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Sorry if this comes across as a basic question, but this is the first place I thought to come and ask.

My wife and I have bedside lamps that have E12 40W sockets with inline switches. My wife hates the inline switch and we've been looking for an E12 switched socket online but cannot find anything at all to match this. It seems as if everyone selling an E12 socket expects the switch to be an inline wheel switch and I thought to ask if there is a particular design concern that makes an E12 switched socket infeasible or if we're just not Googling very well.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ There's no particular reason (except "cheap") for using the inline wheel switch. If it mattered to my wife, I'd ask her to show me the exact kind of switch (the mechanicals, anyway) she wanted and I'd simply wire it up for her. But it seems as though you may be inexperienced here, which could be a problem for DIY. Details matter for safety. So, perhaps you should find someone to handle this for you? (Or else keep on searching the web.) FYI, E17 is a typical "lava lamp" size and they also frequently use the same switch. \$\endgroup\$
    – jonk
    Commented Dec 3, 2019 at 2:52
  • \$\begingroup\$ One possibility is a wireless switch. The switch mounts on the wall and looks like an ordinary light switch. It communicates with a module that plugs into the mains power and the lamp plugs into it. My wife and I use them with our bedside lamps. They are readily available at home centers. \$\endgroup\$
    – Barry
    Commented Dec 3, 2019 at 3:11
  • \$\begingroup\$ @jonk: The problem isn't the type of switch. The problem is the location of switch. In the US, most table lamps have a switch in the socket rather than in the cord. It is easier to find the switch that way. I've lived in Germany for 30 years now, and the "lamp switch in the cord" thing they do here still drives me up the wall. The question is about finding an American style lamp socket (switch in the base of the socket) for E12 bulbs. It looks like they aren't made. \$\endgroup\$
    – JRE
    Commented Dec 3, 2019 at 6:47
  • \$\begingroup\$ I think the explanation lies in the name you often see applied to E12 sockets. They are called "candelabra" sockets, and are most often used in lamps with multiple sockets. You'd want just one switch for that kind of lamp, so nobody makes individually switched E12 sockets. \$\endgroup\$
    – JRE
    Commented Dec 3, 2019 at 6:53
  • \$\begingroup\$ ( I'm a professional software developer. I have electronics experience but I don't do much of anything with houses/appliances/lights.) \$\endgroup\$
    – K. Alan Bates
    Commented Dec 3, 2019 at 22:15

1 Answer 1

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Fit an E27 socket, then fit an E27 to E12 adapter inside the socket.

Your other option is to find a location for a push button or pull chain switch and modify the lamp.

enter image description here

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