Question about online orders and duty

[FlameAngel]

with endcaps I meant.. If it does that is a good price.. Ice caps in general are competative anywhere

[reefburnaby]

Hi cvrle1,

VHO ballasts...they are all doing the same thing. They all deliver approximately 1500mA @ 73V to a glass tube. Be it cap+coil or high tech electronic ballast with dimming and soft start, they are doing the same thing. The question is the quality of the ballast. Lights of america tend to have poorer quality...so keep a spare just in case they burn out. All in all, they are all the same.

The Icecap is a little bit different. I think the Icecap is a auto-sensing ballast that can differential between VHO, HO and NO.

As for the doubling the output of the NO, I think it is an Icecap thing. I suspect they are overdriving the NO tubes by 60% to get the extra light. NO tubes are commonly driven at 80% of the rated wattage or 32W. This is a US regulation thing -- which started in early 1990s. Doubling the power applied to the tubes makes the tubes glow almost twice as bright as normal or 64W or 60% above the rated wattage. Soo....I think that is what it is doing and it is also why not everybody is doing it (people like Advance and Magnetek/GE). Driving lamps at 60% above rated wattage significantly reduces the life span of the tube. For aquarium use, a 2 year life span is pretty good....so that's why Icecap is so special. That's my theory.

- Victor.

[ 23 October 2001: Message edited by: reefburnaby ]

[FlameAngel]

Good research on the topic.. I know Advance makes some good ballast, esp. for halides
westcoast lighting has a lot of their stuff.

[titus]

Hello Bryan,

Yes it still can be done because of the fact that businesses need to clear their own shipments. But you must make sure you keep tracking the parcel and make sure that UPS knows that you'll be picking it up.

Titus

[Doug]

All I do is double the catalogue price of the American item. Thats close to what it costs when it arrives at your place.

I with the others though. We use to buy lots in the US. Most from That Fish Place, years ago.

Of course with places like JL or MOPS, I buy new in Canada. I still purchase items from the for sale posts on the various boards. Some of you have most likely seen my pics of how some of that arrives. [img]images/smiles/icon_mad.gif[/img] [img]images/smiles/icon_mad.gif[/img] [img]images/smiles/icon_mad.gif[/img] [img]images/smiles/icon_mad.gif[/img] [img]images/smiles/icon_mad.gif[/img]