AH supply bulbs?

[RockabillyChick]

is there anything wrong with AH supply's bulbs? dougall mentioned in chat that they have a reputation for sucking. i was just wondering if anyone else has expirience with them?

[new2tanks]

I have had no problem with my 13W's but then ive had them for like 6 months...

[gagaliya]

their bulbs are not the best, but the bright kits they sell are very awesome! beats almost all the commericial made light strips

[RockabillyChick]

yeah, i am definately going with their 1x96w bright kit. i was just unnaware that their bulbs weren't very good.

what about coralife? their bulbs are almost the same price ($2 more)

[flyfly]

Ive never heard a bad remark about the quality of their bulbs but I have gotten a bulb from them that didnt work. They were quick to replace it.

[dougall]

Just to clarify,

my opinion is anecdotal, but based on posts here at some point, none of which were ever refuted.

I'm sure given a little time, everyone will post what bulbs they prefer... *hint*

[djlen]

IMO and IME, the bulbs that they supply are not the best.
The light kits are the best that I've ever used and so are the reflectors. I've had issues with their tubes burning out on the connection ends prematurely.
I, therefore buy all my tubes from www.hellolights.com and will continue to do so. They have lasted longer and just are better quality tubes, IME.
Yes, they cost a couple of bucks more per tube, but the difference in durability is worth the extra money. Every summer they have a sale on tubes and I pick up a few of them at a really good discount.
Having said that, I still would not buy light kits/reflectors anywhere but AH Supply.

Len

[RockabillyChick]

wow, the bulb i want is actually cheaper from hellolights.com than from coralife or AH

[flyfly]

nice site djlen!

[Bmeasure]

I have bought from AH supply several times and I'm very happy with my purchases. I have bought 4x (separately) 2x55w kits, and 1x (for customer) 4x96w kits. I have had only one set burn out after more than one year. It happened to be a 2x55w kit, and it lasted approximately 18 months which is what I've been told to expect from CF bulbs. The one that failed was a 5300K bulb set (2 5300K CF bulbs), but the 6500K bulbs that were in the same setup are still going for more than 3 years now. They have since then stopped producing the 5300K bulbs and now only produce 5500K bulbs (near that kelvin). I believe their 5300K bulbs (which I never saw being sold anywhere else) may have been slightly more fragile than the 6500K bulbs. I don't know about this or their average bulb life, other than to report my own experience. The customer tank I setup is fairly new (at 4x6500K) and has only been running for 6 weeks.

[st_stephen]

For the AH bulbs, is it the durability that is an issue or the quality of the light?

I just got the light kit and I'm unsure if I should replace the bulbs off the bat, or are they ok to use until they burn out?

Thanks for any clarification!
Stephen

[djlen]

No, their bulbs are fine from a light quality standpoint. My issue with them only deals with the their durability.
I have found that the Hello Lights tube lasts consistently longer than the ones I received form AH. You've got the best reflectors around, IMO. If it was me I would replace the tubes with Hello tubes when they wear out, unless you are happy with the length of service you get out of them. I'm sure different people will get different results depending on certain variables from tank to tank. I use 55/65 watt bulbs in 3 different tanks an have found that the Hello tubes consistently burn longer and brighter for me. Your results may be different.

Len