Sctn4Elk Posted July 20, 2008 Share Posted July 20, 2008 IMO astralux 14k is the best 70w bulb on the market in terms of color. i frequently miss it over my t5s Great, some positive information... cparka...when you get yours and get it hooked up let me know I am very interested... Link to comment
nanoty Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 Got mine from epicfish, great bulb, great color. Link to comment
AquaticEngineer Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 Is there another group buy going to happen? If not, whats the best place to get a 14k 70w HQI bulb? Link to comment
nietzsche Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 there was a link in the previous page of a website that sells the bulb. only thing is they dont have any contact info, but from what i hear, theyll send you a tracking number once they ship and you usually get it within 5-6 days www.myreefshop.com id like to hear more about this website though before i purcahse Link to comment
cparka23 Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 I got my bulb from myreefshop.com today. Not sure if this appears to be new. Are the spots on the inner glass typical for something brand new? This is only the third bulb I've purchased, so I'm not 100% sure about feeling duped. For sure, my last bulbs didn't have this stuff... until I burned them in a little bit. Some craptacular packaging Spots on the bulb? Link to comment
nyguardian21 Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 looks like you got duped. I dont trust a store that sells one product!!!! Link to comment
plainrt Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 that thing has been fired..........now i can cross off ordering from them Link to comment
nyguardian21 Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 better place a complaint with paypal ASAP anyone know where I can get this bulb with confidence??? Link to comment
cparka23 Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 yeah, sure feels like it. I'm emailing them and asking for an explanation right now. I'll let everyone know what comes of it. Link to comment
kidninja Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 file the claim!! dam that sucks but we all new it was kinda sketchy since they only have 1 product for sale Link to comment
nyguardian21 Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 So much for their claim of "We've sold cases of these in the past and we have plenty on the shelf, so get yours now! " Dam might not even be a real astralux bulb. Link to comment
Schwanson Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 My bulb from this group buy looked the exact same way. I am very happy with the bulb so far. Link to comment
cparka23 Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 Some folks in the vendor feedback area have replied to me that the discoloration of the inner glass is nothing to raise an alarm. They've chalked it up to product testing before shipping it. Sounds like it happens a lot (not just with this seller/brand). So I'm somewhat relieved. I'll still update when I get a response, FWIW. Link to comment
nietzsche Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 Some folks in the vendor feedback area have replied to me that the discoloration of the inner glass is nothing to raise an alarm. They've chalked it up to product testing before shipping it. Sounds like it happens a lot (not just with this seller/brand). So I'm somewhat relieved. I'll still update when I get a response, FWIW. let us know wht happens. at least you got the bulb, so thats good. just wondering whats up with it being fired. i dont understand why it has to be fired before sending it?? Link to comment
gulfsurfer101 Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 A lot of manufactures will put it throgh a burn in process to test the par rating and quality of the bulb. I know your supposed to let it burn for about 10-12 hours the first time you fire up a new MH bulb. I do at least casue that's what I was told to do when I first got a MH retro at my LFS. Link to comment
cparka23 Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 Nietzsche, I felt the same way. I know it discolors like this after some initial burn time, but none of the bulbs I've handled (including stuff not reef-related) have ever been burned in like this before delivery. Kinda odd to me, still. My guess is that people don't like to reship items to keep costs down as much as possible. Maybe every now and then they get some duds that burn out quickly. Link to comment
KWoo008 Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 I bought a used Astralux bulb from someone on this board that supposedly had only 40 hours of use and that thing is damn near all gray. Now I feel even worse... Link to comment
Phixion Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 I bought an Astralux from Epicfish (as well as a 70w ballast), but in person. He's a good guy! Anyways my bulb (which I haven't used yet) has 2 spots on the inside but doesn't look like it's actually been fired... My guess is that many of the bulbs DO get tested prior to shipping maybe to better assure that the bulb won't be DOA? Also if the manufacture does in fact test them, can you imagine a room full of bulbs that are being tested and burnt-in? Link to comment
reefone Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 Nietzsche, I felt the same way. I know it discolors like this after some initial burn time, but none of the bulbs I've handled (including stuff not reef-related) have ever been burned in like this before delivery. Kinda odd to me, still. My guess is that people don't like to reship items to keep costs down as much as possible. Maybe every now and then they get some duds that burn out quickly. my bulb had the same thing inside and its been running fine for 6-7 month. also got it from the last group buy. Link to comment
cparka23 Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 ...can you imagine a room full of bulbs that are being tested and burnt-in? actually, I've learned that incandescent bulbs are each tested by machine at the end of the assembly line. Can't speak for every brand/type of bulb, but I know at least one major manufacturer does it. Their test is just for a few seconds though. Anyway, I got a reply from MyReefShop.com. Said it's normal, and all his bulbs are like that. And with the experiences that others have with this product (thanks to everyone who chimed in), I would guess that this is the normal condition for these bulbs as they leave the factory. *shrugs* Oh well, it is a nice bulb. My AB 20000K was a bit too blue after a couple weeks, but this looks better and brighter. We'll see how it burns in over time, but I'm content with the purchase so far. I got my tracking number, and the package arrived in a week. Overall, decent sale. Sorry if the pictures raised suspicion in some of you. If you buy this bulb, you should take into account that it comes like that. If that's a turn-off, at least now you know it beforehand. It doesn't bother me so much since several people have responded with a similar experience w/ this product. Link to comment
Sctn4Elk Posted July 24, 2008 Share Posted July 24, 2008 Thanks cparka...FWIW, I have had 3 bulbs from JBJ and all of them had spots like that....seems like this is a pretty good deal then..I guess I am ordering two in the next day or so for my vipers. From what I have heard in the past week, this bulb has the best rating over JBJ and Ushio... Link to comment
nyguardian21 Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 That's great the only online store that sells one product shuts down for business. And I was about to ake the plunge and get one these bulbs. anyone know where to get this bulb elsewhere? Link to comment
cparka23 Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 wow. did you email them just to see if they could sell you one? If they're shutting down, it makes sense for them to clear some inventory, and their page says you can email them for stuff. But then, who knows? Maybe I got their last one. Link to comment
nietzsche Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 i emailed them but there's no response from them. now im going to have to look into the Ushio or Current USA 14k bulbs :[ Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.