Introduction:
As with every hobby, there are the name brand products, and the poorly constructed knock offs. Products that are a fair combination of practicality and cost are few and far between. Yet, the cheaply made products often draw us in with their exorbitantly low prices. Affordableaquatic.com was generous enough to send me a lamp, and let me try it for myself.
First Impression:
They were packaged very professionally, a generous portion of bubble wrap was added, and the bulb was blemish free. When I set it up, and turned my fixture on, the color I saw impressed me. I had asked to receive a 20k bulb and what I got was close. While I expected somewhere between 12-15k for the bulb, it ended up being very close to the "crisp blue" that many hobbyists, such as myself, like.
Left: Metal halide bulb 20k Right: Standard T-5 fixture with 12k bulbs.
The Good:
The price, at $21 plus a little more for shipping, they are one of the cheapest metal halide lamps out there. For the price they perform well. They come in both base types, and two different Kelvin ratings.
The Bad:
After a week of running the lamp, it has lost some of its blue. I would classify this new color as around 14k, as a guess. A couple days after receiving the bulb, I ordered another for my personal tank because I was so impressed. Putting it in next to the old one, I realized how different they really were. The new bulb's color was an impressive blue, while the older one was lacking blue altogether. Although, as of today (3 months later) the colors have equalized and matched each other perfectly.
While not extremely apparent in pictures, to the naked eye the difference in color is noticeable.
Pros:
Cheap Price
Adequate performance
Cons:
Inconsistent bulb color
Does not seem to compare to higher priced bulbs.
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