Rated 5 out of 5 by 1
reviewer.
Rated 5 out of 5 Great inside bulb
Paired one of the with the $72 orido electronic ballast. Nice, clean, white light that isn't that overpoweringly cold "cool white". 90+ CRI is probably accurate as colors look just as good when as when the Sun is in the window. This bulb is running in a table lamp that is the main light in my living room. Simply great to read by, no flicker at all, stable color.
Wasn't sure about going with Metal Halide, but the Big CFL's are just junk. They keep "working", but degrade so fast, and badly, what with phosphor falling off the insides, dimming output, the faint buzzing, and what seems to be an only choice of "warm" (simply yellow to me) or "cool" white, which I find much too white. 4k seems just right.
With a 20K hour life expectancy I expect this bulb to work like new for a good many years. Many more good years than any CFL.
Having used MH for years in my fish tank, these bulbs appear to very well constructed. The arc tube looks perfectly formed, the structure inside the bulb is well aligned, and nothing looks cheesy in there at all. The Name Brand bulbs that I've had to use on the tank over the years have all just seemed less "accurate" in their construction.
November 27, 2011