Ebay Bulbs
 

Anybody ever tried the 14K bulbs available on Ebay. One seller in Canada

http://cgi.ebay.com/250W-250-WATT-10...4.c0.m14.l1262

I believe Sanjay Joshi tested some ebay bulbs a while back and found that they weren't too bad at all. The problem is that you can't be sure that you're getting the same ones that he tested or that there's any consistency at all with off-brand bulbs.

I've never tried the bulbs from that ebay seller, but most of the ones that I've purchased on ebay I haven't been too impressed with. I've tried 14K and 20K bulbs from 2 different sellers and both bulbs were closer to 10K than what they were advertised as.

A few years back I found one decent ebay seller that carried Reef Optics bulbs. I was impressed with these bulbs, but they were not as cheap as most of the other ebay bulbs. Pretty much identical to XM bulbs so you could always try them for yourself. He no longer sells on ebay but here is his online store: http://www.reefopticslighting.com/bulbs.html

I got a 175w SE 14K bulb for my frag area from here: http://stores.shop.ebay.com/Trust-De...__W0QQ_armrsZ1

Really like the colour, more like the 250w DE 14k Hamiltons I used to run, definitely more blue than my current 14k Ushio. Can't make a fair comment on growth as using a crappy old grow light ballast and reflector.

Price was 19.99 plus 7.00 shipping (in USD).

I've bought from this guy and am very impressed with the bulbs

I have to agree with stones. I have tried the cheap lighting, and its definitely more 10K than 14K. I dont think I would buy them again, I dont like the look of 10K. Other than that they work, things will grow.

I am running lights from this place pn my 150. I havnt run and "expensive" fish store bulbs to compare them to, but I like them.\

http://stores.shop.ebay.com/Trust-De...__W0QQ_armrsZ1

Thanks, for the price and the reasonable shipping cost might be worth a shot.

I think I've tried just about all of em honestly :) Some were good, some sucked, some (including those i'm running right now - 18 months in on this pair i realized this week) lasted a long time - some burned out in weeks...

Overall - Probably continue to buy them, at 20-25$ a bulb - I don't mind chasing through 3-4 to find bulbs I like... Compared to 200$ or so at the pet store; still coming out ahead... They're also bulbs you don't mind loaning/giving to someone who's burned out and doesn't have spares...

i have 2 150watt DE 14,000K and u can have them.
they are junk, flikers white n blue
i have tried them on a galaxy ballast.

I am currently using a 14K bulb from that Ebay seller... it's a 70W and I like it but have no basis for comparison. It seems to run a crisp white with a little blue using an Advance magnetic ballast, fired up really blue the first week or so and whiter now. My Paly frag has gained some color in the 3 weeks I've had it, so I suspect it's doing alright in the PAR area. The bulb was made by a company called 'Artemis Lighting', but as was mentioned before the problem with the Chinese bulbs is consistency... the next time I order a bulb I may get one made by a different company.

I do find that I need to 'warm up' the color temperature of pictures I take, so it can't be yellowish in the least... I suspect that 14K bulbs should be a bright white with a slight blue tint?

The bulbs arrived the other day. Much bluer than I thought they would be, almost like 20k bulbs. Maybe they will whiten up in a week.

Here is poor pic, in person not quite as blue as in the photo and a bit brighter and the other side is a little whiter than in the photo. The other side is a XM10k with about 16 months. The XM appears brighter. Not sure if I really like the color of the 14K's, a little to blue for me, and tends to wash out the colors. Might try their 10k and sell these off for a good price.

The brand is Artemis, made in China. The bulbs are not as heavy as the XM so I suspect thinner glass and components. But for $10.00 a piece, guess I can't complain.

I have the 70W version of the 14K, made by the same company... They start out very blue but fade after a number of hours of use... beyond the burn-in, I would say after about 50 hours on or so. Mine is a crisp white with just a hint of blue, on a magnetic ballast.

I too have bought from this Canadian vendor, but I haven't been really happy with the lights. I haven't tried the 150W yet so I can't comment, but the 70W version is 1/4" shorter than all my other 70W bulbs and just doesn't fit my 70W fixture properly. It constantly starts and quits. I checked with them on sizing and they said this is the size of all their bulbs.

I regularly buy from "Trust Deal Lights" in the US and am very happy with their lighting. I bought a USHIO in order to do a comparison and I liked the Ebay bulb better.

That's good to hear, will post back in a week with the results.

Hmm, interesting... I didn't have another bulb to compare it to, I was just unable to find 70W bulbs in any brand name (in stock, and in Canada). I bought the bulb before I built the fixture (a Noma halogen security light DIY). The fixture has a spring loaded side, so the bulb fits perfectly.

Do you mean you liked the color of the Ebay bulb better than the Ushio? Or the Trust Deal Lights bulb better than the Ushio? Either way, it's interesting that you like the non brand name one better, is that because you didn't like the color, or the intensity, or... ?

You may want to give it a couple, just in case... I can't remember if it was the first week or the second that it toned down the blue :redface:

In saying that I liked the Ebay bulb better I meant that I got a 10K Ushio and it was really yellow. I got a 10k, a 14k, a 15k and a 20k ebay bulbs (still paid less for all than the Ushio) and the ebay 10k was whiter (and not just at the beginning). I have tried them all and I like the 15k the best so far.

I only run the e-bay bulbs for 6 months before changing them but for the price I could run them for 4 months and still be ahead.