Even though this is one of the most common type of light bulbs used today, it's not one that everybody thinks about as an everyday item.  This bulb is a incandescent T10 tubular type which has a longer filament and can be used to provide illumination across a wider space.  Often you'll see the T10 bulbs used in picture frame fixtures and also very commonly in music stands, those are the most seen applications, but there are others as well.  Of course, there are many other places that they're used in tight spaces that require a tubular type of light.  It's been a common item used for decades in the kind of applications were talking about.  T10 tubular light bulbs come in a variety of wattages including 15, 25, 40 or 60 watts.  They also have either a clear or frosted finish, which depending on what you're using them in, will make a difference in how the the light is thrown.  And if you have an area like a picture frame with the lights going to be very close to the subject itself, then you might want to consider the frosted version as the light will be broken up more and not leave in the filament support shadows.  This lamp has a medium base which is the same as a standard household light bulb base, so this will fit into almost any socket.  That being the case, you can use it in places where you need space conserved and you know that it will fit.

There are many people that have tried to replace these with more efficient light sources, these would be for areas in commercial buildings where reduced electrical consumption is important.  And for the most part, there are many fluorescent fixtures and halogen fixtures that can replace these giving more life at a better quality of light.  But for many people this standard bulb with its medium base will continue to be used because they like the look of it and the convenience of having this tubular light of such a low cost.  There are some applications where these are used in a food service situation and for those we have a silicone coated or rubber coated version which will prevent breakage over food.  And this also prevents some thermal shock if some water or anything else gets filled on it as well.  The typical code for these bulbs would be something like 15T10, 25T10, 40T10, 60T10 and so on with a designation of the lamp being frosted or clear.  That's really all there is to it when identifying these tubular lamps.  

Keep in mind that there are many wattages of T10 tubular light bulbs, we describe some the types used in certain types of lighting applications here.  We have a large inventory of light bulbs for nearly every type of light fixture in the field.  If you need help identifying a tubular bulb of any kind, our customer service representatives can help you determine what you have.