lilacdragon":33f0bm77 said:Akire and Cooperdragon, thank you for your input.
Firstly, please be reassured - none of the ZooMed tubes, from older or newer batches, are "dodgy" as has been implied. They are perfectly good tubes. A few years ago we would all have got very excited over their high output; it's just that now, we expect even higher.
I have just tested a red-capped 5.0 and a silver-capped 5.0 and can confirm that the silver one has about 50% higher UVB than the red one. Both are good tubes but one is higher output than the other. I have no sample of gold-capped 10.0 tubes to compare, but I've seen enough readings from other people to say that I'm pretty sure the same applies, however.
<<< that's not good enough,
either the red cap 5% needs to be relabeled 3%
or the silver capped 5% relabeled 7.5% ,
depending on the microW UVB / sq.cm these tubes are putting out at a standard distance ,
very few keepers own a solarmeter so they are reliant on the output from the tubes they buy being ON SPEC and a 5% tube producing like equivalent 5% tubes from other manufacturers ,
and similarly a 10% tube producing like equivalent 10% tubes from other manufacturers , no iffs no buts .
Users need to be able to use these tubes and be sure the output is as marketed.
The colour of the end caps does seem to reflect different manufacturers, red and gold earlier, all silver now. But there is also a difference in the batch number stamp. The new silver ones have a sequence of numbers in a light yellow-brown ink at the opposite end to the logo. The coloured-capped ones have numbers printed in black.
lilacdragon":1d13jriw said:Kingofnobbys, I appreciate what you are saying.
There is however no point in re-labelling anything - the red and gold-capped tubes are no longer in production.
It is also a sad truth that although many individual companies do keep a tight control (or at least, some control) on their quality - and I always thought that ZooMed was in this category - there are NO international or national regulations, restrictions or even recognised specifications for ANY reptile lighting product. UVB lamps for human tanning are very strictly controlled. But as for our reptiles - zilch, nada.
That is why there are still Chinese companies sending samples of dangerous lamps leaking UVC to unsuspecting small companies wanting to launch an "own brand" reptile lamp. I saw such a spectrum only a week ago.
There is also, with some types of lamp, a serious difficulty manufacturing to spec. For example, even the best mercury vapour lamp manufacturers accept a tolerance of +/- 30%, yes 30% more or less than the spec - so one lamp could in theory be 60% different in output to the next and both would be acceptable. Fluorescent tubes are a lot better but there will still be a fairly wide tolerance. Everyone who's ever tested lamps knows that it's rare to get two identical lamps even from the same shelf. I'm not trying to excuse ZooMed, just pointing out that this UVB lamp manufacturing is not as simple as it seems.
Aziara":3vwiv6vi said:So I just checked my new bulb, that I just got in the mail a few days ago. It's got gold caps and black numbers printed on the bulb...
So what's the procedure? Do I contact the company about getting a new one? Or will this output still fall within acceptable parameters for amount of UVB??
Aziara":1sy6ld03 said:So I just got off the phone with ZooMed....I feel like I just got bullsh*tted...
"There's no 'bad batch', all bulbs are giving adequate UVB. Too much UVB is bad for their eyes, you don't want too much!" She kept trying to convince me that there was no 'bad batch', no problems whatsoever, everything is fine here move along...And that "too much UVB = BAD"....
To which, I keep asking, "I paid good money for a HO, is it still a high output or not??" I couldn't get a straight answer out of her whatsoever.
She kept asking me "where did you hear this???" To which I said "Other reptile keepers with Solarmeters"
The only way to prove, and get a replacement, is to bring it to someone with a Solarmeter. Otherwise, I just have to trust what's written on the package, and they won't send me a replacement. Do any know of somewhere in south Louisiana I can bring it to?
I'm so mad right now...
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