Your old lamp is not lost

Many magnifying lamps that reach us as service cases are twenty years old and work with a ring-shaped fluorescent tube of 22 watts. The mechanics of these units are usually still sound — but at some point the tube gives up, and then the question arises: obtain a replacement, convert to LED, or buy new?

The short answer: replacement tubes are still available. A conversion to LED is not provided for. Why that is so, and when which route is worthwhile, is set out here.

Finding the right tube

With the 22-watt ring tubes there are two designs, distinguished by the diameter of the tube itself:

• T9 – the thicker, classic ring
• T4 – the slimmer ring

Both have 22 watts, but they are not interchangeable: socket and ring diameter fit only their own design. If you are unsure, measure the diameter of the tube itself — not of the ring — or send us a photo of the removed tube. That takes thirty seconds and prevents a wrong order.

Why an LED conversion does not work

The obvious idea — tube out, LED ring in — fails on the electrics. A fluorescent tube needs a ballast that strikes it and limits the current. This ballast is built into the old lamp and designed for the tube. An LED, by contrast, needs a constant direct voltage — precisely the opposite.

A conversion would mean: remove the ballast, fit a power supply, adapt an LED ring, replace the socket. That is an intervention in a device carrying mains voltage, at the end of which the manufacturer's declaration of conformity no longer applies. We deliberately do not offer a conversion kit and also advise against improvised solutions — with a device hanging directly above your workplace, that is not a question of caution but of common sense.

When replacing the tube is worthwhile

It is worthwhile if housing, articulated arm and lens are in order and you run the lamp somewhere it is not on for many hours a day. A tube is quickly changed and considerably cheaper than a new lamp.

It is no longer worthwhile if the tube fails again after a short time. Then the tube is usually not the problem but the ageing ballast — and on these units that is not an economically sensible repair.

What speaks for moving to LED

Without sales pressure, listed factually:

• No flickering at start-up, no warm-up time. Full brightness from the first second.
• Considerably longer service life. Modern LED rings are rated at around 25,000 operating hours — a multiple of a tube.
• Lower power consumption with more light: 10 to 12 watts instead of 22, at a higher luminous flux.
• Adjustable brightness is possible on many LED models, on the old tube lamp it is not.
• No mercury. A fluorescent tube is hazardous waste, an LED ring is not.

And one point that is often forgotten: your old tube does not belong in household waste. How fluorescent tubes are disposed of properly and what to do if one breaks we have summarised in a separate article.

And if you simply like the lamp?

That is a perfectly legitimate argument — especially with units that have lasted two decades. As long as replacement tubes are available, there is nothing against continuing to use them. We keep them in the range for exactly that reason, even though the volume has long since moved to the LED models.

If in doubt, send us an email with a photo of the lamp and the tube. We will tell you whether a replacement still exists — and if not, which current lamp comes closest to yours in lens size and strength.