Metal Halide eBay bulbs?

[The0wn4g3]

I've been browsing eBay for 175W metal halide bulbs lately.
Does anyone have experiences with eBay bulbs? Good or bad?
Does the price usually reflect the light output? (I think that's called PAR, right?)
Are there some sellers that are more reliable than others?

I really like the idea of a bulb for $9.99, but that sounds TOO good to be true.

Thanks for any advice or input !

[t5Nitro]

Not sure but I would think if its on ebay, why would it be on there unless they sold their tank, and then its still a used bulb and how long? Is it already shot?

[sir_dudeguy]

t5nitro...there are surprisingly a lot of actual light companies on ebay selling their aquarium stuff. However my experience with just pc bulbs was terrible. I got 4 96w pc bulbs (square pin if you wanna get technical). Anyways...it was from the seller...aquatechnick or something like that...i could check for you if you want to know for sure. The company was something like "aquatic factory" i think....they had the thing on every single item that said "we will not be undersold" in big bold letters....it was only 15 bucks a bulb so i got it cuz i was stripped for cash.

Well when i was going to purchase them i asked if i'd be able to return them if they didnt work and get them replaced, and he said "yes, as long as you pay shipping." So i thought all was good. I got the bulbs. 2 of them didnt even fire up upon arrival tho they looked to be completely new and intact. (and i was told they were brand new also)

The other 2 bulbs worked when i got them, but only lasted about a month before going out. I know it is NOT the balast or wiring, as i'm now using different bulbs on the exact same 2 balasts and all is working fine.

The bulb brand was "IRIDIUS"....never heard of it before and will never buy their stuff again

cherio :)

[Poorcollegereef]

well 9.99 does sound too good to be true... best case: the are burnt out, worst case: they burn your house down.

well there are alot of good sellers on ebay, there are alot of nasty ones too... just like in real life retail

I always say to find a merchant that you trust and has alot good people who trust them as well. I will be buying my next MH bulb soon and I will get it from my lfs. my lfs is great and I want to give them as much business as possible, sure I might pay an extra $10 bucks but I know all I have to say is "hey chuck" and the problem is fixed.

plus since I am also big into building cities, when you buy locally there is enonomy multiplier. Ever buck you spend locally has alot of that buck re-invested locally so its like spending that buck twice in your home town. Finally, if you give money away I rather give it to a neighbor than someone half a world away.

[clownsntriggers]

I got those bulbs from A and T on ebay. So far so good. And I paid $38.00 with shipping for 2x 96 watts.

[The0wn4g3]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8448532#post8448532 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Poorcollegereef
well 9.99 does sound too good to be true... best case: the are burnt out, worst case: they burn your house down.

well there are alot of good sellers on ebay, there are alot of nasty ones too... just like in real life retail

I always say to find a merchant that you trust and has alot good people who trust them as well. I will be buying my next MH bulb soon and I will get it from my lfs. my lfs is great and I want to give them as much business as possible, sure I might pay an extra $10 bucks but I know all I have to say is "hey chuck" and the problem is fixed.

plus since I am also big into building cities, when you buy locally there is enonomy multiplier. Ever buck you spend locally has alot of that buck re-invested locally so its like spending that buck twice in your home town. Finally, if you give money away I rather give it to a neighbor than someone half a world away.

I wish I could buy them locally, but it's $115 PER 175W MH bulb here... I would end up paying more for a set of bulbs than I did on my whole fixture.

[splateee]

A to T lamps is good. There store is just a few minutes from my house. I am using a 250watt 14k metal halide bulb and have no problems. I am going to get a few power compacts when it comes time to change them out.

[reefredy75]

I bought 2 175w 14k bulbs on ebay about a month ago for about 30 bucks each and so far so good!

[smcdonn]

the seller greatdel is a pretty good guy but his bulbs are hit and miss. I got a 10K from him that looked good then another 10K that was way yellow. Then I bought some 14K's from him and they kept burning out. Overall you would be better off getting some nice bulbs once but $10 is awfully tempting.

[Poorcollegereef]

why dont you ask your local fish store to order you specific bulbs? Im sure they can find something that has a decent rep for atleast $50 if not go to another store...
Many lfs only carry upper end items rather than the cheap second rate stuff so talking to them about might result in some better prices.
If it is a decent store they will help you out.