What's the best brand for a basking bulb?

[Lokiza]

I'm trying to figure out what brand basking bulb I should purchase. I know that most normal, cheap bulbs can be used for basking bulbs, but I had a scare with one that (even though I'm not sure if the bulb was at fault or not) has made me fearful of using household bulbs.

What would be the best brand to buy? (Which lasts the longest?)

Thankyou

 

[zandi202]

Personally, I like floodlights from Home Depot the best as basking bulbs when paired up with a dimmer. I've had a lot of bad times with the the basking bulbs pet stores sold - never lasted long never got any decent temps.

 

[Lokiza]

Personally, I like floodlights from Home Depot the best as basking bulbs when paired up with a dimmer. I've had a lot of bad times with the the basking bulbs pet stores sold - never lasted long never got any decent temps.

What bulbs would you recommend? I've read that halogen bulbs overheat, and I'm not sure what wattage would suit a 40-gallon tank...

 

[zandi202]

I've been using the flood lights home depot sells 83w equiv to 120w with a dimmer attached to the light and haven't had any problems.

 

[timisimaginary]

does anyone know how dimming a light affects the color temperature and uva output of the light? i have a 2nd basking bulb on a dimmer for supplemental heat, i'm not worried since my mega ray puts out plenty of white light but wonder if it would be worth replacing the other bulb with a lower wattage that doesn't require dimming at some future point.

 

[Taterbug]

Id be interested in the answer to that too. Dimmed light bulbs lean towards red, but not sure the overall effect.

I try to go with as little dimming as possible to prevent buzzing from the bulb.

 

[icelore]

Brand really doesn't matter. The main point of a basking bulb is heat output, so the real answer is - the brand that give you the right amount of heat! The only other requirement is that is be a clear, white light to offset the color of your UVB (assuming you use a florescent) to protect your beardie's eyes. As long as you put the bulb in a hood with a ceramic outlet, then there should be no problems at all. I personally prefer 60watt incandescent house bulbs, because their are a high enough rating to really do good things for dragon eyes, as well as put up a nice amount of heat.

Since they are so easy to find anymore, due to the fact they are inefficient and put out too much heat (but that's what I want!), I but them from eBay. 4 bulbs shipped for $6. Really, they produce some of the best light I've seen!

Dimmers that are not built into the fixture (ones that instead go between the light fixture itself and the outlet) do put a strain on the bulb and can result in not-quite white colors. I personally find that it's easier to change the wattage around to suit my needs where it can be used at full strength, even if I have to move my cage decorations around a bit or mount the bulb higher up.