Halogen extinction?

[Trevor]

Is anyone else experiencing difficulty finding halogen bulbs?

[Jamie Hascall]

The only thing that is available are the IRC series lamps. From my understanding, all the regular halogen bulbs are out of production under a decree by the government for energy savings. It's a drag but I will say that the IRC type lamps are more energy efficient and last a lot longer. The price is double but overall it's probably a wash for the user and is definitely saving energy. I just ordered a bunch today. Long necked lamps seem to only come in 10, 25, and 40 degree spreads. I believe the short necks have a bit more selection of wattages and beam. Good luck finding what you need.

[Trevor]

Thank you for the info Jaime. Unfortunately we also use par38's which I'm sure you know are no longer being made. We are starting to try led replacements for those. We've done one exhibition with them with some success (there were some color quality issues) but have hit a snag with screening down our par30 leds (which we are currently testing in some smaller galleries). The screens "pixelate" the beam so we are trying to find some other "tighter" screening materials. How do you screen down your lighting?

[Jamie Hascall]

Par 38s should also be available in the IR configuration. They will be called Energy Advantage or some such. Check these out.
http://www.lightingsupply.com/halogen-bulbs/par-halogens/par38-halogens.aspx

[jwilliams]

Trevor, do you have rheostats on your LED fixtures? I thought one of the advantages was the ability to dim without the color shift you get with halogen bulbs. I'm in the same boat with par38s, though I only use them in wall washers, which we don't have a ton of.