Equipment Review and Discussion :: EXO - TERRA SOLAR GLO MERCURY VAPOUR BULB

[adam85491]

The sun glo is basically just a UVA reptile lamp, but it works great and heats to 90 F perfectly..it is like the zoomed bulb..I don't use those $15 halogen bulbs..I don't understand the point of them...referring to this bulb http://www.petco.com/product/12323/Zoo- ... Bulbs.aspx I haven't tried a Reptisun, they are pricey and the 10.0 caused problems. I'de rather spend $13 on a proven UVB bulb that hasn't had any negative feedback.

[steve]

I use something similar to this: http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7232 (my turtle is a HUGE splasher). I suspect that a few Zoo Med products are just repackaged... (can anyone say Turtle Bone?)

Overall Reptisun has a good reputation, especially the tube varieties - however I'm done with their 10.0 compacts. I also don't rely on compact fluorescents as my main source of UVB. Mine are getting lots of Sun this year and have a MVB in their dry dock area.

I suspect that the pet reptile market must be booming right now.

[adam85491]

There are two zoomed halogens and one regular UVA bulb which is what I use...I don't understand the difference really and yeah I agree-I bought turtle bone and my turtles wouldn't touch it..removed the backing and boom...they love the stuff now. I'de like to take my turtles in the sun but I don't really have any sort of container or anything outside and have a pool and don't want chlorine treated water getting on them since it is above ground and all the water comes through the deck.. and the lawn was treated with grass seed and fertilizer so I'll pass on that for a while..

[exoticpetluvr]

I just ran into this a little while ago, has anyone used it? I have never seen it, or heard of it, the price is nice. I might buy one for one of my turtles, the 125 watt version though, i dont need the 160 watt one, and not from this site since they are out of stock.

Should I try it out?

http://www.exoticpetevolution.com/solar ... 5_watt.php

They are currently on a hold status from the manufacturer, at this point it would be highly unlikely you could find it anywhere right now.

[DavidY]

Any idea on why that is?

[exoticpetluvr]

Any idea on why that is?

The last answer I got from Hagen (the parent company of Exo-Terra) was that it was being held back from retail sale until further quality control testing could be done. They are not currently giving an estimated time of availability right now either.

[Kallistos]

I'm going to interpret that as "something has gone horribly wrong with the mercury vapor bulbs, we're trying to find out how to fix it." In the world of 100+ watt mercury vapor bulbs, defective could mean deadly. Definitely wouldn't recommend using it, just stick with T-rex or if you can't get your hands on that, zoo-med.

[exoticpetluvr]

I'm neither for nor against exo-terra, but I think that is a slightly unfair assumption.

[adam85491]

Me too but regardless-I asked them a question again and expect a response-I got one last time. Let's see what they have to say..

[Kallistos]

Yeah, it might be, but I have a big problem with companies releasing problems that aren't tested. They're saying that they're doing quality testing, which means that the product isn't up to par. When I'm dealing with my LIVE pets I'm not going to take any risks, especially if it just means the difference of $8....

[steve]

The bulb appears to be available in Europe. It's still better to wait for independent test results and a fresh MVB could last you for a year, so those results and experiences should be available when you're looking for a replacement.

If Exo Terra does put out a good bulb that is competitively priced, then everyone benefits.

[exoticpetluvr]

They're saying that they're doing quality testing, which means that the product isn't up to par.

They also are not selling it until it passes their testing. Which to me translates to a company that actually cares about putting out a quality product rather than just manufacturing it, shipping it to customers and and waiting to see if their is a problem. They are actually doing something to prevent problems before they happen if they are testing it.

As was previously mentioned... until their are independent test results done we can assume, interpret and guess all we want to but it all boils down to the same thing, a bunch of guess work with out facts.

[DavidY]

I agree with you there. The very fact that they're witholding release until further testing shows that they are not going to release something with problems. I don't see what the problem with that is. In fact I have more respect for them saying, "Screw the deadline, let's get the product right before we sell it." Wouldn't it be nice if more manufacturers had the guts to do that? (ie: Microsoft, Ford, Dodge, etc)

[adam85491]

I agree with David..see Vista! Anyway, this could just mean they aren't releasing a product until they know if it is safe-it has to be tested first; nothing is saying they are changing the product at all. Anyway, I asked if it had been released and got an answer within three days I believe last time so I'll tell you guys what they said.

[steve]

Well, like I said earlier, it does seem to be available in Europe so it has been released to some extent. FYI, Europe (EU) usually has stricter standards compared to the US, though the US consumers would be their largest buyers. So maybe there is incentive to make sure things work as they are supposed to.

http://www.dszonline.nl/winkel/advanced ... ords=solar
http://www.seapets.co.uk/product-detail ... 69520.html
http://www.terraristikaexpress.com/prod ... r-Glo.html
http://www.the-animal-house.ch/shop/ind ... 9c588f46ce
.......

this topic mentions the product in question:
http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/habitat/ ... a-viv.html