Quote:
Originally Posted by AdamsB
eBay is swamped with those. Is there a huge difference between a Phoenix or Radium compared to a $12 dollar Chinese bulb? Same for the t5, how different can a cheap model be?
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There is quite a difference, but sometimes there isn't a difference, and here's why..
I tried out cheap eBay halides (14K) for a year back in 2011/2012. The bulbs were so cheap that I bought like 6 of them at once. I even went for the more expensive $30 eBays. For me that would have been two years worth of halides as I run 3x250 watts and change them yearly (typically). I discovered a few interesting things along the way. First off, when I got a good batch of bulbs, they were virtually indistinguishable from the more expensive bulbs. However, getting a good bulb proved to be the challenge. Out of 6 bulbs that I purchased from two different vendors on eBay, 1 of the bulbs only lasted a few months (like 3), before it crapped out. Another bulb appeared to be dirty (black coating on the bulb) that appeared as if it had been used previously. It had a 10K colour cast on it right out of the box even though I bought a 14K. With the 4 remaining (somewhat decent) bulbs, I discovered that they got exhausted much sooner than the typical 1 year that I got out of the more expensive bulbs. At around the 7 or 9 month mark I could tell that they had colour shifted dramatically towards the 10K. As a result, I ended up tossing the lot and going back to Phoenix bulbs. I have never had a problem with the more expensive brand name bulbs. Yes, I know, you get what you pay for. If you don't mind having to swap out the cheap eBay bulbs more often, or frequently getting a dud, then eBays are fine :-)
I think it comes down to quality control, as with anything that comes off of eBay from China. The more expensive brands tend to put more money and effort into quality control and will toss out batches that don't make the cut. The eBayers will snatch those garbaged bulbs up and sell them to you.