Need info: I just changed my MH bulbs

[daniella3d]

I have never seen a 10k that was not too yellow for my taste. I don,t think it will get better with time.

I would switch it for a 14K Pheonix.

Originally Posted by globaldesigns

Yeah, but they are really yellow. REALLY UGLY LOOKING RIGHT NOW!!!

You think they will lighten up with 2-3 weeks burn in? Ushio 10K's were really white, basically no yellow... I don't mind a bit, but my pink squareback anthias looks orange!

[Skimmerking]

i remember having a venture 5500K and man that was white

[globaldesigns]

Originally Posted by Skimmer King

i remember having a venture 5500K and man that was white

5500K and it was white? wow, hard to believe at the K level. Would be cool to see, and you must of had tremendous growth!!!

It is drastically different than the Ushio. Just not sure if I want to wait a month and see, or just go out tomorrow and buy new bulbs.

If someone can give me an estimate of how much these Hamiltons may change, then it may be worth keeping and seeing.

[Lance]

Ushio are my favourite 10K bulb. Crisp white without much yellow. Hamiltons, I don't like, too much yellow. I ran Hamiltons once for a month and couldn't stand the colour anymore so i switched back to Ushio. Sorry I couldn't give you better feedback but I don't think you'll ever like them.

[globaldesigns]

Originally Posted by Lance

Ushio are my favourite 10K bulb. Crisp white without much yellow. Hamiltons, I don't like, too much yellow. I ran Hamiltons once for a month and couldn't stand the colour anymore so i switched back to Ushio. Sorry I couldn't give you better feedback but I don't think you'll ever like them.

Ah man, not what I wanted to hear! I will run for a month and see if the burn in changes the color, but as you said, I probably won't like them, after having Ushio's. So do I really then wait a month? Is it worth it?

thanks for your experience.

[kien]

I thought that mostly all bulbs LOSE their blue spectrum and get yellower as they age.

Also, I think people see colour spectrums differently. I used to run ushio 14ks and loved them because I thought they were a very chrisp white.

[Delphinus]

It might take as long as 2 weeks but I think you'll know after 2 or 3 days whether they're going to do it for you or not, ie., no need to suffer through a whole month.

Been a long time since I ran Hamilton's .. like .. I might have been in my 20's still .. wow I don't think I needed to realize that. Anyhow. Ushio's are probably my favourite 10k lamp. Phoenix 14k might be something you want to try out as well but not much is going to touch the Ushio for PAR in the 250w range, they're really one of the better ones.

Do you know what ballasts are in that fixture? Might make a difference for lamp selection.

[Myka]

Originally Posted by kien

I thought that mostly all bulbs LOSE their blue spectrum and get yellower as they age.

Yes. The Hamilton's will only get yellower as time goes on. If you don't like them now, it will only get worse. Most bulbs won't burn true to the Kelvin printed on the box. 10,000K is white, but most 10K bulbs look yellow on most ballasts. Of course every ballast will burn every bulb a little different.

[globaldesigns]

Originally Posted by daniella3d

I have never seen a 10k that was not too yellow for my taste. I don,t think it will get better with time.

I would switch it for a 14K Pheonix.

Hi Daniella3D,

Have you tried Ushio 10K... I can say I love them, virtually true white, no yellow. At least not compared to the Hamiltons.

I just want to know if the Hamiltons will lighten up some... I do know bulbs need a burn in time, and with this time the color value changes. But if they don't improve, then I won't like the color.

I had Pheonix 14K, very nice... But I found the tank too dark overall.