[hahnmeister]

As far as the fixture changing the bulbs... I dont know about that. Halides arent vulnerable to heat buildup like phosphor based bulbs. I have a hard time believing that its the pendant, or any pendant for that matter.

Sure, I get that its relative... I took my own values from the beginning, after the bulbs were running 100 hours, and then after 12 months. Im only comparing my percentages to your percentages.

I dont think our tests are that far off really. On a tangent, but possible clue, how long did you 'burn in' the bulbs before getting your initial values? I ran mine for 100 hours before testing.

Im not disputing your results... I came up with 65% after a year, and you came up with 75%... thats not such a huge difference considering the time frame and how the reflectors may vary the peak values. I should also note that not all of the bulbs were running constantly at the time of evaluation. I had one set of Icecap pheonix bulbs running for a year, then on the shelf for a year while I waited for the HQI group to 'mature'. Its entirely possible that this extra 'shelf life' robbed them of some output.

I suppose now I have to burn a HQI and a Icecap side by side for the next test! Lol.

Anyways, I think what I was trying to say was that while you may experience a 25% loss in one year, I, as well as a few others, have experienced less with HQI/M80 ballasts.