What type of HMI bulbs are readily available?

D

drcheese

Well-known member
I was looking at a CMC 1200w HMI Par on eBay recently, and noticed that it said it took SB bulbs. I poked around the internet and couldn't find many replacement bulbs for sale, the closest I came was one for $580 that may have been right.

So this got me thinking. Are there particular types of HMI bulbs that should be avoided or sought after when deciding on a system? It seems the SE type are fairly common and considerably cheaper at $250 or so.


Additionally, I know to trust Arri, DeSisti, LTM when it comes to HMIs, but does anyone have anything to say about CMCs one way or another? (the ballast was still LTM)
 
As an update for any interested parties, I've been told that SB bulbs are readily available but cost about $470 (compare to $250 for SE bulbs). The difference is that the SB bulb has the reflector built in, so it's not adjustable. I've also been told though that SB bulbs last a really long time and hardly ever burn out (usually replaced when someone breaks one), perhaps in comparison to the SE bulb which needs replacing more often?

Not sure if anyone else can confirm/deny this.
 
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