- When you have a 1000w Powerflood on standby on the dresser for extra light on steroids! Just plug it in and flip the switch and got got a 1Kw MV warming up.

- Applauds when the utility company removes HPS and install white LEDs in place. Bonus cheers if they're the good brand and not from Alibaba. Get royally pissed off when places went cheap and used generic garbage bulbs from eBay or Alibaba in HID fixtures.

- Look at the store's lights and see if it's still T8s or they upgraded to LED tubes. If LEDs then count how many are there and how many dead tubes IF any found for failure rate. And check them regularly to see IF any new failureS have happened.

- Bulbs and ballasts all over the bedroom. Plus fixtures under the bed. Somewhat "organized."

- Tries new LEDs when they're cheap or on clearance. Then put extra copies of LEDs in use around the house as CFLs dies for more light and to lifespan test the LEDs.

- Get pissed off when you sees something you want but it's overpriced in used stuff stores.

- Look for bulb aisles if any in new unknown stores.

- Have a website for your own lamps and fixtures.

Its funny that we can be into lighting yet completely opposites. I despise all sorts of LED, and cheer HPS !

- When you have a 1000w Powerflood on standby on the dresser for extra light on steroids! Just plug it in and flip the switch and got got a 1Kw MV warming up.

- Applauds when the utility company removes HPS and install white LEDs in place. Bonus cheers if they're the good brand and not from Alibaba. Get royally pissed off when places went cheap and used generic garbage bulbs from eBay or Alibaba in HID fixtures.

- Look at the store's lights and see if it's still T8s or they upgraded to LED tubes. If LEDs then count how many are there and how many dead tubes IF any found for failure rate. And check them regularly to see IF any new failureS have happened.

- Bulbs and ballasts all over the bedroom. Plus fixtures under the bed. Somewhat "organized."

- Tries new LEDs when they're cheap or on clearance. Then put extra copies of LEDs in use around the house as CFLs dies for more light and to lifespan test the LEDs.

- Get pissed off when you sees something you want but it's overpriced in used stuff stores.

- Look for bulb aisles if any in new unknown stores.

- Have a website for your own lamps and fixtures.

The cree LED way series is decent, and lasts fairly long.
I absolutely effing hate when habitat tries to pull a fast one and put $10 on a near ded lamp or something else in bad shape. I understand that it's a charity, but it gets annoying. 

I know what you mean. My ReStore has used spiral CFLs and incandescents for a dollar each.

My hab isnt as bad as yours, Nick. I have seen 4 packs of at my hab for $.25. Zarlog's hab had a 250w cleartop for $20 though. Isn't as bad as eBay I'll say that.

The shop have to make a certain income to stay up (otherwise it won't make sense for them to keep operating it and theyll start looking into other ways to make $ for the charity). And they may not allways have the brightest ideas of how to break down the total cost to the individual products....

So just tell them that the price they want for X makes no sense when next door you can buy a new one for the same $....



But really, i see the prices you mention and i can only say that for some things - esp fluorescent lanterns, in dreams i dont get prices that low over here (though i am comparing with new, NOS, damaged-returned etc in normal shops and not second hand)

I actually prefer LED over HPS, especially good quality flyswatters. The light is distributed more, and the led fixtures around here are a few years old, yet still light the road much better than the hps.

My ReStore is still good enough with prices that I'll keep going back. I typically get great deals on the things I buy there. I'm also sometimes willing to pay them more for an item than it's really worth, just because it goes to a good cause.

Excellent point, Nick. My hab is probably expensive because it moved to a new building in March, a larger building which was a former arcade. The parking lot is lit by 400w ITT model 400 and ael 125s.

-you vigorously scrub the dirty brass base of an old lamp you received to get to look fresh off the line.
-you shake a package and hear frames rattling, indicating a merc.

Could as well be any type of HID..... Actually over here the rattling frame will only be in tubular lamps but NOT in MBF or SON-E

@Ash: I knew a few mercs were set to deliver to my house, you get the idea...

You have a box containing mostly the female end of grounded extension cords, the male ends being used to make plug in light fixtures.

You always cut the cords off of dead appliances, to use for wiring up fixtures for testing!

You always cut the cords off of dead appliances, to use for wiring up fixtures for testing!

yup! I have a box of cords waiting to be used.