Apart from its capability to produce a very bright light, the bulb of a halogen work light lasts way longer than an incandescent bulb. A normal light bulb comes in a thin but somewhat large frosted glass casing. And within the argon or nitrogen-filled casing is a tungsten filament at the center.
Electricity causes the filament to heat up at 4,500 degrees Fahrenheit until the tungsten filament becomes white hot. This heat produces an intense visible bright light through a process called incandescence.
A normal incandescent bulb is not as efficient as a halogen bulb as it only lasts up to 750 to 1,000 hours with normal use. As it radiates light, it also produces a great deal of infrared heat. There’s more heat produced than light, in fact.
Since the bulb’s purpose is to produce light, energy is wasted through radiated heat. The bulb’s life is shortened because the tungsten filament gradually evaporates and sticks to the glass as soot. Over time, the thin weakened filament breaks and the bulb burns out.
The halogen arc floor lamp is like a bulb inside a bulb. The small inner bulb is a tungsten filament encased in heat-absorbing quartz glass. If it were made out of ordinary glass, it will melt because of the intense heat from the filament.
The external bulb is composed of a large glass casing. When electric current passes through the filament, it causes the tungsten to radiate a white hot glow. In ordinary light bulbs, this will cause a gradual thinning of the filament until it weakens and breaks. But not in a halogen bulb work light.
The inner quartz casing inside the bulb contains hydrogen gas which reprocesses the burned-out tungsten particles and dumps them back on the filament, thus prolonging the filament’s life. Since there is no soot deposit, halogen lightbulbs won’t dim over time.
Halogen type bulbs save energy by up to 10 to 20 percent. However, their more advanced technology makes them more expensive. An ordinary 75-watt incandescent bulb generating 1170 lumens of light costs less than a dollar, and can last for about 750 hours. An equivalent halogen floor lamp light bulb which generates 1300 lumens with the same luminescence costs around $4 and will live up to 2000-2500 hours
Since a halogen type bulb radiates extremely bright light, work lights have to be constructed with housings and reflectors. These lights will still operate even if the outer glass casing breaks but this can present a safety hazard. If moisture gets in contact with the hot quartz casing inside, inconsistent temperature can cause it to shatter.
