It's in the title, so far these bulbs aren't lasting for me. I originally tried using the reptisun basking bulbs but they did not get anywhere near warm enough. I tried using halogen bulbs but their life time vs how long they're used daily only gives 2-3 months per bulb, meaning Im spending $20 on bulbs every 4-5 months.
2-3 months for the halogens is about what I get. I found that the ZooMed bulbs had quite a bit smaller lifespan as you've seen too. LED bulbs would have a longer lifespan but don't produce nearly enough heat. I'm in the same boat you are in terms of cost and longevity of the bulbs. Perhaps a combination of LED and heat projector would work but I haven't messed with that yet (and it would take up more space).
I stand corrected, this one lasted 34 days or approx. 430 hours on time vs its reported 1100 hour life span. Just returned 4 bulbs that each burnt out within a month for $30 that'll go towards getting more. If they actually lasted their reported life time of 1100 hours it would be closer to that 3 month target.
Which brand have you been using? I've had pretty good luck using the GE PAR38s. The 90w is nearly impossible to find now but the 80w version does the job too.
OK that's the same one then. What kind of fixture are you using? Are you dimming the bulb? I have mine in a 250w max bayco dome fixture (designed for chicken brooder lamps) and it's connected to a herpstat which dims according to the temp probe on the basking surface. Latest one went in on Nov 19 so it's fairly new. I'll pay closer attention and note when it burns out to get a better idea of longevity (2-3 mo is a rough guess based on memory).
Its a 150w max socket/dome from I forget what/where. I cant dim it because its barely hitting proper temps as is.
I got this bulb on October 30th at 8:46pm so the bulb wasnt used that day, and its not been on today. That leaves 33 days of 13hrs/ea before burning out.