The Arevco technicians can repair most lamping types. Prices are based on labour and parts. There are set prices for simple socket replacement and total rewiring of a table or floor lamp Chandelier costs are calculated by the number of arms. For more specialized repair / rewiring, bring the fixture to the store for a quote.

We stock hard-back drums, A-lines, ovals, squares and rectangles from a supplier of quality shades. They are available in a wide variety of fabrications, mounting style and colour. Customer requests are included in the regular restocking orders.

Custom shades are made-to-measure to exact size requirements. They are available in several choices of fabric, laminated on styrene [hardback] and with a metal or self-trim option. Also available are parchment shades in several base colours and with painted bands and other decorative elements in any colour from your decor or in metalic finish. It is always preferable to bring in your lamp for us to advise on the best replacement shade options.

We have many common lamp parts, as well as solid brass and bronze finishing pieces. Please contact us for availability.

Arevco keeps its products competitively priced all year.We offer special clearance prices from time to time on products no longer available from the distributor or on other floor models to make room for new products.

For reading and other task lighting the consumer must consider lamping and colour temperature. The choice of fixture will determine the spread and shape of the beam. Some readers prefer a smal pool of light on their book; others need am elongated pool of light for a broadsheet. Halogen bulbs tend to mimic the golden glow of the original incandescent; compact fluorescent and LED lamping now comes in a wider variety of colour temperatures from more full spectrum, whiter light which gives crisp contast on an image to more traditonal yellow interior light hues.

Wattage measures the rate of electrical power consumption of a bulb or appliance.

A foot-candle defines the amount of light falling on an object one foot away from a standardized candle flame. A lumen is that amount of light measured over a one foot square area.

The science of lighting has now standardized the defined candle source, but also has created units of measurement to define the luminous intensity at the source rather than at the object being illuminated candlepower and the metric candela measure this light at source, not at target.

For the consumer, the efficiency of a certain bulb type reflects how much illuminosity is produced at source or how much illuminace is perceived at target, given the wattage being consumed.

For reflector bulbs such as an R20 or an MR16, the light at target is increased since the light at source is reflected and gathered within a narrow beam. A spot with a narrow spot anfle of 10 degrees will have a higher illuminace at target than a flood with a beam angle of 36 degrees. In some applications, it might be possible to save energy by choosing a lower wattage with a narrower beam.

Compact fluorescent bulbs are at present the most economical choice for lights that are left on for long periods. The original CFLs tended to a colour temperature of 5000 Kelvin units or higher – resulting in a the bluish tinge. Newer generation CFLs are available in temperatures in the 3000K range – a good match for incandescent lamping in the room. Less expensive fluorescent bulbs tend to produce light at several distinct frequencies instead of evenly across the spectrum of visible light. The colour rendering index (CRI) rates how fully a bulb illuminates colours across the visible spectrum. Arevco sells fluorescent bulbs with a CRI of 85 or more. Less expensive fluorescents bulbs may have a CRI as low as 25.

Arevco also carries dimmable compact fluorescent bulbs in standard and candle bases.

Some fixtures are available in a fluorescent lamping with ballasts that allow dimming. They may require special electronic dimmers compatible with the lamping.

Incandescent and halogen bulbs both emit light when a metal flament is heated to a high temperature until the filament glows. An amount of halogen gas in a halogen bulb creates the halogen cycle – the evaporation of tunsten from the filament is reversed at the higher temperatures of halogen giving a whiter light than incandescent and more efficient luminosity.

To withstand the higher temperatures created, the halogen bulb casing is of fused silica [quartz]. Touching the quartz casing may leave contaminants which lead to localized overheating and shortening of bulb life. One can handle a halogen by the ceramic base or enclose it in its soft packing or wrap it in tissue.

Inadvertent fingerprints can be wiped clean with rubbing alcohol.

If a bulb has a protective glass cover, it can be handled directly.

The dimmer type must be matched to the transformer type – magnetic to magnetic or electronic to electronic. The need for an electronic dimmer is indicated in a product's specifications.

There are dimmable CFLs available to fit standard and candlebase sockets. When a dimmable flourescent module is specifically designed for a fixture, the specifications will indicate what model of dimmer must be used.

The first LEDs sold were relatively dim. The electroluminescence [photon production] in the diodes was generated from direct current; initial AC applications were literally producing light with current flow in one direction only – literally half the time, half the brightness. New generation LED's have overcome this problem.

LEDs have no filament to burn out – they often are rated to maintain 70 % of their output after 50,000 hours.

Hybrid LED bulbs are now available, copying the shape and connector type of certain incandescent and halogen bulbs. It is estimated with the long lifes of these bulbs and the low energy consumption that they will pay for their higher cost over their lifetimes.

There are now pendants, ceiling mounts and sconces available with dedicated LED modules, specific to the manufacturer – after their long life the moduleis to be replaced rather than an individual diodes. These latest LED fixtures, in addition to their durability and energy savings, feature warm daylight colour temperatures with no sacrifice of clarity.

The standard line voltage in North America is 120 volts (120V). 120V bulbs are designed to be the most efficient at that voltage. They produce a brighter, whiter light than 130V bulbs. However, 130V bulbs are more resistant to power surges and will last longer than 120V bulbs. 130V bulbs are preferable in rural locations where power surgeges are frequent.

The wiring and bulbs in European lamps are designed to operate at 220 volts, as opposed to the North american 120 volts.

The European lamp can be plugged into a transformer that steps up the voltage from 120 to 220 volts . This is a safe solution but the transformers can be expensive and 220 volt bulbs are difiicult to replace.

If the wiring in the lamp will accomodate the higher amperage assocated with running at 120v a 120 volt bulb can be used with a plug adapter. Most simple 60 watt table lamps with an on-off switch can be operated safely this way.

Ideally, European lamps should be rewired and tested. Standard 120V bulbs can then be used without need for bulky or expensive adapters. Arevco has years of experience coverting European fixtures.