Quote Originally Posted by Cwcuz2112 View Post
I have done side by side comparison and they are the same. A 25 watt colored party bulb will heat a ten to twenty gallon aquarium just fine a dimmer switch will be needed to turn it down. . I agree with you about the quality of the clamp lamp ceramic sockets are necessary for anything you are going to leave on all the time .
I guess it depends alot on location. I've noticed regular colored bulbs lose affectiveness in colder weather where as the reptile specific infrareds and basking bulbs work more effectively. It's the shape of the bulb that makes them differ more in output. Infrared and basking bulbs have more concentrated area of affect where regular designs spread it out in many directions instead of just down into the enclosure. There is no doubt that they both can work.