Among the major types of lighting, Sylvania Metalarc metal halide light bulbs are one of the best ways to achieve a high light output and get good energy efficiency.  The technology involved in metal halide lighting is similar to fluorescent lighting. An arc is established between two electrodes in a gas-filled tube which causes a special vapor to produce the light you see. Unlike fluorescent bulbs, this light does not need a coating of phosphors in order to produce the light, the light comes from the arc itself and creates a tremendous amount of light. In the broader category of HID lighting, these are the ones you see with the bright, white color in security, warehouse, parking lot or on the freeway.  Most people prefer the white color in most lighting situations, therefore the Sylvania Metalarc metal halide is a great choice. 

One of the chief benefits of metal halide lighting is energy efficiency. The lumen or light output from one of these bulbs is equivalent to the output from a normal incandescent bulb many times the wattage. Another key feature is that these bulbs will last a very long time. The average life of a standard model is typically about 20,000 hours. Compare this to a classic style bulb, which has an average life of about 1,000 hours. It is easy to see the energy savings (thus cost savings) that these bulbs provide. This is why you see them used in parking lots, roadways or warehouse facilities that run for long periods of time. They save energy while reducing maintenance costs because of their extra long life.  Another innovation has been the pulse start metal halide, which is more energy efficient than the old standard metal halide lamps and is available in many new fixtures.  Sylvania also manufactures what is called the Super Metalarc metal halide which has a higher light output than the standards as well.  The small or low wattage metal halides are popular for fixtures like bollards or other kinds of outdoor security lighting, where the need is to have a small fixture with a lot of light.  Some of these smaller envelope metal halide lamps have a protective sleeve around the arctube for added safety when used in open fixtures without any covering over the lamp.

All the major manufacturers like Sylvania produce metal halide light bulbs in all kinds of wattages.  Metalarc is Sylvania's name for their metal halide lamp. It has an excellent construction and has been a top performer amongst the other brands. Be aware that like fluorescent light bulbs, these also have a specific ballast that is used for each wattage.  You can't change from one wattage to another even if the bulb might fit in the socket.  Most of the time the ballast is a core and coil type which is very heavy. The ballast will be clearly labeled as to which type of lamp it operates. So all you have to do is remove the covering and look to the label for lamp operation. If you don't the correct lamp and ballast combination you can reduce both lamp and ballast life and cost yourself more money in maintenance. They are designed to be matched with the appropriate ballast. This means that the bulbs are not interchangeable with one another. A metal halide of 100 watt cannot be swapped with a 250 watt and so on.

Some people wonder about the color of the Sylvania Metalarc metal halide.  Is there a color shift from different makes of metal halide lamps?  The answer is yes that there can be a different color between manufacturers.  The Sylvania and GE brands tend to be whiter and more true in color while the Philips is a warmer color almost having a yellow appearance.  If color is a very important thing to your operation, then you may want to consider using Sylvania metal halide lamps instead.  Be aware that color can shift over time in use and the only way to get back to the original color is to replace the lamp.  It's sometimes a sign of end of lamp life.  It will produce a truer color because it is whiter.  In most architectural specifications, metal halide is becoming the HID lamp of choice for almost all applications.  With the advent of more efficient metal halide lamps, other types of bulbs are being specified less often.  Although this may be true, there are types like high pressure sodium that are still used for security and roadway lighting for the energy efficiency and performance.

Some of the most common varieties of metal halide light bulbs are as follows: MH70, MH100, MH150, MH250, MH400 and MH1000. The number in these codes pertains to the wattage of each lamp. Of course, there are other far less common wattages, shapes, and sizes available. The various manufacturers have different names for their product, but we stock the Sylvania Metalarc. We have a large inventory of metal halide bulbs for nearly every type of light fixture in the field.  If you need help identifying the bulb you have, our customer service representatives can help you determine what you have.