What is the difference in m.h. bulbs

[sirevans reef]

I am running 3 250w 15k m.h. on my 125 reef tank and one of the bulbs have blown out. So I went to ebay and started looking at double ended bulbs and most of them range from $50-$90 but the odyssea bulb is only 9.99 plus $5 shipping. How or why is it so much cheaper than all the others. Does it not last as long or what. Is it a good bulb? If not what bulb is and what would you guys recommend?:confuse:

 

[kuyatwo]

Cheap eBay bulbs in my experience seem to change spectrum after couple months. Might be blue when you first try them then after burn in they are yellow


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[Eggs]

odyssea brand = low quality

 

[Glenn]

both responders have hit it precisely .. the difference is the QUALITY of the materials used to make the bulb. I tried a 'no-name' brand bulb from eBay when I was running my MH (single end bulbs) and it was fine for 10-12 weeks. After that I noticed a steady shift to the yellow spectrum and algae loved the bulb.

Pay a little more and buy quality.