When it comes to certain parties, Halloween, or other times when you want a cool glowing effect, you may be on the lookout for blacklight bulbs. And, as we've explained before, you might actually be looking for blacklight blue bulbs -- here's the difference.

But depending on how you read the term, "black light bulbs" can mean two different things: bulbs with "black light" (or blacklight blue) effects; and simple black colored lights. Not the bulb portion so much as the body of the light, which is a popular fashion trend in some settings. Often you'll find this style of lighting used in higher end homes and retail settings, potentially in monochromatic room designs like these.

If you're considering light bulbs with black design elements, you could also consider recessed lighting cans that are black inside and/or use a black trim ring.

There isn't any practical difference between these and more standard white options. They're a design choice, and one you can use to set your lighting apart from the norm.

High pressure sodium bulbs ("lamps") are an old standby for lighting that's still used today in spite of so much talk of LED lights. While upgrading to LED provides a lot of benefits, high pressure sodium (HPS) lamps still provide some of the most efficient lighting available. In fact, they're roughly as efficient as LEDs in terms of their light output for each watt of energy used. LEDs, however, are better able to control their light, which is why a lower-watt LED can replace a higher-watt high pressure sodium bulb.

One main drawback to high pressure sodium lighting is that it has a yellow hue that simply doesn't show you how things really look. If your only concern is seeing your way through a parking lot or down a roadway, that may be good enough. Because of HPS efficiency, this has been deemed adequate for many years. But its low quality of the lighting means that -- when HPS lights are used -- it may be difficult to distinguish a car in a full parking lot, and security cameras or witnesses may not be able to identify people if a crime has taken place. There's also evidence that whiter lights can help with a driver's peripheral vision and stopping time.

At Lighting Supply, we know that light's not just a way of seeing your way across a room, but that it impacts how we live and work, as well as how we perceive colors. It also has a physiological impact on us, and we've linked before to details about light's impact on sleep, metabolism, and more.

One of the popular topics on health and lighting is our need for full-spectrum lighting, similar to the light provided by the sun. Humans have relied on the sun for light and had plenty of exposure to it since our beginning. But with the invention of electric lights and all the other indoor technologies associated with electricity, we've gotten less of that exposure.

This issue is even more pronounced for people living in areas that don't get much sunlight through the winter, and this is exactly why several companies have developed full-spectrum light bulbs. Among them is Verilux, known as the originators of the "HappyLight" and an overall leader in the full-spectrum lighting world.

While our focus isn't on the health impact of lighting, we know that these lights make a big difference in many people's lives, which is why we carry a variety of Verilux replacement bulbs, including the popular CFML27VLX if you're going by part numbers. This is a 27 watt "quad tube" CFL, named of course for the four tubes that project the light. According to Verilux, this particular bulb is used with the following lamps:

• Heritage™ Deluxe Desk Lamp (VD03)
• Heritage™ Deluxe Floor Lamp (VF03)
• Original Deluxe Desk Lamp (VD01)
• Original Deluxe Floor Lamp (VF01)
• EasyFlex® Deluxe Floor Lamp (VF02)
• SmartLight™ - The Lamp for Learning (VD12)

For those who use Verilux products, we hope our selection makes it easy to keep them going, and to keep enjoying your full-spectrum lighting

Lighting terminology can be confusing if you're not in the industry. And if you've seen what looks like the same type of light called both an A19 bulb and an E26 bulb, you might be wondering what the difference is.

Thing is, they might be the same thing.

A19 refers to the shape and size of the bulb itself. "A" stands for Arbitrary -- just the name of the shape that's familiar to most of us. "19" refers to the size -- in this case, 19/8" (or 2 3/8") across.

E26 refers to the type and size of the base -- the part that goes into the light socket. "E" refers to "Edison," which is the type of "screw in" style base people in the United States are most familiar with. 26 refers to 26 mm across. (This is also called a "medium" base.)

So the light bulb that most of us have used in our homes here in the States is an A19 bulb with an E26 base.

You can find LED bulbs that fit that description here, or other types of bulbs here.

The reason it's useful to know both the shape and base is because you can't just ask for one of these and get the bulb you're looking for. Most A19 bulbs in the States will have an E26 base, but there are exceptions. And there are many shapes of bulbs that have E26 bases, so just asking for an E26 bulb won't get you very far.

We hope this helps you sort through the terminology!