Certain specialty fluorescent lighting is a great way to get a lot of light output for a specific area. This has been true for many decades and one of the most popular light bulbs in those years were the F18T8 fluorescent light bulbs. F18T8 bulbs were the original fluorescent vending machine light tubes, which are known as T8 bulbs. Sometimes they were also use in small fixtures and older fixtures, but they aren't available that way today. You can tell the difference between a T12 and a T8 by measuring the diameter of the bulb. The F18T8 bulb will be 1 inch in diameter and 24, 26, 28 or 30 inches long.  The F18T8 is the standard cool white or warm white lamp that's been used in machines throughout the world.  As with all fluorescent bulbs, they rely on ballasts inside of the fixtures in order to make them work.  Almost all fixtures for these bulbs come with ballasts already mounted and wired. The ballast is important because it is specific for each type of lamp.  You can't change from one type of fluorescent to another without changing the ballast in most cases.  On a rare occasion there may be a ballast that is made for several different types such as in the case of some kinds of T8 lamps. Most of the time the ballast and the lamp are matched electrically and so it's good to make sure the ballast you have is the right one for the lamp you choose. The F18T8 fluorescent light bulbs typically operates on a magnetic ballast which is less efficient than it's electronic counterpart.  Look for this lamp commonly used in a display lighting situation. We have this bulb available in several different lengths and they are sometimes labeled as F18T8 or sometimes it's related to the length which would be F24"T8.

As mentioned before, F18T8 fluorescent light bulbs have been used in many types of lighting that includes some things that are a little more obscure.  A real popular application is vending machines or other types of machinery which require a specific size light to illuminate a certain area.  These could be special types of industrial machines or task lights, but mostly it's for illuminating areas which are usually tight it are hard to reach.  These really are older technology and are being replaced by other forms of fluorescent light, but it doesn't mean that there aren't many installations where they been used.  That's why we keep a full selection of these lamps for you who have applications that use these.  We have them in the popular colors including cool white, warm white and daylight.  There is even a full spectrum variety which will give you truer color and bring out whites and colors the way they should be seen.  So no matter what the length of the F18T8 fluorescent light bulbs, we will have what you will need to satisfy these most hard-to-find light bulbs.

Because it's still very pervasive in many vending machines or displays across the country, we make the F18T8 fluorescent light bulbs a substantial part of our offering. There will probably never be a time when these will not be in use. Remember that there are many types of fluorescent lighting, we describe some of the most common used in commercial lighting here.  The F18T8 fluorescent light bulb is the old standard for specialized fluorescent lighting, look for it stamped right on the side of the bulb itself.  Whatever type of fluorescent you choose or have, you will be saving energy while getting the most light you can for your money.  We have a large inventory of fluorescent bulbs for nearly every type of light fixture in the field.  If you need help identifying the bulb you have, our customer service representatives can help you determine what you have.