With energy costs rising, most businesses have been moving to the new standard in 2 foot fluorescent bulbs. The Sylvania FO17T8 Octron fluorescent light bulbs save even more energy and produce a higher level of light output than the fluorescent bulbs they replace, which are known as F20T12 bulbs. Octron is the trade name for the Sylvania lamp and it's a name that most people recognize as they were one of the first to come out with the lamp originally.  You can tell the difference between a T8 and a T12 by measuring the diameter of the bulb. The FO17T8 bulb will be 1 inch in diameter, compared to 1 1/2 inch for the T12 bulb.  The T8 are far more energy efficient and operate on an electronic ballast usually configured to run several variances of T8 lamps.  As with all fluorescent bulbs, they rely on ballasts inside of the fixtures in order to make them work.  The ballast is important because it is specific for each type of lamp.  In the case of T8 lamps, there may be a ballast that is made for several different types such as our Sylvania Quicktronic. Most of the time, the ballast and the lamp are matched electrically and so it's good to check your ballast and see if it operates the lamp you have.  You can do that by opening the ballast cover and looking on the label.

You can get these in all the standard colors which include 3000K, 3500K, 4100K and the full spectrum 5000K.  The full spectrum has special phosphors that give it a similar color to daylight or natural sunshine and they are available in the Sylvania FO17T8 Octron.  It produces light the way our eyes naturally use it, giving better visual acuity and reducing problems like eyestrain.  The term full spectrum is primarily used when referring to those lamps that fall into the white to blue/white color temperature range. There are any number of applications which use this lamp which include 2x2 fixtures, task lighting, furniture, cove lighting and the applications are endless.  So be aware of the color you have now if you're replacing the lamp or choose the one that best fits your interiors now.

One of the wonderful differences of these lamps is the increased color saturation of the area around you.  You'll find that better color will bring a better feeling to your office, you and your people will notice a great difference.  Many offices still use colors like cool white which wash out color and make everything look pale.  It's mostly used in the F20T12, but there are other types using it as well. It's old technology and was used because color was thought to be less important and it was an inexpensive grade of phosphor.  Because color correct lighting is good for the eyes, it increases contrast for better readability.  There are two different grades of phosphors of the Sylvania FO17T8 Octron, one is the 700 series which is a CRI of 75 and the 800 series which is 85 CRI.  You'll know the difference by the number at the end like FO17T8/735 or FO17T8/835, the 35 stands for the color temperature of 3500K and the number before it is the grade.

The FO17T8 Octron fluorescent light bulbs are the new standard today for energy efficient light bulbs in a 2 foot length. We have a large inventory of all kinds of T8 fluorescent bulbs for nearly every type of light fixture in the field.  If you're having trouble identifying a bulb, take down the number off the bulb and give us a call.  Our customer service representatives can help you determine what you have and get you what you need.