See also Projectors Projector FAQ

We stock a wide range of popular projector lamps so contact us if you're not sure which is right for your projector.

Projectors use lamps that wear out, most lamps are rated between 2000 and 4000 HR AVERAGE or typical life. A few points to consider: If your lamp blows up at 1900HR and it's a 2000 HR lamp we don't think they will give you a new one.

You need to check their policy in this regard.

You may need to run the projector in "economy" mode to get the highest yield from the lamp, thankfully this seems to make little difference to the brightness in most models.

The lowest running cost models reviewed at time of writing are about 11c/HR
Many are in the 22-30 cent range depending on your luck..

How long they actually last?

How long your lamp lasts depends on several factors including:-

• The number of times you turn the projector on and off in a day How much time it's used in "Low Lamp Mode" (more the better).

• How long you normally use it for (over 4 hours the heat starts to build up)
This is true of all projectors, most projector lamps are under warranty for only 90 days/500 hours.

Some brands (SANYO) may offer a longer lamp warranty.

People who think they can fool the company by resetting the hours are mistaking. 2000 to 4000 hours can equal many years or normal use.

Our best guess is an average lamp will last at least 2000 Hours under normal use and 3000-4000 Hours if you use the projector mostly in Low Lamp Mode, most projectors use the same type of lamps.

*Lamp Life and Power Supply..

How long your lamp lasts depends on several factors including:-

• Keeping the fan filter cleanNot moving the projector while it's turned onThe number of times you turn the projector on and off in a day.

• How much time it's used in "Low Lamp Mode" (more the better)How long you normally use it for (over 4 hours the heat starts to build up).

• Lamp output falls dramatically towards the end of its life. You may want to replace a lamp after 2,000 hours even though it may run for another 1,000 hours.

• You would do this if unhappy with the the lower brightness level and/or don't have a light controlled room.

• Remember most lamps are warranted for 3 months or 500 hours, some like Sanyo may go to 12 months and have pro-rata options.

• If you buy a spare lamp, swap to it ASAP as you must report a Dead On Arrival lamp within 7 days.After your original lamp has done 500HR/ 90 days keep it as a spare and use the new lamp because warranty starts from the time you purchased it, not the date you installed it.

• All lamps have a unique serial number.

Same wattage different Lunens output?

Why do projectors vary so much in light output (ANSI) when often they have a similar wattage lamp?

It can depend on how the IR filters cut in/out. Data Projectors often allow a greater range which increases the brightness but it also makes it harder to get natural images.