Now I don’t know for sure, but is it possible that Memolux are made by MEM? Reading the above does make me wonder.

There is another point re CFL’s.My understanding is that they contain Mercury whilst incandescent do not. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable could comment.

Regards

Not sure of the facts, but Ethical Products also appears to have gone out of business, meaning typical prices on the web are reaching £15 a bulb.

Am changing my sockets to 2-pin.

you are very lucky there was a previous use of BC3 for mercury discharge lamps that required the use of a separate choke upstream, one of the variants was a Blacklight Blue MBU/W 125 if this found its way to a direct socket like everyone reading this is troubled with then the bulb would take a very high current and eventually melt, and thats a fire risk plus should the outer envelope crack first you would see a very bright blue light but would not see the UV A + B, and would know nothing until you see the skin cancer or eye damage doctor when the inner part a quartz tube cracked there would be a significant release of Mercury and thats a beastly poison, for this reason alone even if it happened only once BC 3 should have never been reused

for completeness there was also a BC3 fireglow non standard lamp an orange tinted ordinary light bulb who’s power was the maximum that could be used under the plastic “coals” in flame effect electric heaters 1960s to 1990s ? but that would not be dangerous

and yes EATON are greedy grasping ….

They bought up MEM an old established electrical manufacturer from Birmingham UK and they always had good relations with architects and specifiers so only had to distribute leaflets saying this is the solution to part I

and I would question if the lamps are made in UK most probable they buy in regular CFLs in a part finished state and just fit the cap, perfectly justifiable to badge this as made in UK as the greater part 95% of the value is added at assembly.

Eaton / MEM website has some PDFs you can reach from

http://www.eaton.com/EatonCom/ProductsServices/MEM/Products/WiringAccessories/CIRCA/CT_141063

or just go to the main ETON.com website or the 2008 report

http://www1.eaton.com/eatonar08/01_00.htm

and see all the other things EATON is involved in, then boycott or blacklist the wretched lot of them

please take the time because they have taken the time to rob each of us every time we have to buy one of these damnable things

The legislation should have considered what would happen in the slow transition to BC3. It didn’t and the result is much consumer inconvenience. To what benefit? The CLF tube shapes are also better than they used to be and CLFs are now cheap enough that when consumers consider their longevity they may well buy them anyway. So I still think the legislation/regulation unhelpful/unnecessary and worse, nannying.

What it has clearly achieved is to line the pockets of Eaton/MEM. One would have thought the regulation very problematic due to the likely emergence of competing proprietory standards. But the fact that BC3 emerged as such a quick response to the legislation, becoming the only new standard, with MEM the only manufacturer – I actually almost find that suspicious. It certainly isn’t good competition policy.

I agree with previous posters. The legislation is badly thought through. They’ve given a company a loophole so that they can have anti-competitive practice enshrined in regulation under a green smoke screen. A legislative cock-up, I think. I’m also of the opinion that Eaton/MEM are most likely in bed with developers, due to their prevalence in newly built properties (even those finished in 2008 when MEM no longer makes the best CFLs).

I shall probably replace all my light fittings. Not because its cheap, but on principle. I’m not going to co-operate with something that reduces market choice (within the CFL sector it reduces choice).

I also agree with the point that these regulations are not forward looking from a technical progress perspective. Idiots in governemnt thought they’d suceeded in locking us in to the green future. Actually they’ve locked us in to MEM. As MEM settles into their cosy monopolistic position their product performance gets overtaken by the more competitive 2 pin market eg Philips Genie mentioned by Duncan, Dan & Jon D above, or new technologies like LED bulbs mentioned by David. 2 pin is competitive precisely because it is standardised.

So the government have allowed consumers to be locked in to MEM and a particular point in the development process. That was the future then, but is the past now. NOT VERY BRIGHT!

I’d be really interested to find more about what the independent shopkeeper said, Paul. I wonder if there’s any merit in it? I might email Eaton to ask for some stats.

The only place I could find replacement bulbs was from a small independent lighting retailer who told me that the BC3 bulbs, in spite of being several times more expensive, typically have a far shorter lifespan than other CFLs.

I can see the point behind the legislation, even if it does seem a little heavy-handed (aren’t incandescent bulbs being gradually removed from sale over the next few years anyway?), but to allow a single manufacturer to have a monopoly on such a basic household product is insane. How are they enforcing it? What’s to stop other manufacturers producing these three-prong bulbs? I presume the internals aren’t any different. Do they have a patent or something?

That’s what makes me suspect collusion between the manufacturer and whoever draws up the building regulations. It’s a licence to print money. As another commenter mentioned, a lot of these fittings end up in newly-built social housing, so people who are least able to afford it are being forced to buy an inferior product whose price is being held artificially high through the manufacturer’s monopoly power.

I am in Australia so don’t have the 3 prong problem here …but a word of comfort…
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Its just a question of time….before a simple adapter can be manufactured to nullify this attack on consumer choice & indeed ones wallet..!!
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If any reader cares to invest a few $$ in sending just one socket
EG: The fitting into which the 3 pronged globe sits
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My company will endeavor to have an adapter manufactured and on the UK market within the next 3 months which will and instantly allow consumers to fit the globe of their choice and will comply with UK electrical standards
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If any kind soul can give me a realistic idea of the amount of 3 pronged fittings already installed around the UK it will be very helpful.
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The fluorescent light market worldwide had a similar problem ….The standard T8 fluorescent tube has an electrical system which restricts light tubes to the T8 category.
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T8 tubes & its system, consume 30% – 50% more power & are much less efficient that the latest T5 tubes now available.
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But the snag…T5 tubes could not be directly fitted to the existing T8 system.
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Use of a widely available adapter has now resolved that problem and worldwide billions of inefficient T8 tubes are now being instantly replaced, as they fail with the superior T5 just by use a a simple adapter.
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When you consider that billions of T8 tubes are currently in use around the world then just have a guess at the value of 30% – 50% savings in use & cost of power and a similar % reduction of Greenhouse gas emission….wow
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Mail address is

Bright Image P/L Ltd PO Box 2171 GRACEVILLE QLD. 4075 AUSTRALIA
http://www.brightimage.com.au