Which one is better, the glass tube or the plastic one?

Glass tubes and plastic ones are two kinds of lampshade materials, and the plastic ones can be further divided into full-plastic and aluminum-plastic tubes depending on the end cap material. All these lamp tubes are commonly applied. However, we may have trouble determining: Which one is better, the glass tube or the plastic one?

Let's take a look at this question.

Which one is better, the glass tube or the plastic one?

The answer is simple: About the same.

Why? Because the most important factors determining the quality of a lamp tube in use are the quality of its light source, lampshade and end cape. The material of lampshade only affects its quality. It is only when the same light source, structural design and end cap material are adopted that the comparison between both kinds of tubes is meaningful.

In terms of material price, the glass tube usually has a lower price than the plastic one, and the aluminum-plastic tube higher than the full-plastic one. Therefore, the plastic tube costs a bit more.

In terms of user experience, the plastic tube (e.g. PC tube) is easier to transport and store, less liable to rupture and crushing, and thus usually has a longer service life. Moreover, considering material properties, the plastic tube enables a larger room for lamp design.

Notwithstanding, the glass tube has bigger advantages than the plastic one in some aspects. For example, the light transmittance - theoretically, glass normally has a higher light transmittance than plastics; another example is flame retardation - glass often performs better in high temperature resistance. Besides, the smooth surface of glass makes it nice in touch, easy to clean, and free from yellowing even after long-term use.

What's more, in terms of using habit, lampshades of fluorescent and daylight lamp tubes commonly used in the past were mostly made of glass - this fact plus the application of glass tubes in some vintage-style home decoration scenarios nowadays leads to the conclusion: glass tubes are also preferred by a large user group.

Which one is better, the glass tube or the plastic one? The answer has been given in the aforesaid paragraph - it depends on our personal usage need. When choosing between the glass tube and the plastic one, what we need to do is to estimate and analyze based on our using habits, scenarios and needs.