Reptile Systems Eco Halogen

[NickAVD]

At a glance it looks like a variety of automotive or appliance bulbs. It will be interesting to see what all with fit in it.

G9 is the standard for halogen capsules.
this is the first one I found for 3 dollars.

 

[NickAVD]

Interesting. Here the E27 ones were reflectors, and they are the second basking bulb in Taco's tank. They look(ed) exactly like what you show here (reflector, and the small part is inside) - only that they cannot be opened. All halogen bulbs are gone by now in the stores, replaced by something that comes with the same housing in a package resembling the old one and reads (translated) "equivalent to a .... bulb" (but obviously not "equivalent" for our use).

And yes, the G9 were available here, but all halogen bulbs were discontinued. They now make LEDs that fit into the same lamps, with those G9 prongs.

I may have already asked, but do you have the ability to make orders on Chinese online platforms? Aliexpress for example?

 

[ChileanTaco]

@NickAVD

I can. But a) expensive, b) the quality sometimes not the best.... I'd rather avoid. (Last "fail" were capacitors I bought from a Chilean vendor (with a store) who obviously orders from Aliexpress as I found out later. Quality was so bad they didn't work for my circuits.)

I can even get some items from Amazon but this is not Amazon from here but the few items that are available come from abroad and there are steep import fees and taxes. (So order goes through "Amazon" but is not your "Amazon order experience".)

 

[xp29]

G9 is the standard for halogen capsules.
this is the first one I found for 3 dollars.
View attachment 99353
View attachment 99354

At 3 bucks thats 3 for roughly the price of 1 exoterra basking bulb here. So even if I got the same usable life per bulb as the exoterra that's 3x's the usable time total. Sounds like a good investment to me

 

[NickAVD]

@NickAVD

I can. But a) expensive, b) the quality sometimes not the best.... I'd rather avoid. (Last "fail" were capacitors I bought from a Chilean vendor (with a store) who obviously orders from Aliexpress as I found out later. Quality was so bad they didn't work for my circuits.)

I can even get some items from Amazon but this is not Amazon from here but the few items that are available come from abroad and there are steep import fees and taxes. (So order goes through "Amazon" but is not your "Amazon order experience".)

I agree with you, you need to be very careful when ordering goods on Aliexpress.
My opinion is that there are categories of cheap and low-quality goods, and there are goods that are more expensive, but of high quality. The buyer "votes with money", if there is a buyer who wants to buy a lamp for 50 cents, then ok, he will have such a choice, but the lamp will work for a couple of hours, if it turns on at all, lol.
I am sure that you can find high-quality G9 lamps there, maybe even Japanese ones, but they will cost 5-10 dollars. For example, I often buy saw blades for a Festool jigsaw, recently I bought Festool Systainers, all this is made in Germany and is not a fake. Yes, Festool products (I am a fan of this tool ) are not cheap, but on Aliexpress it still turns out a little cheaper and for me it is profitable.
Perhaps delivery to Chile is too expensive, I did not take this into account, because delivery to Europe is almost always free (it costs 1-2 dollars and sellers essentially make a discount on this cost by announcing free delivery.
PS: I didn't think about taxes either. Here, goods worth less than 200 euros are not taxed.

 

[NickAVD]

I can even get some items from Amazon but this is not Amazon from here but the few items that are available come from abroad and there are steep import fees and taxes. (So order goes through "Amazon" but is not your "Amazon order experience".)

Unfortunately, I can't order from Amazon now, it doesn't work here. You can use intermediaries, but it's very expensive and makes sense when buying something very rare.

 

[ChileanTaco]

Unfortunately, I can't order from Amazon now, it doesn't work here. You can use intermediaries, but it's very expensive and makes sense when buying something very rare.

This is in fact very similar here when I "order from Amazon":
Intermediaries, or for a small range of products I can order "directly" from Amazon but in fact it's run through intermediaries. Very expensive and, like you, I only do it when it is something
I used it once to get replacement casters for my office chair where I can neither buy casters that fit in nor the same type of office chair here. I also used it some weeks ago for buying physics textbooks in English for our international PhD program here, but that's nothing I have to pay

 

[ChileanTaco]

I agree with you, you need to be very careful when ordering goods on Aliexpress.
My opinion is that there are categories of cheap and low-quality goods, and there are goods that are more expensive, but of high quality. The buyer "votes with money", if there is a buyer who wants to buy a lamp for 50 cents, then ok, he will have such a choice, but the lamp will work for a couple of hours, if it turns on at all, lol.
I am sure that you can find high-quality G9 lamps there, maybe even Japanese ones, but they will cost 5-10 dollars. For example, I often buy saw blades for a Festool jigsaw, recently I bought Festool Systainers, all this is made in Germany and is not a fake. Yes, Festool products (I am a fan of this tool ) are not cheap, but on Aliexpress it still turns out a little cheaper and for me it is profitable.
Perhaps delivery to Chile is too expensive, I did not take this into account, because delivery to Europe is almost always free (it costs 1-2 dollars and sellers essentially make a discount on this cost by announcing free delivery.
PS: I didn't think about taxes either. Here, goods worth less than 200 euros are not taxed.

Even delivery within Chile is expensive:
If I order something, even if small, from within Chile, for sure it costs me 10 USD/EUR only for shipment. Like one Zoomed lamp: costs 15 - 19, shipment 10, and they have one.
Import taxes: here heavy on anything electronics. That's why computers, smartphones and other electronics including what is used at my workplace are )"$Z§$)") expensive here. More expensive however in Argentina and Venezuela - I know that coming to Chile for a short holiday and shopping electronics is a thing
Things I can bring on my own is indeed tax-free if below I think that's also approx. 200 Euro (200k CLP). Had no problem with bringing the 20 basking lamps here in January.

On Aliexpress, there might be also legit, quality items. But I'm not an expert in halogen lamps, I have never bought any except the ones for Taco (I have Westinghouse Par38 Halogen bought here until they were discontinued). I have no idea of high-quality G9 lamps, and before your posting, I hadn't known that Japanese ones are good. No idea. Also that they are apparently the same (correct?) than for cars I didn't know just as not having a car since 20 years ago.
So, absolutely not my field.

 

[NickAVD]

Even delivery within Chile is expensive:
If I order something, even if small, from within Chile, for sure it costs me 10 USD/EUR only for shipment. Like one Zoomed lamp: costs 15 - 19, shipment 10, and they have one.
Import taxes: here heavy on anything electronics. That's why computers, smartphones and other electronics including what is used at my workplace are )"$Z§$)") expensive here. More expensive however in Argentina and Venezuela - I know that coming to Chile for a short holiday and shopping electronics is a thing
Things I can bring on my own is indeed tax-free if below I think that's also approx. 200 Euro (200k CLP). Had no problem with bringing the 20 basking lamps here in January.

On Aliexpress, there might be also legit, quality items. But I'm not an expert in halogen lamps, I have never bought any except the ones for Taco (I have Westinghouse Par38 Halogen bought here until they were discontinued). I have no idea of high-quality G9 lamps, and before your posting, I hadn't known that Japanese ones are good. No idea. Also that they are apparently the same (correct?) than for cars I didn't know just as not having a car since 20 years ago.
So, absolutely not my field.

I have a Japanese car, and it has pretty good bulbs, I suspect that I can buy them on Aliexpress, that's all I know about Japanese bulbs, lol.
But I know for sure that I can buy bulbs made in Germany (Osram), I wrote about them above. Unfortunately, I have no idea whether the spectrum of these bulbs is similar to the spectrum emitted by the bulbs in the reptile kit.
As an engineer, I understand that most likely they are made using a similar technology, and the spectrum will be the same, but deep down I still have a question: what if they are different.
There is not a word on the box about the spectrum of these capsules, only the temperature of 2800 Kelvin is indicated on the box. We need to study this issue, perhaps the filament of all halogen bulbs is the same.

 

[ChileanTaco]

As an engineer, I understand that most likely they are made using a similar technology, and the spectrum will be the same, but deep down I still have a question: what if they are different.

Same's for me, and so I initially wondered if it's a good idea using the ones for cars.

There is not a word on the box about the spectrum of these capsules, only the temperature of 2800 Kelvin is indicated on the box. We need to study this issue, perhaps the filament of all halogen bulbs is the same.

Mine (Westinghouse Par38 Halogen, looks like the Reptile Systems Eco Halogen but cannot be taken apart and is not made for reptiles, found them recommended in a German reptile forum when setting up Taco's enclosure ) also do not have a spectrum on the box, only color temperature given.
I bet it's rarely given if it's neither for reptiles, plants or a specific technical use, as a spectrum likely won't tell anything to most people and I have the impression too much "technical stuff" scares many people.

 

[NickAVD]

I promised to publish the results of the temperature measurement.
So, the room temperature at the time of measurement is 78F.
The sensor is under the lamp at a distance of 17 inches (I think this distance can be for most dragons in terrariums of 24 inches).
Temperature 104F.

 

[xp29]

I promised to publish the results of the temperature measurement.
So, the room temperature at the time of measurement is 78F.
The sensor is under the lamp at a distance of 17 inches (I think this distance can be for most dragons in terrariums of 24 inches).
Temperature 104F.
View attachment 99414

So I take it, overall your pleased with this system? I very well may start converting all mine over. I see plenty of pros but not really any cons.

 

[NickAVD]

So I take it, overall your pleased with this system? I very well may start converting all mine over. I see plenty of pros but not really any cons.

Yes, I am happy with this lamp. I took it as a spare. Therefore, as soon as the halogen lamp Arcadia stops working, I will replace it with Reptile Systems. But this replacement will not happen because of any advantages of one of these lamps or the desire to save money, but because now I could not find the Arcadia lamp on sale. I did not find any advantages or disadvantages between Reptile Systems and Arcadia halogen, except for the convenience of using capsules. Although, for someone this may be a significant advantage.
Update: Yes, please note that at the beginning of this topic I compared the Reptile Systems halogen lamp with a regular incandescent lamp (not halogen!) Arcadia. Of course, the Reptile Systems is better than it, but it is about the same as the Arcadia halogen lamp.

 

[xp29]

Yes, I am happy with this lamp. I took it as a spare. Therefore, as soon as the halogen lamp Arcadia stops working, I will replace it with Reptile Systems. But this replacement will not happen because of any advantages of one of these lamps or the desire to save money, but because now I could not find the Arcadia lamp on sale. I did not find any advantages or disadvantages between Reptile Systems and Arcadia halogen, except for the convenience of using capsules. Although, for someone this may be a significant advantage.
Update: Yes, please note that at the beginning of this topic I compared the Reptile Systems halogen lamp with a regular incandescent lamp (not halogen!) Arcadia. Of course, the Reptile Systems is better than it, but it is about the same as the Arcadia halogen lamp.

Good info
I've had a lot of trouble with incandescent and halogen alike. I really am like a bull in a china shop. I jar, rattle and shake my habitats alot just doing normal stull like cleaning or even just getting them out. Basking bulbs don't tolerate shaking very well. I think the capsules may be much more durable That's my big interest in them.

 

[NickAVD]

Good info
I've had a lot of trouble with incandescent and halogen alike. I really am like a bull in a china shop. I jar, rattle and shake my habitats alot just doing normal stull like cleaning or even just getting them out. Basking bulbs don't tolerate shaking very well. I think the capsules may be much more durable That's my big interest in them.

Perhaps you are right and the capsule is more durable.
I have not disassembled the Arcadia halogen lamp, but I have an assumption that the same capsule is installed inside.
I tried to search the Internet for halogen lamps for the E27 socket and found many options similar to this one

When my Arcadia lamp burns out, I will definitely disassemble it