Ebay MH Bulbs.

[Secondgen]

Just thought I would let everyone know about my first ebay metal halide bulb experience. So far so good. I bought a 10K DE bulb for $18.00 shipping included. I know that others in the club have bought these bulbs as well, and I am anxious to here their thoughts. As for spectrum it seems to be right on the money, and even if I have to replace it every six months, at a total cost of $18.00 that is totally doable. 

[quicksilver]

i tryed ebay befor for my lights and they both came in broke and the post office would not cover the damage even thoe they were bubble raped twice. and i had insurance on them. 

[larrynews]

i have always had great luck , so i always buy from the same 2 places now....

[Riderc82]

I use the 175 watt SE halide bulbs on E-bay, did yours come from Hong Kong?  The ones I get from Ebay come in a plastic Tupperware like container the seller is greatdel.  I have been replacing them every three months but I just replace them because they are cheap and I was trying to figure out if I likes the 10 or 14k bulbs.  I have no complaints I think they may cause a green hue (algae) on the glass but I had the same problem with my PC bulbs.  I think I have fair growth with these bulbs.  It's hard to believe you can get two bulbs and they get shipped from Hong Kong for cheaper than I can get one here. 

[slandis3]

I bought my blue line bulbs from joel. I dont remember the price $60-$70 maybe. But i have had them for a year now with no problems. I am going to replace them soon. I also hace a 250w that i bought july 06 and its just starting to give me some green alge groth on the glass. I figure if i can a years worth of good use out of them i will stick with qwhat i know works. I would hate to get a bulb in broke. Gool luck getting the post office to replace it even with the insurance.

[Joel]

I think something to consider with these super cheap metal halide light bulbs is, why are they so cheap? What in this hobby (and for that matter any hobby) is dirt cheap and is still of good quality? Very little to nothing in my experience. What is the PAR or at least the CRI of these lamps? Regardless of the kelvin temperature or wattage, lamps that don't have proper photosynthetically Active radiation are not of great use to reef inhabitants. Replacing lamps every six months to compensate for their low quality isn't going to help much, if at all either. If these are low quality bulbs, they are low quality from day one. Contrary to popular belief, good quality metal halide bulbs operated off quality ballasts (especially the nicer electronic ballasts)can easily last well over 12 months, some have reported lamps at and beyond 2 years before needing replaced. That being the case, the argument that it's cheaper to buy new lamps every six months is moot. Using hand held light meters will help determine how much "usable" light is being provided by a lighting system. It's also a very good tool for determining at what point our lights need replaced. As important as light is to our photosynthetic inverts, it makes absolutely no sense to cut corners in this department.

Now I can't speak for the aforementioned lamps specifically to say they are good or bad lamps, I don't know. I would be curious to see if any legitimate tests have been done on them to determine how much useful light they produce and for how long. Does anyone have any information or test results about these lamps?

[MechanicalEngineer]

I believe Sanjay has tested the "Ebay" bulbs...let me find the link.  I'm not sure of the results.

[MechanicalEngineer]

Ask, and you shall receive....

Sanjay's Review of the Ebay Metal Halide Bulbs:
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2007/11/review/view?searchterm=None

[Joel]

Great find Nikki,

Quote Sanjay;

When compared against other lamp and ballast combinations, these lamps tend to have lower output. However, this does not mean that the lamps are not useable. Given the low cost of the lamps, their use can be justified. Knowing that the output lies in the lower half to the lower third of comparable lamps, this information can be used to extract the most out of these lamps. For example, these lamps could be adequate if you could mount them lower and use them on shallower tanks, or with corals that require lower light levels.

My take on his conclusion is there is not much point in changing from other forms of light to Metal Halide if using these cheap lamps. Also, I didn't see any thing about the life of these lamps.

[verper]

Wow!  The ebay 14k PPFD (basically PAR) is about 1/2 what a 12k Reeflux or 14k EVC bulb has with my EVC ballasts.  It is showing 65.2 for the ebay bulb.  Sanjays page shows  120 for the Reeflux and 114 for the EVC.  All on the same EVC 400w ballast.  So that would equate to a much higher cost of electricity vs PAR.

[MechanicalEngineer]

Sorry if I was a buzz-kill for those of you excited over good buys, but I try to back up everthing with sound proof. 

For anyone that is unfamiliar, Sanjay Joshi does a lot of reef lighting comparisons.  His lighting webpage is:  http://www.reeflightinginfo.arvixe.com/

[Secondgen]

Great response to this thread thanks all. Yes Rider82 I did get this bulb from greatdeal in Hong Kong. I appreciate the link Nikki it had alot of answers to questions that I to had about these lamps. As for my tank right now these bulbs will work out fine, and I have no complaints out of the tanks inhabitants. I realize that lighting is not an area to cut corners at, but when money is tight I am glad we have cheap alternatives.

[MechanicalEngineer]

As long as you're happy, we're happy!!!     It's good to know that someone locally is trying them out too--more of a personal review.

[Secondgen]

I am always up to try new things even if it is not name brand. It has been my experience that big name brands, and big price tags doesn't always make it any better of a product.

[larrynews]

i did get one order from the hong kong guy but i wasnt happy with the color so i found another guy i think in Tennessee, i do replace them more often than the pricey ones but for me it is easier to spend a little money more times than a large amount fewer times...if that makes sense. the brand is plus rite.

[Riderc82]

I like the 14k Ebay bulbs they look good to me.  I originally bought two Reeflux bulbs but they wouldn't fire on my old Custom Sealife ballast.  I wish I would of researched the ballast more before I purchased it.  The weird thing about the Reeflux bulbs is I bought a used one from Aquariums Etc. and it fired right up. I'm think I'm going to try some name brand bulbs next time around I just need to figure out which bulbs my crappy ballast will fire.

[Secondgen]

Who is your guy in Tennessee Larry?