blueline E-Ballast good or bad?

[maneo x fidelis]

unfortunately for me my old 2x175w hamilton ballast finally died on me(after years of use).
so I'm in the market for a new ballast and more watts(250), I'm leaning towards either the blueline E-ballast or the ice cap electronic.

has anyone used the blueline before?
I'll be using it with a radium or phoenix 14k 250w bulb over a 22" deep tank.

[Jefe12234]

I'm using a 400w Blueline E-ballast that I think I've had for about four years. I'm not sure if there's much difference between electronic ballasts, but mine works fine. For 250w I don't think there's any better bulb than the Phoenix 14k, unless you want to run a 10k with actinics. I run a Phoenix on an HQI ballast, but the electronic ballasts are a little more efficient IIRC. I ran my last Phoenix bulb for about 16 months. When I replaced it, the new bulb seemed to have identical color and only appeared a little brighter so I think these bulbs maintain their output very well.

[Dejavu]

Been running blueline ballast for yrs with out any problems. Great ballast IMO.

[maneo x fidelis]

thanks for the replies. I'm going to go for it. champion lighting has a good price on them.

[DarG]

Just to let you know, the ARO 250 watt Electronic ballasts were on sale for $95 at hellolights.com
I have a pair of 250 watt and 175 watt ARO ballasts. I use HQI magnetic but the ARO's have worked perfectly for me.
I think they are the same as the old Icecaps but cant prove that.
Anyway, not sure how much the Bluelines are or if you are looking for the best deal, but thought I'd pass it along.

Good luck.

[maneo x fidelis]

thanks, I appreciate that. I'll check that out. champion had the bluelines for $110. I'll do some research and if they compare I'll save myself $10/15.