Company Deep Blue Professional
Model Deep Blue Pro T-5 HO Double Bulb Fixture With Moonlights 48"
Link to product description
http://www.kensfish.com/product3981.html
Price range ~$100
Pros Cheap. Maybe the case.
Cons Just about everything else. I'll describe each bad part. When the first bulb burned out, I tried to remove the acrylic protective cover. It was so warped from the heat of the bulbs, it would absolutely not slide out of the fixture. I had to break it out to remove it. Within 6 months, one ballast died, and in about a year+, the second went. Opening it up, I found that the 2 individual ballasts were cheap plastic encased ones, and hot glued to the case. Removing them caused the plastic to break. The reflector is so thin, barely thicker than aluminum foil, that it will bend/wrinkle at the slightest pressure. I wound up retrofitting a Sylvania Advance ballast into it. It required me to cut the reflector to make it work. I was able to cut it with scissors(!), to give you an idea how thin it is. And good luck getting it back into the slots once you take it out. The ends of thie fixture have about 3 spots that need to line up perfectly in order to go back on, maybe requiring the case to be spread just a bit. Do yourself a favor and look elsewhere. It's no wonder it only comes with a 90 day warranty.
Star rating (1-5 with 5 being the best) 1
How long have you used the product? 1 Year+
Build quality and value for your money. 1
Other comments I was lured by the attractive design and the hopes of it being a decent fixture. Don't make the same mistake!
Model Deep Blue Pro T-5 HO Double Bulb Fixture With Moonlights 48"
Link to product description
http://www.kensfish.com/product3981.html
Price range ~$100
Pros Cheap. Maybe the case.
Cons Just about everything else. I'll describe each bad part. When the first bulb burned out, I tried to remove the acrylic protective cover. It was so warped from the heat of the bulbs, it would absolutely not slide out of the fixture. I had to break it out to remove it. Within 6 months, one ballast died, and in about a year+, the second went. Opening it up, I found that the 2 individual ballasts were cheap plastic encased ones, and hot glued to the case. Removing them caused the plastic to break. The reflector is so thin, barely thicker than aluminum foil, that it will bend/wrinkle at the slightest pressure. I wound up retrofitting a Sylvania Advance ballast into it. It required me to cut the reflector to make it work. I was able to cut it with scissors(!), to give you an idea how thin it is. And good luck getting it back into the slots once you take it out. The ends of thie fixture have about 3 spots that need to line up perfectly in order to go back on, maybe requiring the case to be spread just a bit. Do yourself a favor and look elsewhere. It's no wonder it only comes with a 90 day warranty.
Star rating (1-5 with 5 being the best) 1
How long have you used the product? 1 Year+
Build quality and value for your money. 1
Other comments I was lured by the attractive design and the hopes of it being a decent fixture. Don't make the same mistake!
