By Scott Watson

In the electronic world, there are varieties of bulbs in use.  Among the popularly used types include fluorescents tubes, LEDs, incandescent lamps, halogens, HIDs and some others. These bulbs   showcase in a variety of shapes and designs.   A clear understanding of the shapes of the bulbs will go a long way to assisting you in understanding their basic features and modes of operation.  Let’s take a look at the various bulb shapes.

Pear Shape
This is the most standard type of   bulb shape available in the world today.  Such bulbs are commonly used by many people all over the world.  They come in a variety of designs and measurements.   The A55 is actually the most common size of pear shape bulbs in use in various quarters.  Some of the bulbs also appear in A15, A19 and A 21 shapes. Some of them can also be larger in size.  Such types are mainly known as high wattage bulbs.

BR and PAR shapes
Some bulbs appear in BR and PAR shapes.   Most incandescent bulbs appear in such shapes.  Many of them used as spotlights and floodlights are usually seen in such shapes.  The spotlight bulbs normally have narrow beams which are used in lighting specific areas.   They can be very awesome when used in various areas.  They can add beauty to areas where they are used.   Floodlights on the other hand, have broader beams.  They can also be used in lighting specific areas within a neighborhood or environment. Such bulbs add beauty to any environment where they are used.

G Shape
There are several bulbs with G shape. Such bulbs appear like spheres and they are mainly seen in residential bathrooms.  They usually make bathrooms to be awesome in appearance. When you take your bath in any of the bathrooms where such bulbs are used, you’ll always enjoy every bit of the bathing process.

Other Shapes
Many other kinds of bulbs appear in varieties of shapes and designs.  For instance, Candelabra bulbs    showcase in a variety of shapes and styles.  Halogen bulbs also showcase in a variety of styles and shapes.  Some of them   have the same shapes   as seen in incandescent bulbs.  Such bulbs can be used as spotlights and floodlights   in any environment. They can serve security purposes when used extensively.  You can easily see every nook and cranny of the environment when the bulbs are turned on.  Many of the bulbs can also be used for tracking purposes.  Such tracking bulbs can come in 120VAC.

Fluorescent tubes and their Shapes
Fluorescent tubes are very common in our world today. They showcase in nice white shapes. They can be compact or complex in nature.  They showcase in a variety of shapes and sizes.  The T12 is the most commonly used fluorescent   tube in the electronic industry. It’s known for its high efficiency especially in the generation of white light.  In the recent times, the T12 has been replaced by the T8 tubes. Actually the numbers after the “T” refers to the diameter of the tube when measured in eights of an inch.   However, 4 ft is the general length of most fluorescent bulbs, but there are still some variations here and there.  8 ft fluorescent tube is also available. They are mainly used for high ceilings in big houses, auditoriums, and offices.  They can be in the form of high output tubes also known as “HO” or “VHO”

Again, some fluorescent tubes appear in the U-shape.  They are usually very awesome and cute in appearance. Such tubes are mainly used in wiring ceiling panels that are very small for the usual 4 ft tubes.
Meanwhile, some fluorescent bulbs also showcase in spiral   shapes.   Among them include the CFLs.  They are commonly used in offices, companies and organizations.

Bulb Bases
The exposition on the shapes of bulbs cannot be complete without a cursory look at the bases of the bulbs.  Actually, there are wide varieties of bulb bases since there are various kinds of bulbs.  Many of the bulbs usually come with one bases. Others also come with two.   All over the world, the A19 or A55 is the most common bulb shape with   nice base.  In the US and Europe, such bulbs come with bases known as the medium screw.  They fit into a socket with screw. You simply slide them into the socket as you use the screwing method.

Meanwhile, the E26 is also another common bulb base in use.  It’s also known as E27 in the European Union.  In the UK and Ireland, the A55 bulbs normally showcase in a bi-pin base.  Such bulbs are widely used in various areas making up Ireland and the UK.

When considering the bulb bases, fluorescent tubes seem to be quite different. They come with two pins at each end.  This allows them to fit into their fixture   when mounted on the ceiling or wall.

Specialty Bulbs
Specialty bulbs   refer to unique light sources   which are not sold in billions.  LEDs   actually fall into this category.  They are used in a variety of ways.  Such specialty bulbs can be used in cars as panel lights for the dashboard, headlights, taillights, dome light for the overhead lighting.  Many of such bulbs have turned out to be incandescent in the recent times. It’s expected that they will also turn out to become LEDs in the near future.  For instance, the taillights used on buses, trucks and other cars now appear as LEDs.  Most airplanes make use of tiny fluorescent tubes for their interior lighting.   Currently over 80% of traffic lights in the US have been converted from incandescent to LEDs.   Several issues have come up with the use of such bulbs.  Many people report they generate too much less heat than the former incandescent bulbs used for traffic lights in the past.

In any case, bulbs of all kinds as we have seen from the above exposition appear in a variety of shapes, styles and designs.  These facts go a long way to influencing the way they are used all over the world.