Mega Ray
 

Hi All

Just wondering if anybody else is still having problems with mega ray bulbs?
I'm now on my 3rd bulb and its just started flickering after only about 7-8 months.
I know they had problems when they were first released but I thought they were supposed to be fixed by now?
I've decided to try an Arcadia D3 100W lamp now, but are the Mega rays still considered the better lamp?

Rob

i am not in a position where i need to replace m/v bulbs,when that time comes i will be using a 100watt reflector bulb with a dimmer stat to provide heat,this will be combined with a t5 uv tube to provide the required uv gradient.
after the initial outlay costs this method should save on electric.
its not viable to have multiple bulbs gobbling up power, we need to find more cost effective ways to maintain our hobby.
thats my view
dave

I agree with Dave though in my case I found that really good uvb can be had with the better tubes now available. The availability of your uvb and good white light is widely distributed and not all focused on the heat source.

I don't think many people would say that the Raptor lamp is any better than the arcadia d3. I've used both of them and in my opinion there isn't much difference. Megarays changed to a lamp made in Germany which is the Raptor. So the current one is not the megarays we used to think were so great, which compared to some was true at the time.


In my set-up I found that in the case of both these lamps (the Raptor and the Acradia d3 combined 160 watt lamps), not enough heat was generated without something else such as a halogen lamp being used as well. So if I was using a halogen why not just have a tube that lasts a long time and is very unlikely to develop any kind of fault?

If I wasn't using any tubes I would need at least four combined lamps at 160 watts each. For twelve hours a day this does add up in running costs. But my tubes do use some power, and I've got the halogens as well which are 50 or 75 watts a time. But I think the running costs are less and the combined lamps are not reliable enough.

I always thought the Raptor was made in China but with "German Engineering". :?

Do Mega-ray actually say where their Lamps are made ?

Hi Levi

the two Raptor lamps that I've had both said made in Germany on them but maybe they are also made in other places.

Thanks, probably doesn't matter where they are made.

Had a look on their website and back in 2010 Solar Raptors were imported into germany by ECONLUX "a small German lamp importer and distributor", who sold UVB reptile lamps under the Solar Raptor brand name. They joined up with Reptile UV who got the lamps redesigned with a wider beam.
Things haven't gone that well as Reptile UV were/are involved in a lawsuit with the ECONLUX ("distributor and not a manufacturer" Reptile UV point out !) because of faulty Solar Raptor Mega-Ray lamps etc.

http://www.reptileuv.com/news/econlu...e-products.php

What with the clear glass UVC problem before that I think I would recommend using tubes too, but my ibera wouldn't be overly impressed with just a 100watt reflector bulb for radiant heat.

Yeah I think it's fair to say that Megaray never recovered their reputation after their lamps started to develop faults. The switch over to the Raptor lamps maybe solved some issues but created others. I think the guy (Bob McCargar) who started Megaray no longer wants to be associated with the lamps.

From what I've seen on here and elsewhere the arcadia d3 lamp is more reliable and is quite similar in performance with a Raptor which is working properly. But as Arcadia John has said this is really an outdated technology now.

Cor...Jon, those were the days. I remember I emailed them (Reptile UV - USA) a few times..they got real snotty with me (the US makers - Bob and all that).
The thread with all the problems is still in the housing section too...
I agree that they never recovered their reputation. Arcadia on the other hand went from strength to strength and probably took MR's dissatisfied customers lol.
Something like 2010 I think it all went pear shaped...:?xx

To be honest, I think Mega Ray are stuck in the past. They still highly promote their MVB extensively. MVB lamps have their uses, but they certainly aren't the best option. Their inability to be thermostatically controlled and the fact the UV area is very limited makes them subordinate.

Hi
Thanks for the replies. I had no idea Mega Ray had been taken over.
I'm using the Arcadia at the moment and it seems good, but I'll maybe look at different options for next year.
Rob