Pope Fluorescent Tubes

Pope Fluorescent Tubes in the Pope / Philips Story

Pope is one of the classic European lamp brands. The Pope Electric Lamp Co. started in the UK, later moved production to the Netherlands and eventually became part of the Philips universe. For decades the name “Pope” appeared on incandescent lamps, radio valves and later on fluorescent tubes.

Historically, Pope fluorescent tubes weren’t made in completely separate factories: after Philips took over, Condor and Pope–branded tubes were manufactured in Philips plants and marked with type codes starting with “PR”. Electrically and optically they were essentially Philips tubes in a Pope wrapper, often tailored for local markets or specific distributors. Fluorescent tubes remain a practical solution in buildings that depend on steady illumination, long operating cycles and predictable maintenance planning. For projects where colour stability and reliable lumen performance are essential — laboratories, retail aisles, controlled workplaces — planners often start with well-established, high-quality options such as radium fluorescent tubes. When teams need broad compatibility and straightforward integration across mixed fixtures, they frequently turn to the versatile, service-friendly lines offered by prelite fluorescent tubes. Large commercial environments, especially those requiring consistent visual comfort over long hours, commonly standardise on globally recognised ranges like philips fluorescent tubes. Design-driven interiors and decorative applications sometimes incorporate the more specialised, design-oriented variants from paulmann fluorescent tubes to maintain visual coherence throughout the space. Meanwhile, cost-sensitive refurbishments and public-sector upgrades often round out their procurement lists with practical, budget-efficient options such as patron fluorescent tubes to ensure predictable replacement cycles.

Today, genuine Pope fluorescent tubes mostly show up in older installations and collections, but the brand itself has been revived for specialist and decorative lamps, mainly LED.

Construction and Technology of Pope Fluorescent Tubes

Technically, Pope fluorescent tubes follow the classic linear low-pressure fluorescent design:

• T8 glass body
  Typical Pope tubes are T8 (26 mm) with a straight glass envelope and internal phosphor coating. Collectors’ listings show 18 W and 36 W Pope T8 lamps from the early 1980s, made in Philips’ Terneuzen factory in the Netherlands.
• G13 bi-pin caps
  Two pins at each end, compatible with standard T8 battens, trunking systems, waterproof fittings and recessed ceiling luminaires.
• Low-pressure discharge system
  Inside the tube is an inert gas and a very small quantity of mercury. When the lamp starts, an electric arc forms, generating UV which the phosphor converts into visible light. The result is the familiar 360° linear glow along the tube.
• Phosphor coating and colour
  Historical data and photos show Pope fluorescent tubes with common colour codes of the period (for example 33 “white” on older 36 W lamps), broadly equivalent to modern 3000–4000 K whites.

Because they were Philips-made, light quality, colour rendering (around CRI 80) and lumen output follow the same pattern as Philips TLD / T8 tri-phosphor tubes of the same era.

Typical Range and Specifications of Pope Fluorescent Tubes

Exact line-ups varied over time and by market, but if you meet Pope fluorescent tubes in the field or in documentation, you can expect a few recurring formats:

• Pope T8 18 W tubes
  • Length around 590–600 mm
  • G13 cap
  • Colour codes equivalent to warm or neutral white
  • Long-life variants exist – one documented 18 W Pope T8 is explicitly labelled “service life: long” and dated 1983.
• Pope T8 36 W tubes
  • Length around 1200 mm
  • Used in standard 4-ft battens and recessed fixtures
  • Often marked with phosphor code 33 or 83/830 style warm white, depending on production era.
• Other wattages and special versions
  In some markets, Pope-branded tubes mirrored the full Philips ladder: 15 W short tubes, 58 W (1500 mm) lamps and specialist colours. These were, again, Philips tubes re-branded for Pope/Condor distribution channels.

As a working assumption, any Pope fluorescent tube:

• is a standard T8/G13 lamp,
• with lumen and lifetime performance similar to Philips TLD of the same wattage and colour,
• and can be replaced one-to-one by a modern T8 with identical wattage, length and colour code.

Where You Still Encounter Pope Fluorescent Tubes

Today you’re unlikely to specify Pope fluorescent tubes for new builds, but you will come across them in:

• Older commercial interiors
  Shops, offices and public buildings renovated in the 1980s–1990s may still have Pope-branded tubes in their original Philips-build luminaires.
• Industrial and utility spaces
  Back rooms, plant areas and storage spaces often keep their original lamps until they finally fail – you may find Pope 18 W or 36 W T8 tubes still in service in these quiet corners.
• Collections and technical museums
  Lighting enthusiasts and collectors specifically value Pope T8 tubes as part of European lamp history, especially those with clear factory/date codes.

For day-to-day maintenance, the key question is usually not “where can I buy a new Pope tube?” but “what is the correct modern equivalent to keep this fitting working?”.

Selecting Replacements for Pope Fluorescent Tubes

When an original Pope tube fails, you almost always replace it with a modern T8 from a current manufacturer. The important part is matching electrical and optical parameters, not the old logo.

1. Read the markings on the Pope tube
   • Look for data like “18W”, “36W”, “T8”, colour code (“33”, “830”, “840” etc.) and sometimes a Philips-style designation (TLD/33, TL-D 36W/830, PR… code).
2. Match base, diameter and length
   • Base: G13
   • Diameter: 26 mm (T8)
   • Length:
     • ~450 mm → 15 W class
     • ~600 mm → 18 W
     • ~1200 mm → 36 W
     • ~1500 mm → 58 W
3. Match wattage to control gear
   • The luminaire ballast is designed for a specific wattage; always replace a Pope 18 W tube with an 18 W T8, a 36 W with a 36 W, and so on. Installing a different wattage on magnetic gear can cause poor starting, flicker or ballast overheating.
4. Match colour temperature and appearance
   • Older “33” whites sit between warm and neutral; modern equivalents are often 830 (3000 K) or 840 (4000 K), depending on how the space should look.
   • For consistent appearance, choose a single CCT per visual zone: don’t mix a warm 830 replacement next to a remaining neutral 840 tube in the same row.
5. Decide between staying fluorescent or going LED
   • If the fitting is in good condition and not heavily used, a like-for-like fluorescent replacement is simple and cheap.
   • In high-hour areas, it might be worth switching to LED T8 retrofits or new LED luminaires, but you should still use the Pope tube’s wattage and light level as reference when choosing LED output.

Light Quality, Lifetime and Behaviour of Pope Fluorescent Tubes

Because they were effectively Philips products, Pope fluorescent tubes share the same strengths and limitations as other quality T8s of their era:

• Light quality
  • CRI around 80 with triphosphor coatings, good enough for offices, retail and classrooms.
  • 3000–4000 K whites were most common, giving either warm or neutral general lighting.
• Efficacy
  • Typical T8 levels in the 60–90 lm/W range depending on wattage and exact phosphor – far better than incandescent, lower than modern LED.
• Lifetime
  • Many Pope T8 tubes were “long life” types, aimed at 10,000–20,000 hours on appropriate gear and switching cycles, with acceptable lumen maintenance well into mid-life.
• Behaviour on start and dimming
  • On magnetic ballast + glow starter, they show the usual brief pre-heat flicker at switch-on.
  • On electronic ballasts, they start quickly and almost flicker-free.
  • Dimming is possible only with dedicated dimmable control gear; the lamps themselves are not inherently dimmable like incandescent or LED with integrated drivers.

Understanding this helps when you’re trying to decide whether to keep a fluorescent system alive or upgrade it.

Safety, Handling and Environmental Aspects

Whether it says Pope, Philips or anything else on the glass, a fluorescent tube is still a fluorescent tube, with the same basic safety considerations:

• Mercury content
  • Pope fluorescent tubes contain a small amount of mercury, like all T8 lamps of their generation, and must be treated as hazardous electronic waste at end of life – they should go to a lamp/WEEE recycling stream, not into general rubbish.
• Handling
  • Always isolate the fitting before relamping.
  • Support the tube with both hands near the ends and twist gently in the G13 lampholders; don’t bend or lever on the middle.
  • If a tube breaks, ventilate the area, carefully collect glass and phosphor dust, and dispose of it according to local fluorescent-lamp guidelines.
• Thermal and electrical limits
  • Never “up-lamp” to a higher wattage than the fitting’s label – the ballast and housing were designed for the original load.
  • Check that starters and ballasts are in good condition before installing new lamps; a failing starter can quickly destroy a fresh tube.

Working With Pope Fluorescent Tubes in Modern Projects

Realistically, you won’t be writing big new specs around Pope fluorescent tubes, but you will see them in the field and in older plans. A sensible approach is:

• Treat the Pope branding as historical
  • From a technical standpoint, treat any Pope fluorescent tube as a Philips-family T8 of that wattage and colour.
• Document modern equivalents
  • In maintenance plans or retrofit projects, list replacements by today’s manufacturer + full code (for example, T8 18 W/840 G13, 600 mm) rather than only “Pope 18 W”.
• Preserve visual intent
  • If you’re upgrading to LED, use the existing Pope tubes’ colour and lumen level as your reference so the space doesn’t suddenly feel too cold, too dim or too harsh.

Used this way, Pope fluorescent tubes become what they really are today: a useful piece of historical and technical context, and a set of reference points for choosing the right modern T8 or LED product – not an obstacle to keeping your lighting installations safe, efficient and visually consistent.