Equipment Review and Discussion :: Which UV bulb should I buy?

[kachua-love]

I don't have access to UV bulbs in India so I order them online. The one I bought last year was from a website called Animal Attraction in Australia. It was an Exo Terra Repti Glo 5.0.. It's the time I bought a new one, I was doing some research and I found that eBay.in now has a link up with eBay in the USA and I can order a bulb from there as well with free shipping. Only problem is I would need a step down converter for a bulb from the US which I wont need for an Aussie bulb.
I have a choice between Reptisun by Zoomed or Repti Glo by Exo Terra (which I can also buy from the Aus site)..
The cost for me is almost the same for both brands and from both sites but if one is better than the other I may consider going for it. Does anyone have any good or bad experiences with any of these brands?

[VeipaCray]

I can't speak for the quality of the UVB because I don't have a meter yet, but when I used to use the Exo Terra Repti Glo I had problems with the bulbs not lasting. The zoomed lasted for me.

[steve]

Are these tubes or compact fluorescent? Any chance your turtle can get some Indian sun? An hour or 2 a week will be more than what a compact fluorescent will offer.

[kachua-love]

I do let her out for some sun sometimes but I live in an apartment so the terrace is the only place I can take her and there is a crazy amount of crows up there who are just waiting to make her their maincourse.. I don't think I can risk it all the time, they make me nervous! I've seen them take down cats lol! Monsoon is on for the next 4 months in any case, so there's barely any sun...
I'm looking into buying a compact flourescent bulb, the one I have right now is a reptiglo.

[Love of Animals]

Wow they take down cats. i wouldn't risk it either. I've used Reptiglo compact and I haven't had a problem. Just make sure if there is no screen between the light and the basking you get a 5.0. If you have a screen between them use a 10. Also make sure you follow the manufacturers directions about distance to basking area and burn in periods. I don't have a UV meter either, but it seems to be working.

[kachua-love]

Yup, cats! They once attacked me and stole my chicken roll, so I'm kinda scared of them anyway
I think I'll go for the Repti Glo again, it seems to be the easier choice since I wont have to buy the voltage converter and things.. I have a screen but it isn't mesh, the spaces are around 1/2 inch wide so I think the 5 would be appropriate right?
Thanks guys!

[Love of Animals]

Yes if your screen is not mesh and you have about 1/2 inch the the 5.0 is right. They stole your chicken roll! Jeez! I have feral cats where I live but they don't mug people. Maybe you need more crows.

[kachua-love]

Believe me you never want these crows, they're homicidal! Once while playing cricket, my friend hit a baby crow and it died... In about 5 minutes there was a murder (I believe that's what its called) a thousand crows gathered there cawing and swooping at us! So scary... We had to abandon the game of course

[prodigy.dv]

Hey I need that lamp ( RS 10.0) too! Well I gotta get a bigger tank first. But my first point of inquiry is where in Mumbai can I purchase this lamp?

[steve]

Most 5.0 bulbs should be fine. I would recommend that the pellets you use have Vitamin D3 and some unfiltered sun light if you have the time/space.