I can see how that would be a problem... 
I remember the time I was out cycling when the cable for the rear brakes snapped.! 
I was going down a fairly steep hill that had a series of 90^o bends on it, I got round two of them at about 30mph, but came off at the third and went sailing over the handlebars, fortunately landing in a soft newly dug flowerbed.!

Anyone chuckle a bit when you read those strangely worded/AI generated lighting descriptions on sites. Here's a couple I found:

Philips RELB2S40N, Ballast 2 Bulb Electronic T-12
"Genuine OEM replacement part
 Phillips is well known in the food industry for providing quality products
 Use genuine OEM parts for safety reliability and performance"

Slimline T12 60 W Fuorescent Tube - 96" - Cool White
"This 96" 60-watt T12 fluorescent lamp is instantly illuminated thanks to Sylvania's unique "Supersaver" system. The phosphorus tube emits a deluxe cold white brightness for a 4100 K color temperature."

I don't generally associate the brand Philips with the food industry, and I didn't know "Supersaver" was a method of starting fluorescent lamps. 

 The power steering in my old van has been dead for over a year now . As long as you're moving , it's not too bad but if your stopped or moving slowly , i.e. trying to go into or out of a parking space , IT'S AWFUL !! .

 I've driven plenty of vehicles with no power steering and some with no power brakes . After awhile , you do get used to it a bit .  The '66 mustang I used to own had non-power , drum brakes at all 4 corners . Once you got used to it and learned to apply more initial pressure , it stopped similar to a modern car . The issue was when you got back into a "normal" car with 4 wheel power disc brakes you'd just about launch yourself thru the windsheild the 1st time you tried to stop !! 

I think 250w and 400w HX ballasts weren't too uncommon during the heyday of MV as certain types of fixtures had them or was a option for some others. 175w was just more common as about every 175w MV yardlight used a HX ballast.

HX ballasts seemed to be pretty hard to find standalone though. A lot of aftermarket kits were CWA, although the NEMA specific kits were all HX.

 If the pipe was vertical it was probaly to either keep the carts in the store or so employees could see where the carts/customers were . 

 Older Wite-Lite F-series and Westy OV-400's all had H-33 HX ballasts so did a lot of 400w MV NEMAs

Better than getting thrown out I suppose. I think most of the rarer MV types are now sold at collector prices anyway now so someone looking for a new yard light lamp will probably buy the cheaper lamps anyway.

 We lighting collectors are a extremely small minority compared to the rest of the world ! 95% or the world couldn't give a damn how old or rare a particular lamp is . They just want something that'll light up in the fixture they bought it for , no more , no less !

 @ BT25 :  I've gone thru exactly the same thing ! I typically gave away unwanted lamps/fixtures/gear and only asked for the cost of shipping . After PayPal takes their cut , I lose money ! I currently have close to a DOZEN boxes sitting here because someone wanted a quote for shipping and I went thru the effort to box up the item and go in the opposite direction of my house after work to get a quote from the post office only to hear "I can't afford it right now" or "I'll let you know" 

I've noticed that most of my Metal Halide lamps have been flashy today upon start up. Bright pink flashes from my two remaining little 20w CMH's
in my bedroom, and bright orange flashes from most of my six QMH's in my garage. I wonder why that is? It's very noticeable each time it happens.
I know for a fact that it'll be even more noticeable once I finish installing the final two wallpacks in my garage. (Eight total once I'm done.)
So sometimes during start up they'll simply warm up without any flashing, but other times, they'll flash pink, (bedroom CMH's) orange, (garage QMH's)
until they've finally finished warming up.
My Sylvania QMH's flash orange the most violently, at least so far it seems that way... longer orange flashes.a. but they also take the longest to
reach full brightness as well.

It's spelt with an extra 'i' in this one. Also see here.

Admit it, you lot on that side of the pond can't spell