This was one of the first types of compact fluorescents which opened up a whole new world of possibilities in lighting and energy efficiency.  It's what some people call a twin tube fluorescent.  The reason these are so great is that it allow designers to get a very small bulb that has a great light output.  The lengths of these lamps was such that the placement in a fixture would be in an ideal position for light distribution. They have been used in for years in small fluorescent fixtures, exit signs and almost anything you could think of. The twin tube is a high lumen compact fluorescent which because of its shape can be used in many areas where a lot of light was not possible before.

When compared to incandescent lighting, twin tube compact fluorescent are longer lasting, using much less energy making them a perfect choice for almost any type of lighting. There are several kinds of compact types which include the regular household base, some that are plug-in types and some short linear bulbs. As with all fluorescent bulbs, they rely on ballasts inside of the fixtures or units to make them work. 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 commercial plug-in Sylvania twin tube lamps. Most of the time though the ballast in 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.  You'll find these in several wattages down to 9 watt and all the way up to 13 watts.

You can get these in almost any color you want with a warmer 3000K color or the 4100K color more like office lighting. Fluorescent lamps can come in many other colors as well and are identified by their Kelvin temperature. By definition, virtually all are full spectrum in that they contain some of all colors in their spectral range. However, the term full spectrum is primarily used when referring to those lamps that fall into the white to blue/white color temperature range. Color temperature is measured by a term called Kelvin. 3000 Kelvin would be a warm tone color, 5000 Kelvin would be a white color and 6500 Kelvin would be a blue/white color. Although there are many choices in color for the twin tube, it is most commonly found in the 3500 Kelvin or 4100 Kelvin temperature.  The typical office color is usually the 4100 and so it makes sense that these would match up to what the light color is all around the office.

Remember that there are many types of twin tube compact fluorescent light bulbs, we describe some of the most common used in home and commercial lighting here. Keep in mind that we also stock all the larger or linear types of fluorescent lamps used in commercial lighting. 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.