A. grandis
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With some of the best metal halide bulbs, like the Japanese single ended Iwasaki 250W/400W 6500K, the German singe ended Ushio 250W 14K, and the German single ended Radium 250W/400W 20K discontinued, many of us wonder how the metal halide users will "survive" in this hobby in the future!
I was looking for a specific post in on of those long halide threads asking me about the Chinese SPS brand metal halide bulbs. It's important to say that I still didn't have time to actually test this bulb with different ballasts as I usually do, and quite frankly don't feel very motivated, besides not having much time, but this thread will be a great way to allow fellow reefers to share they experiences with this bulb. So this is just to start the thread which I hope many will contribute with their own experiences. This way we have the facts on the table.
We know that any metal halide bulb brand in this world could have faulty samples and nothing is 100% perfect anyway. That said, it's not my intention to pretend that quality bulbs are completely perfect and without blemishes. It is imperative to recognize the quality of the materials in the construction of a product, it's craftsmanship, and it's quality control though. More than that is the results of the product, in this case, the metal halide lamps, in the long run, when used with the recommended ballasts for their specs.
The lamp I have in my hands is a 400W double ended SPS (South Pacific Sunlight), by Blue Life.
bluelifeusa.com
This bulb is on sale on Champion Lighting Supply for only $15.00, and I ordered 2 of them to see how they feel like.
www.championlighting.com
My first experience with this bulb isn't the best at all. The first 2 bulbs came in with the outer jacket broken, all in the very same place (see pic). I've sent some images to them, and Champion Lighting Supply was king enough to promptly send the replacements without any questions. The box came really well packed and in perfect conditions. This time, only one of the bulbs came broken in the same place. At least I have one bulb, if I wish to test. I ordered this bulb because I didn't have any 400W HQI lamps yet and wondered how big they were. I might have a 400W ballast somewhere and maybe one day I will set up a fixture to try, but would have to modify one of the 250W DE sockets for that.. anyways, my intention here now is to show some pictures and my fist impressions, so people can also share what they think of both types of SPS brand bulbs: double and single ended.
This is the SPS DE 400W 10.000K° HQI
Here is a picture showing 4 bulbs received from Champion Lighting Supply (shout to them for always having an excellent customer service!). Bulbs came very well packaged, but the low quality of the lamp just can't hold shipping, I guess. The glass is very fine in comparison to other lamps I've got.
Notice the low quality of the construction of these brand new lamps!!!
I have a friend that used some SPS bulbs and 2 of them exploded in his fixtures!!!!! That is probably due to the thin glass envelop.
This is one example of a bulb that shouldn't be used as a trusted product IMO.
I am very sorry to report all this, but after handling various types of DE halide bulbs, this is one of the least that I would even try to put in any of my fixtures.
To show that I am not against Chinese bulbs per say, I will include pictures of an inexpensive bulb that gives me a good first impression and seems to be of a better quality.
This is the Maine Color DE 150W 14.000°K. Notice that the name of the actual product is "Aqua Light R7S".
I own 2 of these bulbs and both have the same printed name on the bulbs.
"R7S" stands for the type of socket
This bulb actually claims that it has an UV protection on the bulb itself (UV-P, UV-block).
I didn't test this bulb yet, but it has a fair reputation as far as I've heard, and probably relatively safe.
I want to take advantage and post some pictures of some of the bulbs I liked the most:
Ushio DE 150W 14.000K HQI
Notice the excellent curves of this lamp. It has a strong compact format and the quality of it's outer jacket is uniform in comparison to the previous SPS lamp. German quality speaks for itself!
This one is the Giesemann DE 150W 17500°K Mega Chrome Crystal. Another high quality bulb!
I also like the old Phoenix, XM, and Reef Lux bulbs... Very hard to find now!
I will end this post with a bulb that is kinda extremely hard to find and it came with one of the fixtures I've bought, as a bonus...
The Radium DE HRI-TS 150W 20000°K.
Well, I hope some of you would like to share your experiences with some of the bulbs you have tried.
I opened this thread to try to share some of my thoughts and learn from others.
Please fell free to share also experiences with single ended metal halide bulbs here.
I've been very busy lately working long hours, and most likely won't be able to come here very often, but I hope this space will allow halide users to find it as a guide for the future.
I was looking for a specific post in on of those long halide threads asking me about the Chinese SPS brand metal halide bulbs. It's important to say that I still didn't have time to actually test this bulb with different ballasts as I usually do, and quite frankly don't feel very motivated, besides not having much time, but this thread will be a great way to allow fellow reefers to share they experiences with this bulb. So this is just to start the thread which I hope many will contribute with their own experiences. This way we have the facts on the table.
We know that any metal halide bulb brand in this world could have faulty samples and nothing is 100% perfect anyway. That said, it's not my intention to pretend that quality bulbs are completely perfect and without blemishes. It is imperative to recognize the quality of the materials in the construction of a product, it's craftsmanship, and it's quality control though. More than that is the results of the product, in this case, the metal halide lamps, in the long run, when used with the recommended ballasts for their specs.
The lamp I have in my hands is a 400W double ended SPS (South Pacific Sunlight), by Blue Life.
Lighting - Blue Life
South Pacific Sunlight: High quality replacement bulbs. We carry a variety of lighting options including: Metal Halide Mogul Lamps, HQI Lamps, Power Compact Lamps & T5 Lamps. All of our bulbs come in a varriety of colors and wattage options. Metal Halide Mogul Lamps South Pacific Sunlight...
bluelifeusa.com
SPS 400w 10000K Metal Halide Double Ended HQI Lamp ***CLEARANCE***
Crisp Blue - 10,000k representing 10-30 Ocean Depth Feet (ODF)
www.championlighting.com
This is the SPS DE 400W 10.000K° HQI
Here is a picture showing 4 bulbs received from Champion Lighting Supply (shout to them for always having an excellent customer service!). Bulbs came very well packaged, but the low quality of the lamp just can't hold shipping, I guess. The glass is very fine in comparison to other lamps I've got.
Notice the low quality of the construction of these brand new lamps!!!
I have a friend that used some SPS bulbs and 2 of them exploded in his fixtures!!!!! That is probably due to the thin glass envelop.
This is one example of a bulb that shouldn't be used as a trusted product IMO.
I am very sorry to report all this, but after handling various types of DE halide bulbs, this is one of the least that I would even try to put in any of my fixtures.
To show that I am not against Chinese bulbs per say, I will include pictures of an inexpensive bulb that gives me a good first impression and seems to be of a better quality.
This is the Maine Color DE 150W 14.000°K. Notice that the name of the actual product is "Aqua Light R7S".
I own 2 of these bulbs and both have the same printed name on the bulbs.
"R7S" stands for the type of socket
This bulb actually claims that it has an UV protection on the bulb itself (UV-P, UV-block).
I didn't test this bulb yet, but it has a fair reputation as far as I've heard, and probably relatively safe.
I want to take advantage and post some pictures of some of the bulbs I liked the most:
Ushio DE 150W 14.000K HQI
Notice the excellent curves of this lamp. It has a strong compact format and the quality of it's outer jacket is uniform in comparison to the previous SPS lamp. German quality speaks for itself!
This one is the Giesemann DE 150W 17500°K Mega Chrome Crystal. Another high quality bulb!
I also like the old Phoenix, XM, and Reef Lux bulbs... Very hard to find now!
I will end this post with a bulb that is kinda extremely hard to find and it came with one of the fixtures I've bought, as a bonus...
The Radium DE HRI-TS 150W 20000°K.
Well, I hope some of you would like to share your experiences with some of the bulbs you have tried.
I opened this thread to try to share some of my thoughts and learn from others.
Please fell free to share also experiences with single ended metal halide bulbs here.
I've been very busy lately working long hours, and most likely won't be able to come here very often, but I hope this space will allow halide users to find it as a guide for the future.
