@ piferal: ROTFL at the "coachella lamp"
Are you sure? That sounds like a bad idea. As pointed out in a link, the life span is much much shorter than neon. The argon is accelerated by the electric potential and since it is heavier than neon, it sputters the electrodes more quickly.
I know, but in the past, that was one of the use of them ..... the main use, in a certain period of time, cause probably it was more "cool" (regardless the high amount of UV emitted

) than normal neon lamps (at least, til the introduction of the "green neon"

night lamps

).....
Also, before this, they was used as UV source for fluorescence, but i think that type of use lasted less (also if, probably, they was originally designed for this reason), cause the visible part interfer too much ..... i mean, for professional use .....
Anyway, i suppose that was an all-American thing ..... or, at least, here in Italy those lamps was (and still are) impossible to find ..... i collect from years all the "strange" lamps i can find, but never found one of them here, in the last 30 years at least
