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A little idea made me smile today. I use a hand light when working on the car, you know the sort, the one with the wire cage and a clamp, so you can hang it on to the car in various places. This light is a source of annoyance to me as it use tungsten filament bulbs, you know the old fashioned light bulb! I usually buy the rough duty bulb, which are quite expensive! tonight I'm going up to the garage to remove an engine and subframe from a Mk 3 coupé, better get some light bulbs I thought, as I personally am lacking a bit of lamp oil! The thing is I'm very careful with the light and the bulb never seems to go with me. The bulb goes always after someone else has used it! I will buy a pack of ten bulbs I thought! Before I set off I had to admit to my wife that I was going to buy some old fashioned light bulbs! The reason being that I go around the house fitting modern energy efficient bulbs and she goes behind me changing them back again to old fashioned bulbs, so it is a constant war when a light bulb goes!!

Anyway the point of the story is: I'll just fit a modern compact fluorescent light bulb to the hand light, which I'd never thought of before! So I duly bought two C.F. bulbs, 20 watts which is equivalent to 100watts old money, So I'm saving energy, but more importantly they should stand up to the rough duty in the garage. The bulb worked great, so I hope I've inspired someone else to use them. Here I am saving the planet single handedly!!

I know, I'm sad and need to get a life, but there is on consolation prize my wife will not come up to the garage to change it back again.

Alan

them cf lights are good alan. I used them now too. They do seem to take the knocks a bit better too!

I also use special heavy duty lamps, but mine last years. What I find annoying is that these cage lamps never want to stay in one place. They always rotate back to me or jump out of a careful selected cavity where I pushed it in, so I get blinded by them. My Mini garage had a handy light. Or so they thought. They just stick it anywhere and it stays in one position. But not on my Midas because the lamp works by the virtue of a strong magnet in its foot. The quest for the perfect garage light continues.