In the area of HID lighting, no other manufacturer has made this offering the cornerstone of the entire product line.  They were started years ago with the idea that halide lighting would be come the pervasive lighting source for energy efficiency.  As a result, Venture Lighting pulse start metal halide lamps are one of the best ways to achieve energy savings in a HID lamp.  The technology involved in pulse start lamps 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.  With the advent of more efficient lighting, these are the natural replacement for standard HID and even fluorescent lighting applications especially in warehouse or plant production.

Venture Lighting metal halide lamps are different from other manufacturers in a couple of different ways.  The first and most important aspect is that the base of these are slightly different than those of Sylvania or GE, as there is an extension in the tip of the base.  This insures that you can't replace the lamp with something that is not pulse start, otherwise it can be hard to tell the difference to the untrained eye.  This also means that the Venture lamp is not interchangeable with other makers.  Some fixture manufacturers make their high bay and low bay fixtures specifically for this lamp, and that means you will have to get the Venture brand to replace the one you have now.  But not to worry, we have what you need and they are price competitive!   

One of the chief benefits of pulse start lamps are the gains in energy efficiency over the standard product.  These lamps have more lumens per watt than the standard variety, making it more energy efficient.  Sometimes a 300 watt pulse lamp can replace a 400 watt standard with no light loss. So in applications like production facilities or warehouse lighting it mean more electrical cost savings.  Another key feature is that these bulbs will last a very long time and will produce usable light over that time. The Venture Lighting pulse start metal halide lamps have a faster restrike if it goes out, that means the lights come on sooner after a shutdown.  The average life of a standard model is typically about 24,000 hours. Compare this to a classic halide bulb, which has an average life of about 20,000 hours. It is easy to see the energy savings (thus cost savings) that these bulbs provide. They save energy while reducing maintenance costs because of their extra long life.

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.  Keep this in mind when changing lamps or changing a ballast with these special lamps.

Some of the most common varieties of Venture Lighting pulse start metal halide lamps are as follows: MH300, MH320, MH350 and MH400. The number in these codes pertains to the wattage of each lamp. They are usually followed by a PS if it's a pulse start lamp.  We have a large inventory of these lamps for nearly every type of light fixture in the field.  If you need help identifying a bulb, our customer service representatives can help you determine what you have.