Reaching into the mailbag, we have a somewhat common question to answer today…

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Dear TanningBeds.org,

I replaced my bulbs yesterday, but they don’t look as bright as the old ones. They are bright on the ends, but the closer to the center of the bulb it has a gray tint to it. Is this normal for brand new bulbs?

(name withheld)
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Different lamps shine at different levels of visible light. The visible light isn’t the best indicator of how powerful they are anyway, since UV is what does the work and you can’t see UV. Technically, you can make a lamp that is almost invisible to your eyes (black) yet puts out enough ultraviolet to give you a quick sunburn, so how bright a lamp is doesn’t indicate how strong it is.

Sometimes, new lamps won’t burn as bright while they are being broken in, during the first 10 hours or so (30 sessions). After a few sessions, as long as they are tanning you right, I wouldn’t worry about it.