Good question, probably best placed in lighting questions not general question of the day type challenges most should be attempting to answer in testing their general tech knowledge.
Below is to the best of my knowledge on this lamp - I could be wrong but no so by much especially in things I have questioned the various manufacturers about. (This series of lamp being a sort of pet project of mine in the industry.)
The Thorn HX-600x as a specific lamp - given that's what is stamped on the description code along with Thorn as the actual lamp, is not cited in my notes as a Thorn lamp. (Possible it exists and is not in my notes but doubtful.) I'm not aware of any Thorn lamp since about 1992 in the HX
line other than dogmatically following the Alternate temporary
ANSI lamp designation which does not include "X's" to the best of my knowledge following the numbers - they are only used in the prefix as it were. Nor am I aware of duplicate numbers for both high output and long life lamps ever used since than. I do have some
PAR 64 HX-156 lamps that are both WFL and NSP, but they are old and became the
ANSI GFB and GFE later. The HX/HP series lamps are for more than just
Leko type lamps.
The Thorn HX series these days will be always be much similar to that of a
ANSI coded lamp - one very specific lamp only with a new HX designation such as HX-601 for the long life version of the HX-600. The HX-601 from Thorn is definately a Long Life Thorn lamp just as Thorn is still I believe making HX-600 non-FLK lamps. Thorn at times will do the
ANSI lamp, at other times will leave them as HX series. This is also totally indipendant of what GE is doing by way of adopting Thorn experimental lamps and or classing even lamps with the same part number as
ANSI lamps such as the FLK while Thorn at least for a time or is still calling it the HX-600.
There is also is no such thing, officially by way of
ANSI codes at least, a long life FLK-LL lamp or any
ANSI coded HX-601 lamp - it's a crappy lamp replaced by the more efficient HX-605/GLA below. Such lamps posing as a
ANSI coded lamps are not following any
ANSI system thus are indipendant of the standards involved with classing such a lamp.
The GLA lamp replacing the HX-601 has a more rugged
filament and better efficiency in all ways. No reason to be buying HX-601 lamps other than if it's more cost effective than a GLA and you can deal with less output and a 8mm wider thus larger
filament that won't do patterns or even output the light as well. A FLK/HX-600 and in theory the HX-601 has a 8x18mm
filament. The GLA/HX-605 has a 8x10mm
filament. This in addition to much more output and often better
color temperature and even lamp life. GLA lamps are very dependant upon brand in these classes - each brand and even dependant upon what catalog you look at from any brand will have changing data but all are better than that of the HX-601
in one way or another.
Also after approximately 1992, the Thorn HX
system uses all even numbers to designate the high output lamps, and odd numbers for the long life versions. There would be no reason for Thorn to designate a lamp as HX-600x in meaning it as a long life lamp - they already have the HX-601 designated as this. It's possible but not probable that if Thorn is making a HX-600x, that its' a upgraded High Output HX-600/FLK lamp instead.
Osram in not as dogmatically following the HX / HP
system very well did or does have a long life HP 600X lamp #54516. This specific lamp is discontinued however. It became redesignated as a GLA
Ansi Coded lamp along with the now redesignated to be GLA, GE/Thorn HX-605 (though I believe the HX-605 innitially was the 230v version of this lamp. At this
point the HX-605 by Thorn is very specifically a GLA lamp, and this along with the HX-604/GLC is the better series of lamp to be using, see above.) HP is normally much like HX in designation, normally by "in theory policy" at least, HP designates a different
filament such as that of a
HPL in otherwise being a HX-600 but with different
filament. "HP = Paralled Coils to the
filament. HX = coiled coil flament." This official description is sort of innaccurate given very different filaments between that of a HPR and
HPL lamp, but still the only difference I'm aware of in designation. Normally it's just that GE/Thorn does HX, Osram does HP and Ushio chooses what ever they want with Phillips not using that
system at all.
In other words, a HX-600x coming from Thorn I find doubtful as a actual lamp. While Thorn is still kept alive by GE in a not so well alive way, and often acts as sort of their un-advertised R&D department for the
Stage and Studio
line, there is no info on the company other than
thru the exclusive to the US supplier of them L.E.Nelson Lamps /
PRG. (Yep,
PRG did buy them out but it's not a 100% buy out by way of this Thorn connection.) Gonna be meeting with someone from GE in the
Stage and Studio research and development section in the coming weeks, I'll harp on GE/Thorn info and why they don't publish useful info more in the coming weeks. Should be interesting. Otherwise L.E. Nelson lamps is still the only supplier of this lamp in the US. Everyone else buys from them. Doesn't mean one shouldn't buy from who ever is supplying this lamp to you - there is dealer/volume discount factors, it just means they are all coming by way of this only supplier (which might change in the coming years dependant upon what
PRG is doing with their now exclusive Thorn contract as it were...)
End result, it's possible that you have a Thorn HX-600x lamp. Given that's the case, I would suspect that it's an upgraded HX-600/FLK lamp and not a long life HX-601 as it would otherwise be. Possible that Thorn copied Osram's internal refleflector technology used in the HPR 575/115v lamp. If that's the case, you now have basically a HP-600 lamp (HX-600/FLK) with a internal
reflector that completes the
ellipsoidal shape of the
reflector. In other words, you now have a lamp that's 15 to 20% brighter than a FLK/HX-600. Otherwise less likely perhaps Thorn has come up with a better
pinch seal in copying GE's (what is it the "Shark") they designate with x - though I would expect that Thorn would just make the upgrade and not change the designation for this little detail. Could also be that the HX-600x is some more advanced technology such as say a liquid cooled lamp - but highly doubtful about this and or that they would keep the same HX-600 number. Perhaps "x" designates a
dichroic coating to the quartz
globe of the lamp. This would be something that the industry is also working on for this type of lamp but to the best of my knowledge is yet to come to the HX-600 lamp or even
HPL lamp. It is the case with a DYS lamp and a few other
halogen lamps, just not tubular shaped lamps yet.
In any case, the HX-601 lamp if that's what it is, or other brand of say FLK-LL or odd brand calling their long life lamp a HX-600x, than it's a crappy lamp.
The best lamps for these fixtures are as follows without substitutes that I'm aware of at this
point:
GLA/HX-605 - Phillips, GE/Thorn/Osram and Ushio all make this lamp. I prefer the Phillips #6992P in still having the best specs to the lamp but all make a dependable product that is more efficient than any HX-601. GE/Thorn and Ushio both make a HX-601 lamp. Wiko/Eiko might also though I don't have notes on one yet.
For high output, the GLC/HX-604/HP-600 lamp by GE/Thorn, Osram, and Phillips in their alternate to the HX
system #6989P lamp is the lamp that will have the most compact thus efficient
filament. As with the GLA lamp above, it features a more rugged
filament and improved output. I don't have an opinion on this lamp amongst suppliers. Phillips might or might not have a longer life version of this lamp but it's very dependant upon what catalog you are looking at. I have six different listings of this lamp from them and two different lamp lifes listed. One is 400hr, the other 300hr as normal to all brands.
For other than
pattern projection, or perhaps very refined optics such as installing it in a
360Q series of
fixture, the Osram HPR 575/115v lamp is a better lamp to install in a
360Q or 3.5Q
fixture of any brand in 1980's style
fixture. The internal
reflector (above) completes the ellipse to the
reflector and makes it at very least as efficient as a more modern say Shakesphere or even out output a S-4
fixture of the same beam spread when one compares one
fixture's beam to another. As said before by me in testing, you could see the beam of a 3.5Q5 inside a 50 degree S-4
Leko's beam of light. Not just see it, but clearly see the
edge of the 3.5Q5
edge of the beam. This lamp cleans up the "
Altman dark spot" associated with the hole in the
reflector making for the blackspot at the center of the
beam angle, and in many ways makes the
360Q fixture become just as efficient or at least for the most part as efficient as that of at least a Shakesphere
fixture. This perhaps other than for
pattern projection. It's also a lot easier to
bench focus fixtures with this lamp - normally as long as close to
bench focus, you cannot optimize it by much - very
flat field to the beam with a very hard
edge even in a 30 year old
fixture.
If you have the budget to do high output lamps, I highly recommend the Osram #54549 HPR 575/115v lamps.
Filament size is 6.35x11.68mm cc-8 as opposed to that of a GLC with a
filament of about 9x7.5 or 9x8mm c-13D that's smaller and more square but not by much really more efficient. The GLC is normally 3,200̊K; 15,500 Lumens in output and 300 hours in lamp life. The HPR is the same
color temperature 3,200̊K; 16,500 Lumens in output + the 15 to 20% efficiency boost from the internal
reflector, and 300 hours in lamp life (both in lamp life at 115v not 120v.)
If reading enough to this
point to get your answer, you might assume that yes the HX-600x lamp will work in a
360Q base fixture. IT won't work in the medium
prefocus (P-28s) based "radial" type 360
line of
fixture but will in the Medium
Bi-Pin (G-9.5) based "
Axial" type 360 Q (for "Quartz"/
halogen)
fixture along with just about any other
Leko using a G-9.5 based lamp.
Better than the HX-600x lamp would be the above lamps of course.
Reasons for it working is that while
Altman has not to the best of my knowledge in the
fixture specs changed the
UL listed lamp options for the
fixture to that of the HX-600/GLA type lamps, they as a company do cite these types of lamps as suitable for their fixtures. They recommend the upgraded lamp bases and
reflector kits however due to the extra heat. But given such fixtures are rated for 750w@120v and you are now installing a 575w@115v lamp, it's electrically and for the most part heat wise safe to use. In discussions with them about it, use up your old reflectors and lamp bases, they shouldn't really suffer much due to the extra heat - mostly when they fail and they will eventually, it's more due to the normal mortality of such reflectors and lamp bases due to the heat. Upgrade to the
Altman #97-1580 lamp
base and or something from Buhl, Osram, Bender and or Wirth for high temperature TP-220 lamp
base all recognized by
Altman as suitable. The
Production Advantage featured Ushio brand of C-3A lamp
base while very similar to all above lamp bases and has proven to work well is not
UL listed for the
Altman fixture. Works and there are no known problems in it's use, not
UL listed for use in this
fixture - your choice.
On reflectors, eventually the old reflectors will get old and need replacing. If say a late 1990's
reflector or of odd lot number, the T-6 lamp normally associated with a HX-600 type lamp might be a really close fit within the
reflector. Unless you have at least 1/16" between lamp and
reflector (you need to look at the lamp after bench focusing), you are probably best off replacing the
reflector. Any lamp that touches the
reflector won't last very long. This is a in general
safety and lamp life tip for all
bench focus procedures no matter what lamp you are using. Once the lamp is bench focused, open up the
fixture and look at where the lamp is in the
reflector. Might even pre-center the lamp on the
reflector before the
bench focus than follow up with an inspection afterwards.
Still, that closeness with some lot numbers of
360Q reflectors to the lamp has been the only problem I have found so far. For the most part it's with the 3.5Q5
fixture on the other
hand which was never designed to
house a T-6 lamp but does work fine with one. Major note is to look at the fit about the hole in the
reflector as compared to your lamp in operating position. This could also be very important in general beyond any lamp with using a EHG lamp also which often tends to be T-6 in size but at one
point was T-5 thus the smaller
reflector holes.
Lamp bases especially if the old #58-0017
socket will suffer from heat problems in general normal to the
base no matter if HX-600 or EHG in the
fixture. This will exhibit itself by way of silicone
insulation melting away from the SF-2
wire leads as they leave the lamp
base, or charred contacts thus pins on the lamp
base also. When ever you remove a bad lamp from a
fixture, have a look at it's two pins and see if you see arching, blackening, pitting and other signs of damage to it. This would tend to mean also a bad
fixture lamp
base that needs replacement.
As long as these two things are the rule - in addition to just looking at the
reflector not only for how centered the lamp is within it but it's overall condition - no fogging over or white spots or small bubbles forming, and if policy now say three things each time you change a lamp and it's perfectly fine to use old lamp bases and reflectors with new lamps. Or in general even use old stuff with new lamps of the same type. A little more observation and preventitive maintinence is all that's needed.
Heck, while the
fixture is cracked open with each install, have a look at the shutters in having a look for any problems with them. Sorry, no improved shutters or even
dichroic reflectors available, still keeping an eye on the
fixture is not a bad thing.
The theorized HX-600x lamp is 100% useable with the
360Q line of
fixture.