|Sample Image | Spin Video | QuickTimeVR Rotation| The story of
Edison slaving away trying one kind of filament after another
until he finally hit on one that would burn long enough to be
practical is a classic story of cleverness and hard work. And
this is an example of the kind of lamp he came up with, the
carbon filament incandescent bulb. Compared to modern tungsten
filament bulbs these were dim, inefficient, and short-lived
bulbs that burned so hot they tended to set things on fire.
Compared to candles, oil lanterns and gas lights, they were
bright, efficient, clean bulbs that were much less likely to set
anything on fire. It's all relative. And of course modern
tungsten filament bulbs are horribly dingy and inefficient
compared to fluorescent or LED bulbs. The filament in this bulb
looks shiny, almost like wire. The bulb expert it's from
explains: The large tipless carbon is a bulb made in the late
teens [1910's] as the carbon was nearly at the end of its life
cycle and having reached its greatest effic