Cheap Ebay metal halide bulbs

Ok i have had these bulbs up and goign for a bit now so i feel i can make a fair comparison! And no i have nothing to do with reefoptics or anyone else selling them, i just thought id provide an unbias opionion onthe bulbs

1- i purchased 10k,14k and 20k bulbs for testing in both 250 and 400 watts. I will post pics soon so everyone can see how they look, i want to give them another week or so to burn in.

So far i am very impressed with the bulbs, the 10k was a bit to yellow for my liking without actinic supplementation. the 20k was my favorite looking but the 14k is a nice inbetween that i think will provide the best growth with the all around nicest color. I am now running onmy system 2 20k 250s and 1 14k 400. If i was doing it again i would have gone the opposite and ran 1 400 20k and 2 14k 250s as i think the 14ks will have better growth.

i then moved teh 10k onto my frag tank and will keep you posted on how that works out.

so far i highly recommend them and for 35 bucks you cant beat them. they fire everytime perfecty on my coralvue electronic ballasts and look great!
 
When I look up ReefOptic Bulbs there is no matches. Do you know the name of the ebayer that sells them? Or the search were I can find them.
 
You can email the guy i have been buying mine from here

whulljr@yahoo.com


Has provided great service, i have ordered twice now from him and he has shipped very quick and everything has arrived as planned.

he carries 175,250 and 400 watt in 10k,14, and 20k spectrum
 
Hey wakeboarder2342,
Thanks for doing this. Keep us posted :D I'm getting a MH setup very soon so it would be nice to get some lower costing bulbs that perform well. Cheers,
-Raz
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8127533#post8127533 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SaltyMember
I thought it was more than a little odd myself. :confused:
Click to expand...

Agreed.

But anyways, one of our local club guys has had great success with the inexpensive ebay bulbs. Not sure what vendor he went with, but we just put together a group buy for a bunch of these bulbs. I ordered two 250w 14k DE's for about $25 shipped! Figured it was worth a shot...
 
Why go the Ebay route when for only $15 bucks more a bulb you can buy the EVC halides that OceanEncounter sells.... which are probably the highest rated par bulb on Sanjays light chart.

Just my 2 cents... Ebay is great for somethings and not so good for others. If they are working for you congrats...
 
I actually use the EVC 14k bulbs normally and I like them. I wanted to check out a 20k bulb so I decided to give the ebay bulbs a try. I ordered a 20K SE bulb for $31.00 shipped from ebay earlier today. As others have mentioned, for the price they are worth checking out. I will try to post pics after burn in.
 
EVC 14K bulbs on an M58 ballast have a PAR of 55. The 20K bulbs have a PAR of 45. Those are no where near the highest rated PAR bulbs on Sanjay's charts. If you overdrive them with M80 ballasts you will get 84 and 67 respectively...lower than many others...and you will shorten their life.

The fact is. Someone in China is manufaturing these bulbs...the same place the EVC and half the other bulbs are made. Most likely in the same factory.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8286722#post8286722 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by gbr
The fact is. Someone in China is manufaturing these bulbs...the same place the EVC and half the other bulbs are made. Most likely in the same factory.
Click to expand...

Exactly!
 
Hey-
i'm new to the hobby and right now i only have a setup with PC
HOWEVER I find this thread very interesting because i have a 175w
pendant light I would like to use on a future 35Hex setup and i'm
researching what bulb to get
anyone out there care to explain to a newbie the difference between
pulse start & probe start????????
my pendant is an ESU so I'm sure i can figure out which ballast i have
Does it matter pulse vs. probe?

thanks for any feedback-Revenge
 
Mine should be in today and I will let everyone know how they are after burn in. LawDog some of us don't have the luxury of spending a lot of money on things but I will have to agree about everything being made over seas and an american company putting there stamp on it and raising the price 500%. I guess if you want to open a sweat shop and hire some kids for 10 cents and hour we might be able to get things cheaper.
 
Well, my 20k bulb came. Unfortunately the inner filament (?) was damaged. One of the metal pieces that attaches the inside tube was broken so it was "clinking" around loose in the outer glass tube. I called them up right away and was told to ship it back for replacement. So, my opinions on the bulb will be delayed but it is not off to a good start. It looks like I am going to be out $5.00 to ship the bulb back. So my $31 bulb has become a $36 dollar bulb now.
 
But how is this different then any other bulb? i have had bulbs come damaged in the very same way that i paid 100 dollars for and i still had to send them back at my expense for replacment.
 
I have had mine for a couple weeks now and I really can't tell a difference in them from other bulbs. I guess time will tell depending on how long they last compared to other bulbs. But the color is great and the corals have really opened up. So far so good.
 
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