Ott light trouble
 

My Ott light stopped working, contacted the company, they said it sounded like the Ballest (sp) may be bad. My question is do I pay the 30.00$ to get a new one or, cut my losses and and buy a new one, Mine is about 10 years old. I have to find a friend to check the ballest to see if thats it, Dont have a clue what the ballest is

I would probably just buy a new one. Joann's has them on sale pretty frequently. JMO.

After 10 years it may have changed and the lighting may be a lot more efficient. You deserve a new one! Go for it.

I have 5 Ott lamps, the first I bought at Quilt Market in 1995 when they first were introduced. I have never (knock on wood) had a problem with any of them. I would have your friend check out the ballest, what ever THAT is and then go from there. It depends on what model of Ott lamp you have and how much it would cost to replace it.

Check out the ott lamp at Lowe's. The prices are lower than JOANN'S on sale.

I bought a new ballast for my Ott Light when it began to get dim and a new light bulb didn't fix it. The company sent it very promptly and the light has continued to work great for the 3 or 4 years since I got it.

The ballast is in the short length of cord that plugs into the wall. I believe that the newer lights may have their ballast built into the light area, which means it can't be replaced when it goes bad, so those won't have the cord that comes in two pieces.

You can sometimes find Ott lamps at Tuesday Morning.

It maybe the bulb burned out. It happened to me. Changed the bulb and it is working fine. Luann

Ballast regulates the current to the lamps and provides sufficient voltage to start florescent lamps.
If you have an older Ott light that takes longer than usual lighting after you turn it on, it's more than probable it's a problem with the ballast.

Jan in VA

I replaced the ballast and it did not do any good. I have a very handy husband. He rewired it and now it works just fine.

Thanks for all the help, I appreciate it.

I have an old one and a new one, the new one is much brighter and slimmer than the old one. Look for sales..

I found one on ebay,new, for 55 $ ,so I bought it I probable will buy a ballast and have a backup or gift it to a quilting friend, Thanks , I was wavering and I got good advice here, I love this board.

I don't like the Ott lights. I had one and then I couldn't find the bulb so that shot that one. Then I had one from my mom and I can't afford the bulb and they are also very very hard to find. And if you do find them, they are more expensive than the light is worth. I went to Menards and got a Goose Neck., Ten times better. Sometimes names don't mean anything. Sorry, I don't like Ott! Edie

Mine went bad..it was the ballast...they sent a new lamp like mine. This was a floor model. I originally paid about $150 at Joanns, on sale. I believe the company asked me for around $75, which i paid...it was a good buy. Sure wish i could buy more from them.....goes to show how much is increased for retail doesn't it?

You can get daylight lamps at Wal Mart on line that are good, and they have the bulbs for $6-7 and both desk and floor lamps are available. I would not pay the prices I have seen charged some places for Ott light. Also Home Depot and Lowes on line have daylight lamps.

If you have a Hobby Lobby near you, check and see if they carry them. You can use their 40% coupon to save a heap.

I had an Ott light go bad on me. It probably did not have 30 hours on it. I bought another one and one for the living room at Lowe's. We bought a small vacation home and I did not want to buy Otts for a vacation home. I found some lights at Big Lots that look like Otts and were $29. I cannot tell the difference side by side in the actual light. We have them all over both houses now.

Got a table model task lamp at Home Depot several years ago and have had no issues, nor had to replace the bulb. Cost was $19.99. Have a clamp on swing light with magnifying lens for $3.00 at a country auction, that I love for handwork, especially hand quilting.