125w Iskra QE 125: Ignition & Full Power

1 x Ukrainian (More likely Chinese) 125w high pressure mercury vapour lamp.

Top photo shows the lamp a second after ignition.
Bottom photo is at full power.

The light quality from this lamp is utter dogshit!!!
That is the true colour of the lamp... it is not the camera!

Upon the arc striking, there is the faintest whiff of phosphor glow and when the lamp runs up it pretty much does nothing apart from diffuse the arc.

File information
Filename:	shitlamp.jpg
Album name:	FrontSideBus / HID: Mercury Vapour
Filesize:	1781 KiB
Date added:	17 Apr, 2026
Dimensions:	1572 x 2048 pixels
Displayed:	57 times
URL:	http://80.229.24.59:9232/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=24586
Favourites:	Add to Favourites

Comment 1 to 6 of 6

Page: 1

AngryHorse

[17 Apr, 2026 at 10:23 AM]

These would have indeed been better left clear, but I do actually like that apple white colour it’s got Wink

, how’s the brightness though?, is that as bad as it’s looks on the photo too?

FrontSideBus

[17 Apr, 2026 at 10:40 AM]

Not as bright as a normal new 125w lamp.

dor123

[17 Apr, 2026 at 11:09 AM]

I've seen an AEG Minikoffer with a diffused 125W MV lamp which have a similar colour.
Interesting how the spectrum of this lamp looks like.

FrontSideBus

[17 Apr, 2026 at 07:44 PM]

I can just imagine how grim it must have been in some shithole post soviet town lit with lamps like these...

Alex

[17 Apr, 2026 at 08:00 PM]

the sad thing is, these lamps would most likely have been to sophisticated for a shit hole soviet village… East Germany was well developed for the eastern block, and until reunification 1990 there were still plenty of incandescent lughts out there…

FrontSideBus

[17 Apr, 2026 at 08:23 PM]

I knew somebody who had business in the GDR in the good old days and he told me they used to joke about the place being lit with "nein watt" lamps Laughing

Comment 1 to 6 of 6

Page: 1