Anyone interested in helping to create/manage a bulb library?

[DaveS]

So we all know that bulbs are probably one of the largest operational expenses in the hobby. For those using MH lighting, the variability in what you get is an even greater issue than cost. There are a multitude of combinations for brand, wattage, temperature and each one will look different based on your ballast. It makes deciding among $80 bulbs pretty difficult!

 

Last time I was shopping for bulbs, I was able to find a few members who had old bulbs of what I was considering. I was able to borrow some to test and that helped greatly. But unfortunately there isn't a reliable resource for this. Is anyone interested in helping to formalize this process a little more- kind of like the PAR meter loaner concept we already have?

 

What I'm thinking is:

 

1) Older bulbs have reduced PAR but still give a reasonable semblance of their color.

2) If club members are willing to donate their older bulbs after they rotate them out, these could be used as the samples in the library.

3) Someone, or some place (maybe one of our LFS sponsors would be willing to facilitate?) could be the repository of this library and members could come check them them for testing.

4) People return the bulbs when they are done.

 

Ok there are some of the obvious problems to address here such as:

 

1) people don't donate bulbs

2) people don't return the bulbs

3) people break the bulbs

 

I don't think #1 is too much of a problem. I suspect people in this club would be willing to donate an old bulb occasionally, instead of putting it in the trash. #2-3 is a bit harder to solve. It would depend on who/where the repository is. IF (big if) a LFS or single entity was willing to manage this, they could probably ask for a small deposit like $5/bulb. Upon timely return of the bulb in working condition, they get their money back. If they wait too long, they lose some of their money. At some point if they don't return it, the bulb is considered lost and they forfeit their deposit. If this system works well, it's possible that the deposit idea will generate a surplus and people could even get a few bucks for donating their old bulbs, solving problem #1.

 

This is just an idea but I figured I would circulate it around to see what the interest level is. What do you all think?

 

If this is too complicated, an alternative that I just came up with as I typed could be a bulb forum where everyone just puts up a thread describing which bulbs they have available. People can then just search there and PM those members with the appropriate bulb. Kinda like the SWAP form. I guess there is a little bit of moderator overhead in that threads should probably be deleted as bulbs get broken (assuming there isn't a replacement available).

 

Thoughts?

[WaterDog]

The idea sounds good, but I wouldn't have any bulbs to donate at the moment as I just started the hobby a few months ago.

Also, would the deposit (if not reimbursed) go to the donater or the store?

 

So we all know that bulbs are probably one of the largest operational expenses in the hobby. For those using MH lighting, the variability in what you get is an even greater issue than cost. There are a multitude of combinations for brand, wattage, temperature and each one will look different based on your ballast. It makes deciding among $80 bulbs pretty difficult!

 

Last time I was shopping for bulbs, I was able to find a few members who had old bulbs of what I was considering. I was able to borrow some to test and that helped greatly. But unfortunately there isn't a reliable resource for this. Is anyone interested in helping to formalize this process a little more- kind of like the PAR meter loaner concept we already have?

 

What I'm thinking is:

 

1) Older bulbs have reduced PAR but still give a reasonable semblance of their color.

2) If club members are willing to donate their older bulbs after they rotate them out, these could be used as the samples in the library.

3) Someone, or some place (maybe one of our LFS sponsors would be willing to facilitate?) could be the repository of this library and members could come check them them for testing.

4) People return the bulbs when they are done.

 

Ok there are some of the obvious problems to address here such as:

 

1) people don't donate bulbs

2) people don't return the bulbs

3) people break the bulbs

 

I don't think #1 is too much of a problem. I suspect people in this club would be willing to donate an old bulb occasionally, instead of putting it in the trash. #2-3 is a bit harder to solve. It would depend on who/where the repository is. IF (big if) a LFS or single entity was willing to manage this, they could probably ask for a small deposit like $5/bulb. Upon timely return of the bulb in working condition, they get their money back. If they wait too long, they lose some of their money. At some point if they don't return it, the bulb is considered lost and they forfeit their deposit. If this system works well, it's possible that the deposit idea will generate a surplus and people could even get a few bucks for donating their old bulbs, solving problem #1.

 

This is just an idea but I figured I would circulate it around to see what the interest level is. What do you all think?

 

If this is too complicated, an alternative that I just came up with as I typed could be a bulb forum where everyone just puts up a thread describing which bulbs they have available. People can then just search there and PM those members with the appropriate bulb. Kinda like the SWAP form. I guess there is a little bit of moderator overhead in that threads should probably be deleted as bulbs get broken (assuming there isn't a replacement available).

 

Thoughts?

[Brian Ward]

Dave,

 

I like the idea - I went through this the last time I was buying bulbs. I'm willing to get started with a catalog. I have 2 400W Ushio 14k bulbs, and in about a month I will have 2 400W XM 20k bulbs. I also have 2 10k IceCap bulbs (I believe). I'm not sure I have the space to store all the donations, but I could keep the list of who has what.

[zygote2k]

I have a variety of bulbs- DE and SE, 150, 250, 400.

sounds like Dave S is the bulb magnet. or is that magnate?

[DaveS]

Glad there is some interest in this idea. I cringe every time I see a post about bulbs and whether something is "too blue for me". After thinking about it more I think a sticky thread or forum may be the way to go. If Brian is willing to maintain a spreadsheet that could help too. Unless a store wants to step up, I'd say it would be tough for an individual to deal with the foot traffic of a centralized repository.

 

Rob, post up the specifics of what you have available!

 

Here's what I've got for loan:

 

400W 20k Radium

400W 20k Chinese bulb from greatdel on eBay ($10!)

[ctenophore]

I have a milk crate full of old bulbs that need to be recycled. Most of them still work and are labeled with type, wattage, and burn time.

[davelin315]

I've got some old Helios 20,000K 400W bulbs, not sure that that will help since I don't believe they make these any longer, at least not under this name...

 

One issue I see with this is that you may get a false sense of what a bulb will look like. I believe that over time bulbs will change their color and this is exacerbated by using different types of ballasts. For example, my understanding was that an electronic ballast was easier on the bulb than a magnetic, and both are easier than an HQI which overdrives a bulb. I would assume that this would change the color of the bulbs... may be a bit misleading if you're looking at a bulb. Far less misleading than looking at a picture of a tank, but still somewhat misleading.

 

One other concern is proper handling of the bulbs. Not that they're worth anything except on ebay, but if someone puts their fingers on the glass then it could cause problems down the line.

 

Great idea, though! The alternative is to set them up at your house with rotating sockets and ballasts!

[Sikryd]

Great idea Dave - we do this pretty much in CMAS. Except we know each other and live closer so we just loan each other bulbs to check out what they look like on our current ballasts.

All bulbs look different on different ballasts. So its nice to be able to try them out on the ballasts that you have to see what color temp and par they are making (even if it isn't 100%, it gives your a ballpark to go with)

 

Although I suspect with as far out as everyone is spread, it might be a little easier just to post up if someone is looking to try a certain bulb combination out.

That and it would be a hard sell to get a LFS to want to setup a bulb exchange.

 

It will be nice though if something works out with this.

[magnetic1]

I have some XM 15k, Ushio 14K DE 250W I could donate to this cause.