Q1: Why continue to use mercury vapor gas-discharge lamps?
A1: When illuminating for security, safety or aesthetic purposes in trees over 15-18 feet due to current LED limitations in brightness and beam spread.
Q2: Why are mercury vapor lamps not available anymore:
A2: Minimata Treaty banned all uses of mercury based equipment around the world in ninety different applications. JWLI, and our founder John Robin Watson, in 1952-1954 helped create the 24,000 mercury vapor lamp. Almost seventy years later, as the largest supplier of parabolic mercury vapor lamps in the USA, we began amassing an inventory of many thousands of lamps for our clientele to have until an LED equivalent beam spread, intensity and Kelvin color could be matched in all wattage intensities.
Q3: What are current LED Kelvin colors versus original JWLI mercury vapor lamps:
A3: LED is only 5,000 kelvin versus “True Moonlight” 5,700 kelvin for mercury vapor.
Q4: Life of lamp comparison:
A4: Mercury vapor 24,000 versus LED 25,000 hours.
Q5: Lumen Intensity:
A5: Brightest parabolic LED lamp equivalent to eighty (80) watts of mercury vapor.
Q6: Spread of Light: Mercury vapor in all wattages from 50 to 250 watts (10-60 foot height light intensity available) with a 135 degrees beam spread. LED maximum wattage will attain 15-18 feet of correct brightness at 80 degrees. Landscape illumination for aesthetic or security purposes in trees above 18 feet will have tight 30-40 degree beam spread.
Q7: When will LED illumination match all mercury vapor wattage illumination specifics:
A7: Probably not until 2024-2025 the earliest.