Zoomed Daylight Blue UVA bulbs

[Shilohpsu]

I have a zoomed dual dome light that supports up to two 100w bulbs. I have a compact fluorescent 10.0 UVB zoomed bulb on one side, and a 100w Day Light Blue zoomed bulb on the other side. They each have their own ballast, switch, and power supply. I never had any problems with the UVB compact fluorescents, but I go through the daylight blue UVA's like tic tacs! They have only been lasting me 30-35 days, and then the element burns out/falls apart. I've tried their 60w, 75w, and 100w bulbs and they all only lasted about a month.

Do any of you guys use these bulbs and are you having better luck than I'm having? I've been told that it could be some sort of problem with my lamp, causing the bulbs to burn out early. So I will be buying another replacement bulb again tomorrow, but this time I'll switch the UVA and UVB around to see if it's the one side causing these bulbs to blow. I saved the receipt on this last bulb. Bought it and started using it on May 24 and it burnt out on June 26. I find it hilarious that they have a special bullet advertising "European quality for a long burn life." I have yet to experience this...

Please let me know if you've had success or problems with these bulbs. If these bulbs have been known to have a short burn life, what is a better quality longer lasting daylight blue bulb that you guys recommend? Any help and stories of your experiences with these bulbs will be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[jannb]

I don't recommend those bulbs for chameleons. I recommend the tube style Reptisun 5.0 for UV and a regular (not coil) household bulb for basking.
You might find my blog helpful. https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-with-young-veiled-or-panther-chameleons.325/

 

[trickedoutbiker]

I've used those same Daylight Blue bulbs before as well, only I was using the 60 watt versions. Mine too, only lasted about 30 days or so. I liked how they gave off a slight blue hue and made the cage look kind of neat. But just as you are having problems, I did too, and many of us on the forums have experienced it as well. They are just known for short lifespans, and for a bulb of that price, it should way longer but they don't.

Do yourself a favor and start using regular incandescent household bulbs instead. You can go to the Dollar Tree and get a pack of 2 for $1 or you can find them pretty cheap at places like Walmart, Kroger, or maybe Lowes or Home Depot. Anything is better than the cheap junk bulbs made by Zoomed. The blue hues look kind of cool sure, but they are very cheaply made bulbs. There are a few other blue-hue bulbs on the market but they all aren't made with too much quality and the end result will be the same.... The bulbs you buy for regular household sockets will last you much much longer, and they are also brighter which attracts your chameleon to it a little more and it also helps add a bit more lighting to your cage.

Those bulbs you see in pet stores are way overpriced and overrated. Why pay $4-$6 for a single bulb when you can go buy a pack of two bulbs for less than half the price? The choice is clear here....

 

[brownie64]

Ditto on what trickedoutbiker said.

 

[RBCam]

I use the 40 and 60 watt Daylight Blue bulbs. I had an issue with the bulbs purchased last year they did not last very long. But the ones I have purchased in 2016 have lasted a good long time. I do have an issue I noticed that even though the bulbs may have the same wattage they seem to all put out different levels of heat. It is odd not sure why.

 

[Shilohpsu]

Just got off of the phone with zoomed. The guy told me to look at the bronze contact point within the fixture. He asked if it was flat or bent upwards. Mine was bent upwards slightly (maybe 5 - 10 degrees), so he said to bend it up closer to a 45 degree angle to ensure a good contact point. He also informed me that these bulbs have a 90 day warranty. I kept my last receipt and he asked me how many I went through in the last 3 months. I told him 3. He said send him a picture of my receipt and boxes of the bulbs (I had a few laying around). So he's sending me 3 new bulbs for free. I'll bend the contact point and report back if my results have changed. I doubt that it'll be much different, but it's worth a shot!

 

[trickedoutbiker]

I'll bend the contact point and report back if my results have changed. I doubt that it'll be much different, but it's worth a shot!

Good luck!

 

[Shilohpsu]

So I'm reporting back with some exciting news. The bulb that I started using back in June (when I started this thread) is still going strong! I never had one last 4 months before, so bending the bronze contact to a 45 degree angle actually fixed the problem! I still have the 3 extra ones that zoomed sent me, so I should be good for the next year. Thank you zoomed for the good advice and the replacement bulbs! I hope this will save a few people out there some time and money.