Handling MH's

[Avonlea,PA]

Question:

Can you handle MH's like any regular bulb, or do you need to use a cloth or cotton gloves like you do with halogen bulbs?

[lllosingit]

I try not to touch the glass but I don't think you will hurt anything if you do.
the problem is you have oils on your hands and then you touch the bulb and leave small amounts of oil on the surface and when you turn on the lamp the intense heat burns the oils onto the class and it will be hard to clean off.
With halogen bulbs, car headlights for example the glass is very thin and any contaminants can cause localized hot spots which can cause the bulb to explode.
Most standard Mh bulbs are made of a very thick glass so this is not a problem to worry about.

[Mandoman]

I've never worn gloves or taken other precautions when handling them

[DgenR8]

Halides and Halogens are two very different things. I don't know of any reason not to touch a halide bulb.