Exploding Bulbs

[nailit]

Just got back home and switched my lamps on. One of them nearly exploded in my face, (grrrr).
Why do some light bulbs explode? (perhaps should have posted in science or some other catagory but never mind)
Also, do the newish energy saving lightbulbs ever explode?
Just curious here, thanks.

[janbee]

My kitchen bulbs always explode, none of the others. Scares the bejeeezus out of me first thing in the morning when it happens.

[Old_Geezer]

They can implode. They can also fall apart. I've had the glass fall whole to the carpet leaving the metal still in the bulb holder. Tends to be ever since the EU control freaks stopped people buying the bulb type of their choice and quality manufacturers stopped making them as a result. Now you only find rock bottom quality ones from the far east I believe. Never checked why they blew. Assumed some kind of arcing when the circuit failed was powerful enough to wreck the poor quality bulb.

[mikey4444]

I had exactly the same problem 4 weeks ago, when a halogen bulb blew in my bathroom, fusing half the house. I replace it with a LED bulb, which hopefully will be less troublesome in the future.