Also, stockpiling is always fun, and guests who look in your closets will find you eccentric ;)
 
Napoleon said:
I do not share your luck with regards to OSRAM light bulbs.

If I did, my apartment would be filled with OSRAMs because they (a) are slightly less expensive and (b) they support the national economy.

I have OSRAM luck envy.
Click to expand...
A tip: Buy them in a supermarket, where you can test them yourself, 14 seconds each, a standard test (more time if you please) - the 1 second test at an electricians that shows them to function is not enough. I should have mentioned that when I bought mine, about 1 in 6 or 7 didn't work properly (blinking, etc.) during the 14 seconds test. Those I bought in Átomo are so satisfactory, that they could have been produced in Germany under severe QA - oh, and I had to change one that started blinking after an hour or so - not a problem in Átomo, where customer service actually seems to work.
 
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