175W 14k MH Bulbs??? (1 Viewer)

[haze_9]

I want to replace the bulbs I have and after looking around I have seen MANY different price ranges from 19.99 to 89.00 For a single bulb and they all have the same specs... 175W 14k MH. So my question is whats the difference and can I get the cheaper ones or or is it better to get the more expensive ones and why?? Thanks for answering my silly question.

Dixie

 

[haze_9]

Anyone?

 

[BrianPlankis]

You get what you pay for when it comes to MH bulbs. You also need to make sure the bulbs you buy work with your ballasts:

http://www.projectdibs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1764&highlight=bulbs

I finally settled on the Iwasaki 15K bulbs, still waiting for them to come in, so no opinion yet. I've heard very good things about these bulbs, but can't comment personally yet.

Also, I currently run XM 10K bulbs and after 9 months my PAR was down 50% and it is down 80% with a definite shift to yellow (15 months). I won't be using them again.

Brian

 

[haze_9]

Hmmm ok so now that gets me wondering how I figure that out. They are....175 watt metal halide probe start ballast. Does that say anything?

 

[ReefNoob]

Hi,
that's my first post so take it with a grain of salt...
I think that cheap bulbs are displaying the same base "specs" but are not as efficient for putting lumens out.
Remember than 175 W means nothing besides what the bulb will consume per second. This is NOT the actual light output and I suspect that higher end bulbs would be brighter for the same power consumption.

My .02 cents

 

[BrianPlankis]

Hmmm ok so now that gets me wondering how I figure that out. They are....175 watt metal halide probe start ballast. Does that say anything?

You need to know the type of ballast, its ANSI designation. For example, my ballasts are M57 Magnetic ballasts (made by Hamilton, but the manufacturer is not as important as the type of ballast).

Brian