Rodney

I was curious so I did a little digging online to see what I came up with. This might be a cheaper alternative.
http://www.1000bulbs.com/product/890...W21DC120V.html

The bad news is I'm not 100% positive, only say 90%. The battery in my calipers is dead so I took measurements of the two bulbs I pulled out of my Singers by holding them against my ruler-not the most accurate way of doing things. As long as Singer didn't have proprietary bulbs made with a slightly different base they should be the same.
I also sent an email just now asking 1000bulbs if they know if it will fit.
Rodney

Rodney

I'm still playing with this. The lumen output listed for that bulb seems low. A 15 Watt incandescent bulb puts out around 95 lumens, the bulb I found is listed as 12, way dimmer.
Rodney

J Miller

Rodney,

You are correct. The Singer bayonet blubs are .590". I have some in stock and measured them with my old fashioned mechanical dial caliper.

As for the lumens I'm wondering if the LED light is actually brighter than the lumens indicate? I have some in flashlights and they are quite bright.

Joe

Rodney

It might be some sort of misprint. I haven't heard back from 1000bulbs yet. Other LED bulbs I see at 2 watts are over 100 lumens. I don't have $35 for a light bulb but if you can find the same thing for $15-20 it gets more affordable for a lot of people. So far the hard part is finding one that works on 120VAC. Most LED bulbs I see with the BA15D base are designed for DC use, not AC. I'm pretty sure most of us don't want to mess with converting house current to 12VDC to make it work. Transformers are cheap enough but it's one more thing to fit in a case and have to mess with. OTOH a few cleverly mounted LED bulbs would give you all the light you would ever need at a far cheaper price than some of the sewing lamps out there.

The people selling them for sewing machines are clever anyway for thinking of it and doing the necessary research.
Rodney

costumegirl

Thanks Rodney for the info. I was also wondering about the lumen output. Guess I will just keep using my external light source.

Rodney

If I don't get a reply, I'll try calling. I would be willing to bet it's a typo and the bulb is actually much brighter. I'm curious about things like this and it's good information to have. There are plenty of people here who might benefit from it. There are also halogen lights that fit but they get REALLY hot. The Ebay sellers found their sources, it's just a matter of finding them.
Rodney

ThayerRags

I use auxiliary lighting nearly every time I use a sewing machine. I probably wouldn’t notice if the SM light was even on or not.

So....are we pretty close to answering that age-old question? i.e.: “How many Quilting Boarder’s does it take to decide to change out a light bulb?”

CD in Oklahoma

J Miller

Wellllllll ......... as for me and my wife, we change out the light bulb when it burns out.

Joe

ThayerRags

I was trying to inject a little humor in there with the “how many does it take” line, so I hope I didn’t sound snarky to anyone.

I have heard that some folks switch off or remove the built-in lights on their machines to avoid the hot bulb contact to the skin, so a cooler bulb is a good idea.

I put a little battery-powered LED gooseneck clip-on light on one of my handcrank machines. It works fairly well because it hugs the machine closely. I just have to remember to turn it off when I’m done sewing. I tried using a second one on another machine in a treadle, but I kept knocking it off regularly so I quit using it.

It seems like I usually need additional lighting beyond what the machine light provides, so I’ve gotten used to setting up a separate light at my machines.

CD in Oklahoma

libber

Yesterday I sent an email to the 123 LED site address they give to contact them. It bounced back. I asked them why there was only a one year guarantee when the bulbs are rated for 100,000 hours of use. I also wanted to know if they are UL Approved. Also asked if there were retail vendors out there or if 123 LED is the only place they can be purchased.
Still have not heard from anyone who bought and uses one. That gives me pause. Libby