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Pet Supply Liquidator Light -- first impression



(this turned out much longer than I planned)

My light fixture (finally) arrived from Pet Supply 
Liquidator's yesterday.  I took a ton of pictures and 
I will be putting a full review w/ pics on my website 
as soon as I get a chance (possibly tonight).  I did 
want to write my first impression, as I do know 
people like Roxanne are following this story with 
interest.

Okay, so I first want to say it did take a long time 
to receive the light -- they use FedEx ground which 
is SUPERSLOW.  But, on to substance.  The box was in 
very shabby condition, probably due to the FedEX 
Ground more than anything.  I was worried the light 
would be damaged, but when I opened the box, 
everything was in excellent condition.  

My first reaction: "Wow, this light is better than I 
expected!"  The aluminum shell looks good, and the 
unit seemed solid enough.  The little plastic legs 
are pretty cheesey, and should be free instead of 
$10, but do work, albeit with a little elbow grease.  
I was told I might need to cut part of the legs off 
to fit it onto the tank rim, which I did, but this 
wasn't hard.  

The main complaint I had was that the unit didn't 
come with any directions.  I think they usually sell 
them with the bulbs, but I wanted 5K and 6K lights 
from AHS, so I had to install the bulbs myself.  
There aren't bulb sockets -- just 4 wires per bulb 
with insulated clips for the pins.  It took me a 
little trial and error to get the bulbs to fire up.  
Also, I had to take off the side panels to slide the 
legs into position, which was pretty obvious to me 
without directions, but would have been nice 
nonetheless.  I did managed to cut my hand pretty 
good when I removed the side panel though!

Oh, the reflector is also pretty darn good -- same 
material as the AHS MIRO reflector -- but the bulb-
clips seems spaced for 55W instead of the 36W bulbs I 
am using.  Also, the unit doesn't get too hot after a 
few hours of running.

Since I just got the unit yesterday, I haven't had 
time to really put it to work, but my initial feeling 
is good enough to recommend the PSL lights as a 
decent alternative to higher-priced ones on the 
market.  (Insert usual disclaimers here)

Well, that is enough for now.  I will try to write up 
my complete review with pics tonight, and will post 
the URL once I upload it to my site.

-Tony
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