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RE: Pet Supply Liquidators Light
I setup my tank last night and didn't have time to post
the review to my website, so this will have to do for now!
Scott H wrote:
>That's a shame about the edges of the exdtruded aluminum
>being left sharp when you need to expose to install the
>legs. Hopefully, they will corrrect this in the future
>with a fews seconds of rubbing with emory cloth before
>packaging.
I agree -- but I think the cut was more due to my
impatience -- I wanted to get the light installed so fast
that I wasn't paying attention!
>Enclosing a sheet of instructions ought to be an easy
>fix, too -- they only have to be written once.
Yeah -- I told them I didn't receive instructions, but
they didn't say anything about that...
>The lights prove that you don't need to spend lots of
>money for special "end caps" for any kind of flourescent -
>- heck, you could solder the wires on if you wanted.
Yeah - my 60G hood uses the standard AHS endcaps with no
problems or corrosion visible.
>While not a necessity, sockets are handy, so you might
>check Edwin Gaynor Co. (http://www.egaynor.com/ ) to see
>if you can pick some up sockets -- or see if AH Supply
>will see them ala carte -- They will sell most stuff that
>way although there would be a bit of a sting in the irony
>in this case.
I bought endcaps from AHS ala cart -- no problem. I also
bought reflectors in the same order. Since I doubt I will
need to change the bulbs for 10 months, sockets don't seem
needed at all.
>Are Miro reflectors included, or is the inside surface of
>the hood polished to be the reflector?
It isn't a "Miro reflector" per se -- it is the same
material though. It is included, but doesn't have as many
facets as the Miro's do. When I post the pics (hopefully
tonight!) you'll be able to see the reflector.
>Can you tell us anything about the ballast?
The ballasts (there looks like 1 for each bulb) are inside
the AL shell. When I removed the end-piece, I was able to
see them, and I think they are like regular electronic
ballasts (though I did see a coil) without the covers on.
I tried to take a picture, so we'll see when I post it.
The 1 power cord hooks up to a "switch bank" that allows
it to cut off power to either of the ballasts so that the
bulbs can be controlled independently.
They also have an option for $5 more that would give 2
cords -- thus allowing a sunrise effect. ($40 more will
give you fans too). The whole unit doesn't get that hot --
I think the AL allows enough cooling surface to keep
things cool. I probably would opt for the fans if I were
going to use 55W or higher bulbs, and I would use them if
I wanted to use the acrylic "shield" that comes with the
unit. (I didn't use it cause it looked pretty flimsy, but
I might get a piece of tempered glass cut to fit.)
>So far, on the whole, it sounds like this could develop >into competition for AHS, but it doesn't sound to me like >they have it all together yet -- but they've come a long >way from comic books, eh?
>:-)
I think the lights are certainly good enough for most
folks, especially ones that don't want to build a DIY
hood. The quality doesn't seem as high as the JBJ lights
I saw yesterday, but mine was WAY CHEAPER! When the unit
is on it's legs (like mine) it does send a lot of light
into the room. It probably wouldn't if it were sitting
directly on a cover class.
As far as having it all together -- they're not bad.
Customer service is great, and the prices are good. They
do need better shipping, and it would be nice to not need
PayPal to pay via credit card. I think they cater mainly
to Ebay sales. (The prices one their website are
generally lower than what the auctions go for though).
Now that this tank is mostly planted, I will try to upload
a review with pics to my website tonight, and will post
the URL to the APD once done.
-Tony
PS -- Will SAEs try to jump out of this tank if I leave it open?
--