Short answer: efficiency regulations phased out inefficient lamps, and 40 watts is now the maximum incandescent made. But you have not lost any light. A modern filament LED gives four to six times more light than the 40W incandescent it replaces, in the same vintage shapes — because watts were never a measure of brightness in the first place.

What changed

For some years Governments have applied energy efficiency regulations that progressively phased out inefficient lamps. Non-LED lamps are now largely banned as imports, and incandescent globes survive only in decorative forms up to 40watts.

Some of our vintage globes in the restricted sizes are still listed. Those are remainder stock. They are marked as limited and will not be restocked, so once they are gone they are gone. If you are choosing globes for a new fitting, or you want to be able to replace them in a few years, choose a filament LED rather than one of these.

Why wattage stopped being useful

Watts measure the power a globe consumes. They never measured light. Wattage only worked as a rough guide to brightness while every globe used the same inefficient technology, so a 60W always beat a 40W. Once LED arrived, the link broke completely.

Lumens are the number to compare

Lumens (lm) measure the light a globe actually produces. Comparing our own globes:

An 8 watt filament LED produces roughly five times the light of a 25 watt incandescent, using a third of the power. If you want more light, look for a higher lumen figure — not a higher wattage.

“But my light fitting says maximum 60 watts”

That marking is a safety limit on how much power the fitting may draw. It is not a brightness target and it is not a wattage you need to reach. Any globe at or below that figure is safe to use — including a 10 watt LED that is far brighter than the incandescent the limit was written for.

Will an LED look the same?

Our filament LEDs are made to replicate vintage styles as closely as possible — the same glass shapes, the same visible filament. The difference you may notice is colour.

Colour temperature is measured in kelvin (K). The lower the number, the warmer and more amber the light:

• 1800K–2000K — our vintage incandescent globes. Deep amber, the classic Edison glow.
• 2200K — our warmest filament LEDs. The closest match to a vintage incandescent.
• 2700K — our standard warm white LEDs. Still warm, slightly brighter and cleaner.

If you are replacing vintage incandescent globes and want the closest match, choose 2200K. If you want the room noticeably brighter, 2700K will give you that.

Where to look

Browse our LED globes — every listing shows its wattage, lumen output and colour temperature so you can compare directly. If you tell us which globe you have now and what you are trying to achieve, we will tell you which one to move to.