Although there is not the confusion around this issue there once was, I still hear people who do not fully understand what it means to be a Wolff lamp, or a Wolff tanning bed. First, Wolff does NOT make tanning beds. Wolff licenses technology to others who do make tanning beds.

In the strictest sence, a Wolff lamp is a tanning lamp that is designed by Wolff Systems Technologies, Inc. and usually manufacturer by Sylvania. There are many different Wolff lamps, including the older Bellarium S and Crystal Sun S, to the more modern Dominion, and even a few that are exclusively used by a single vendor. The Diamond Sun and Velocity series are the best examples, with Wolff Systems designing and contracting the manufacture of them, but ETS, Inc. owning the trademarked names of the lamps themselves. This offers them an exclusive on the brands, as well as control over the distribution, and thus, price.

Because Wolff doesn’t make tanning beds, you might be asked: “Then what exactly is a Wolff bed?”. Simply put, any tanning bed manufacturer can license the name Wolff and call their tanning beds Wolff Systems by paying a royalty and using one of the Wolff lamps exclusively in that model. While Wolff Systems enjoys a reputation for quality, it can not, and does not, have any control over the quality of the tanning beds that license the use of its name.

A tanning bed that is a Wolff System (or uses Wolff Systems technology) might be a great tanning bed, or it might be a dud that just so happens to use good lamps. This is why it is important to judge a new tanning bed (or replacement lamp) by much more than a singular name on the label.

When you go to replace the lamps in a home tanning bed, you can choose one of the many Wolff lamps as a replacement if you so choose. They come in all the most common sizes, including F71/100 watt, the most common size and wattage of all time. This doesn’t make your tanning bed a Wolff System, but for all intent and purpose, it would perform exactly like a tanning bed with the logo on it. You also have many other choices as well, including lamps by Philips, SunMaster, Light Sources, Voltarc and others.

I don’t personally recommend Wolff lamps as a replacement, but it is due to the cost, not the quality, which is as good as anyone’s. Because there are royalties involved, Wolff lamps tend to cost more than similar lamps that offer similar performance. If you don’t mind spending the extra money, then this is not an issue. Most reputable replacement lamp distributors will have a variety of both Wolff and non-Wolff lamps for you to choose from.