3183-02 12V/14V Replacement Light Bulb

This review is for the J Hofert 3183-02 12V/14V Replacement Light Bulb. These were perfect to make my Christmas tree topper star work again!! After gracing our tree each Christmas for the past nine years, the star gave up this year. Plugged it in and nothing happened. Replaced the fuses and nothing. Tried light bulbs from some light strings we had on hand and nothing. Finally found these on Amazon and ordered two packs (each one has 5 bulbs). Even though I wasn’t totally sure on the wattage (all the star box says is “10 clear mini lights”), the inside of the bulbs in the product picture looked exactly like the ones in my star, so I took a chance. I was ecstatic when my star came back to life after replacing all 10 bulbs. Extremely happy with my purchase!

Just received, and hope it works well, but I bought these instead of another offering online because the listing specifically states they’re “made in Switzerland”. The package states “made in China”. Seller should update the listing.

Our tree topper uses ten 12-volt mini-lamps, so I bought these, figuring they would be just what I needed. Not so. I replaced one and it immediately flashed and burned out. It turns out that the bulbs used in our tree topper star have a small "shunt" wiring: several turns of resistive wire wrapped around the base of the metal legs inside the glass envelope. This is what maintains connection to the other bulbs and keeps the string lit when one burns out, since they are wired in series. These J Hofert bulbs are 12 volts, but do not have the turns of wire around the base above the glass bead that the others have. This makes these bulbs incompatible. If you need to replace bulbs in a 10 to 12 bulb string, check to see whether the originals have the 3 or 4 turns of thin wire at the base. If so, I believe these cannot be used as replacements with the others in the string.

The value of these replacement bulbs is immeasurable. It was so frustrating having one leg in the string of light the incorrect intensity. Especially during the holiday season. Depressing? I was on the verge of suicide. Thank goodness for Amazon. They saved me. Now if they could only treat their own employees better. I think the company made enough money during the pandemic lockdowns to pay their employees better. Happy Holidays.

Two packs was all I needed.

These were expensive comparatively and they appear to work (no burned out bulbs), but they are not as pictured. The picture shows the bulbs have shunts that short when the bulb burns out so that the other bulbs in the string stay lit. The bulbs I received have no shunts.

Works as intended, shipped quickly, the bulbs seem high quality. I need 12 volt light bulbs to replace bulbs in a 10 light set. 10x12 = 120 v, simple enough. All of the bulbs worked, 100% quality, highly recommend.

the lights were as advertised