Awl--
Some time ago on rcm, the subject of fluorescent lighting came up, and I gushy-gushed about the great $7.99 deal for HDs 4-foot *electronic* 2-buhb
*T-8* (thinner style buhb) fixtures--replete w/ cord, chain/hooks, budget reflector, etc.Vs. my local lite guy, who does nuthin but *make* these fixtures, and charges $20+ bucks for a non-electronic older T12 (thicker buhb), w/ no cord, chain, reflector... W/ no *apparent* diff. in quality. Boy, was I pissed, just having bought a load from him!!
OK, so where's the catch?? Ready??
Hint 1: W/ my effing new-found neutral/ground problem, ahm amp-probing everygoddamthing in sight.... Hint 2: a guy on rcm echoed the typical, you get whachoo payfer, HD is shit, etc. etc. Ahm fence-straddlin, bleating, Not necessarily... He wuz right....
OK, here it is:
The current draw of the HD special is *more than DOUBLE* that of my local guy's OLDER T12 fixture!!!! More than double!!! About 1.1 vs. about .5. Goodgawd....
So, fer allayou payin CA electric rates (which proly have just caught up to fukn NYC rates!), a shopful of these goddamm HD lites could show up mightily at the end of the year, electricity-wise. Not to mention the added heat load, and proly accelerated wear of the proly very cheap ballast, ekc.
Now, admittedly, I didn't compare HDs T-8 w/ my local guy's T-8, but part of the *whole point* of electronic T-8s is in fact energy conservation, which should make the difference even more, uh, glaring. I will, when I buy another fixture, spend the bucks on my local guy's version, and report back, but almost guarownteed that the comparison will be even worser.
PV'd again... Ceptin who would know, ceptin a neutral-plagued chronically PV'd asshole runnin around w/ an Amprobe?? In diapers, bunny slippers, w/ a ceegar....
---------------------------- Mr. P.V.'d formerly Droll Troll