It's probably one of the hardest screw-in base light bulbs to identify in today's market.  The minican base isn't like a regular screw-in base at all, it has very tiny threads which are different enough that nothing else could possibly fit into that socket.  The minican E11 base halogen stands for "minicandelabra" which as you could guess is slightly smaller than a standard candelabra base.  Be aware that there are many kinds of halogen bulbs that look similar, but many times they can be very different, so it's important that you know what you have.  Among halogen lamps, this type may be perhaps the widest category and encompasses everything from low wattage bipin lamps to higher wattage minican E11 base halogen bulbs, so it can be a little overwhelming.  But when you look at these bulbs, there are different bases, bulb sizes, finishes, voltage and of course the wattage.  Like all halogen bulbs, they are filled with a special gas that actually rebuilds the filament and provides longer average lifespan than normal incandescent bulbs.  These halogen lamps burns about 10 percent brighter, whiter, and hotter than normal incandescent bulbs. Extra heat is typically not a benefit, but whiter, bright light is something that is useful in a large number of lighting applications.  The applications and light fixtures that these have been used in are almost endless.  The most common lighting task for these are high areas such as auditoriums or churches, in that case they're usually in a recessed light fixture.  But this one isn't always used in high areas, there are also things like simple task lighting or outdoor floodlighting which makes it ideal for good light control.

When trying to identify your minican E11 base halogen, one of the best places to obviously start is at the base of the lamp, the part where it makes it's electrical connection.  Here's how to tell the difference between various types of bases and so on.  The smaller bipin lamps will have two pins which have a specific spacing in millimeters which could be anything from 4 to 9 millimeters.  These are usually a lower watt lamp, but some get into a high watt category.  They vary from 12 to 120 volts.  Another type of single ended halogen has one of several bases which would be the minican (MC or E11) which we're talking about here, DC (double contact bayonet) or Candelabra (E12).  These are the lamps which typically have a higher wattage but some are lower as well.  These voltage is almost always 120 volt or 130 volt for longer life.  Minican E11 base halogen light bulbs are available in wide variety of bulbs and wattages as low as 50 watt all the way up to 1000 watts.  We have two different brands for these which would be Sylvania or Westinghouse.  Both offer high quality manufacturing and have a long life which we see in the day-to-day feedback we get from our customers.  On our web site, we have them listed with a MC but if you have an E11 code, that's fine too. The designation would be like the following, 75Q/MC, 100Q/MC, 150Q/MC, 250Q/MC and 500Q/MC.  These also come in a clear or frosted glass and the preference is yours, but sometimes people prefer the frosted when they need to break the light up a bit.

Like all halogen bulbs, these should not be touched with your skin in any way and sometimes the packaging comes with a foam or paper wrapper to prevent this. If they are touched, the life span of the bulb will be greatly reduced. In case you ever do touch a bulb, wipe it thoroughly with a soft cloth. Bulbs that are covered, like the PAR and some of the MR halogen bulbs, are okay to touch, since you are not touching the actual bulb but a heavy, thick glass that covers the light bulb.  Most commonly, they are put into an enclosure but be aware of touching a halogen capsule itself directly, is not a good idea as it will shorten lamp life.

From flood lighting, task lighting or in a large commercial space, you will most likely find minican E11 base halogen lamps used in many kinds of lighting applications. The compact size of these halogen lamps make it possible to put them in almost any small space and produce high illumination.  By clicking the link above, you'll be taken to a page that has our full offering of this lamp type.  If you're having trouble identifying your bulb, please call us and one of our friendly customer service people will help you!