High-quality lighting fixtures make life more comfortable, health stronger, and business more profitable. But the question is - how to choose a spotlight for indoors or outdoors, which would fully cope with the tasks assigned to it, be durable, economical and, most importantly, safe. In fact, any includes options for all consumers, there are many offers on the market suitable for different budgets and purposes. Let's figure out how to choose a halogen and what to look for when buying it!
Operating principle
There is nothing high tech here. Like many other powerful lamps, LED halogen spotlights are of the following design:
- gas is supplied inside the protective flask;
- a tungsten spiral (thread) is installed;
- when an electric current is applied, the heating of the spiral begins, resulting in the release of heat and light.
When halogen spotlights first appeared, iodine was used as the supply gas atoms, but it was quickly abandoned due to the harmful effect of this element on the metal, and also because the light was set greenish. Modern models use methyl bromide - relatively neutral, harmless, subject to safety precautions.
Sphere applications
Despite the high power and durability, the range of application of such lamps is relatively narrow. Most often, halogen spotlights are used in street lighting, to illuminate advertising structures, a little less often for decorative lighting of the walls of residential and office buildings. The most powerful models are used:
- in the army and navy;
- for lighting stadiums during sports competitions;
- at large concerts (for this purpose, a portable halogen spotlight is more suitable - powerful and compact).
But even household models are very high power. This indicator starts from 150 W, and the most serious options step over the mark of 500 W, and reach 1000.
For this reason, in some cases, limiters are installed in the spotlights, which do not allow the tungsten spiral to heat up instantly. This is done so that the lamp does not explode from a strong abrupt load, and this quality often saves from strong power surges. In addition, manufacturers know that street halogen spotlights are used in extreme conditions with high humidity, sudden temperature fluctuations and an increased risk of mechanical impacts.These products are very durable, it is not so easy to break them.
Pros and cons of halogen spotlights
The main plus is the economy, expressed in a relatively low power consumption. Of course, any powerful halogen consumes much more electricity than the average light bulb for a home chandelier, but if you compare these costs with power and service life, then the savings are enormous. This also includes the high reliability of all halogen spotlights - since they are used in extreme conditions, the body of the products is made especially durable, protected from moisture.
The next plus is the variety of models, which, coupled with the multivariate settings of the spotlights, allows you to achieve the desired brightness of the glow and color of the light beams:
- clean bright;
- lactic;
- matt.
And all this is achieved with relatively small sizes of products.
Not without drawbacks - halogen spotlights are not economically viable if the consumer does not need very bright lighting. For example, a halogen is, of course, suitable as a light source in a small summer cottage, but the brightness will be too strong with high power consumption.
Despite the strength of spotlights, there is always a risk of mechanical damage, which will inevitably lead to the leakage of relatively expensive gas from the bulb. Moreover, it will not work to repair the halogen, you will have to buy a new one. The same applies to high humidity - despite the excellent water protection, halogen spotlights, with constant operation in conditions of extreme humidity, sooner or later will begin to leak water, which will lead to the failure of an expensive device.
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