Customer Reviews

SONY XL-2100U A1606034B BARE LAMP (WITHOUT HOUSING)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I bought a replacement lamp form River Valley Electronics. I ordered it around noon on a Friday, paid for expedited shipping, and it arrived Monday about noon. I didn't really expect it before Tuesday so that was a plesant surprise.

Unlike some other reviewers, I didn't have much trouble removing the front cover. The lamp was easy to replace; if you can get the cover off and the light enclosure out of the unit, you will not have any problem removing the old lamp and installing the new one.

The only issues are the "star" screws holding the light enclosure in the unit. I happened to have a star driver that I had bought years ago to change a tail light on a GM vehicle. However, I think a small Phillips head would work unless the screw is in tight. My shipment did not include a star driver like evidently is included with some light enclosure orders. If you want to use a star driver, check a local auto supply house such as Auto Zone.

The shipment included one disposable glove; however, I suggest using one for both hands to avoid accidently touching the new buld with your bare fingers. High intensity lights do not like oil from your fingers.

I am really glad I didn't order the entire light box unit; ordering the bulb only saved about $40. 5 minutes of extra work for a $40 savings - I'll take as many of these as I can get!!

The stock Osram lamp which came out of my Sony Wega 50WE655 lasted 4 years, so I excpect this one could as well. For anyone replacing themselves two items:
1. Be very careful when tightening the nut which attaches the lead. The ceramic cracks easily. I cracked mine and put a drop of superglue in the crack, and it works. It may fail earlier who knows.
2. Remember to clean the lens which the lamp points to. I used a solution of 50% water / 50% Alchohol. Any mild solution and a soft cloth should do the trick. It was plenty dirty.
The picture now is noticibly brighter and I am happy.

I bought my lamp through StoreFrontOutlet a couple weeks ago and have no real issues with their service. But, it is clear that each seller provides different items with the lamp. Mine did not provide the gloves or a wrench - which wasn't that big of a deal. You will need a pair of thin plastic gloves, a fairly fine Phillips screwdriver and needlenose pliers (you are not likely to have the tiny wrench size needed sitting around).

The overall change out of the bulb wasn't difficult; as other writers have posted. But, I made mine harder by not keeping a good mental image of how the bulb fits within its assembly box. My suggestion would be to take a digital photo of the lamp placement and connections within the box assembly before removing the old bulb. And unscrewing the two wires to the bulb attached outside of the assembly first will make things go much easier.

Otherwise it was no big deal. I don't have an opinion yet on the quality or durability of the Osram bulb versus a Sony product. Seems to work fine at this stage. From my vantage point it appears to be a waste to pay an extra $80-100 to replace a perfectly sound assembly box for the bulb.

I had hoped that this bulb would save me some money, but after receiving this bulb and installing it, it was as dim as the one I was replacing that had 4500 hours on it. After 3000 hours or so, my TV would begin loseing its brightness. An original Sony replacement would restore that weakness very noticeably. Over the next month, this bulb got dim very quickly, so I replaced it with the one I had just removed. The old Sony was now noticeably brighter than the new bulb.

I don't recommend this bulb. And I don't recommend any of the off-brand replacements either. (I tried a couple of those too). the Sony is the only one I recommend.

My Sony KDF60XBR950 blew another bulb, and of course I jumped on Amazon to find a reasonable priced replacement. I ran across this bulb, and liked the price. Bulb only was not a problem, as I have replaced the bulb previously this way. Well, Lo, and Behold, Amazon puts a banner at the top alerting me that I had already purchased this same item from the same vendor in the past. When I checked the date of the previous order, I found that it was only 15 months ago. Hm. I have learned the 15 minute rule, so knew that I wasn't shortening the life of my bulb prematurely, but 15 months is just too short for a bulb. I think I'm going to pass this time, and maybe try the Philips bulb instead.

P.S., for those that don't know:
If you turn your TV on, leave it on for at least 15 minutes. When you turn it off, DO NOT turn it back on for at least 15 minutes. Rapidly repeated on and off cycles will reduce the life of your bulb, due to the cooling fan not having enough time to cool the bulb down.

My 60" Sony is about eight years old and I have replaced the lamp and housing once already. I noticed that I had this greenish colored "blob" area on my screen you could see very well when the screen goes to black. I thought, "Eight years old, maybe time for a new TV." But I decided to take the lamp unit out and see what I could see. When removing the front panel, it can be hard to remove after loosening the two screws on the back of the TV, but you just have to pull really hard to release the pegs from their holes that hold it in place. It seems like your going to break it, but just pull in the area where you can feel the resistance, about a quarter of the way from each side and maybe have someone else hold the TV from moving. Pull sharply, don't worry, it won't break. I looked at the lamp reflector and in the reflector I could see a spot that looked corroded for lack of a better word that was shaped suspiciously like the green "blob". I had a spare complete lamp and housing, so I replaced it. I could see a smuge on the lens in front of the lamp inside the TV, the lens that the lamp points to. I took some Windex and a Bounty towel and moistened the towel with the Windex and went to work on the lens. It was filthy black! I went through four paper towels before it came up clean. Always use Bounty brand towels when cleaning lenes, since this is the only brand other than real lens tissue that won't scratch fine lenses. Replacing the lamp and cleaning the lens magically restored my TV to new condition and the screen is now much brighter, so be sure you clean that lens if you notice your screen is just not as bright as it use to be, it may not be your lamp. This time I saved the $40 bucks or so and just ordered the lamp without the housing after watching how easy it was on YouTube, and made sure I was getting a Osram which I read was same as the OEM. Got it from River Valley Electronic though Amazon, reasonable shipping, nice savings over the whole lamp and housing. Nice savings vs. a new TV too!

I knew the original lamp on my 42" Sony had to go soon but never ordered a replacement. It blew out yesterday (12/9). Glad to find the bare lamp at such a good price. Ordered through River Valley after lunch, and used the savings to get expedited shipping. They shipped that evening with overnight air, and I installed the new lamp during lunch time the next day (12/10).

Really very simple and the free latex-free glove is a necessity. I've heard that any oil from your hands transferred to the lens/lamp can reduce the life significantly. I was not anxious to test that.

Installation is easy with a screw driver and wrench (for a small nut that holds lead on the bulb). About 15 - 20 minutes to remove the lamp assembly, replace the bulb, and return the TV to working order.

The item description is deceiving because you're thinking that it's a Sony lamb but it's actually another brand. Lamp works OK but not as bright as the Sony original which I thought I was getting.

I purchased this lamp locally because I didn't want to wait/be without TV for days or a week, depending on my shipping choice, and it was WOW, what an improved picture!!!
HOWEVER, a week after replacement I noticed some bluish hues/tints/dots in the picture. I did some research and found out that SONY is a very disreputable company -- and I mean it. And this judgment refers to the light engine driving ALL of Sony's LCD rear projection sets. Sony used plastic instead of glass mirrors in the optical block, which would warp prematurely after a couple of years, well short of the acceptable lifespan of a television. And Sony knew about the problem and nonetheless went ahead with the cheap variant in an attempt to cut financial corners. There have been a number of class-action suits filed against Sony in the United States as to the higher-end models, and if you are persistent enough, you will be able to get to Sony's highest level of customer relations and achieve some sort of out of warranty compromise OR TAKE SONY TO SMALL CLAIMS, which many victims successfully have done. The point, as to this lamp, however, is that due to the better light and higher heat of this new/replaced lamp, the light engine/optical block will melt down even faster, and if you do your research on the web, you will learn that people who replaced their lamps, just like me, ran into this very optical block problem. Sony made me a couple of offers in terms of discounted prices for their new lcd tv's or, in the alternative, to foot half the bill of the repair of the light engine, but none of these overtures made sense. For one, I asked AND got a negative answer as to whether Sony changed/improved the design of its optical block. No. In other words, if I had the light engine replaced, with Sony chipping in half the cost, the same problem would occur again 2 - 3 years hence!!!!!!!!! In the meantime, and even at this point, tv electronics improved so much, creating a much better picture, rendering the costs of a light engine replacement ridiculous. To cut a long story short, I will NEVER, EVER buy SONY again. I get screwed once but not twice. As far as I am concerned, Sony's chairman Sir Howard Stringer, and Sony can go down the drain -- and the world will be a better place.

My experience was through River Valley Electronics. I received the bulb very well packaged. The box includes gloves, the connector that must be installed, and instructions. I installed the bulb in a used housing. The bulb worked fine for about 2 weeks and then died. River Valley Electronics was very good at allowing me to exchange the part. Unfortunately, the replacement is sitting in the original box unopened since I had to get another one immediately because I was having visitors come in well before I could get my bulb back. Good while the bulb lasted. Will update when I use the replacement.