Re: Fluorex Lights

["Wayne J" <w.jones at sympatico_ca>]

Giancarlo wrote:

The product is cheap even compared to normal flood light so no argument
here, but we have to take into
consideration that for what the light is made and marketed for we can't
expect LOA to have to provide detailed accurate specs, after all it's just a
cheap outdoor flood light. We would like to have these figures to evaluate
their validity for aquarium use but then again how many outdoor flood lights
carry such detailed info?

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While it is true that specs. of any sort are few and far between in products
marketed for use over aquariums, that is not the norm. in other markets.
Major manufacturers such as Lithonia publish photmetric data for every
fixture they make cheap or otherwise. That is how their customers can make
informed choices.

Giancarlo wrote:

Anyway, the comparison between the Fluorex 65W and
55W CF to my unaided eyes looks pretty good as far as intensity goes, color
temp could be a little redder. The bulb is being tested by someone in the
industry with the proper testing equipment so we'll soon have more accurate
specs. I would never suggest these over something like a AHSupply CF kit but
you hear a lot of different economic lights being used on the lower end of
the budget and I think the Fluorex bulbs can hold their own in that
category.

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Maybe you are right but it is likely that if that fixture uses 65 watts it
produces much less light than a 55 watt kit. It is just not a good design. I
would like to see someone test this too just to see if I am right. One
really good way to test fixtures is to just put them over an aquarium an
measure how much the fixture draws and how much light per watt makes it
through the water surface compared to other fixtures. Then you would have
something like "aquarium fixture efficiency factor" or AFEF. I bet AH
Supplies fixture would have a very high AFEF. I wouldn't be suprised if the
AFEF of  that Fluorex fixture was only 1/2 of the AH Supply fixture.

Wayne