Hey guys a friends hd20 bulb blew last night and I wondered where the best place to get a bulb for it would be? I have never needed a bulb before so this is new territory....amazon has them for 153, think thats the best?
best place to get a bulb
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Hi James,
It's kind of a loaded question. The lowest prices are around $100, and the Optoma site lists it for $249. The problem is that virtually all of the low priced ones use a chinese replacement bulb that generally has a significantly shorter life. Some places will sell the bare bulb and expect you to place it in your existing housing. Other places will use refurbished housings or cheaper replacements that tend to melt and warp.
I don't have an HD20, but I tend to purchase NOS factory bulbs just for the peace of mind. I know thay will last as long as the original, and that tends to make them comparable in price.
It's kind of a loaded question. The lowest prices are around $100, and the Optoma site lists it for $249. The problem is that virtually all of the low priced ones use a chinese replacement bulb that generally has a significantly shorter life. Some places will sell the bare bulb and expect you to place it in your existing housing. Other places will use refurbished housings or cheaper replacements that tend to melt and warp.
I don't have an HD20, but I tend to purchase NOS factory bulbs just for the peace of mind. I know thay will last as long as the original, and that tends to make them comparable in price.
I would def. not want anything other then oem...and I dont think he would either, just making sure I am doing him right here, that is all.
Compare the pictures. The one from Projector Genie looks different, so I would suspect.
Optoma site: Optoma USA BL-FP230D
Projector genie Site: OPTOMA HD20 Lamps & Bulbs | America | Projector Lamp Genie
Note that this site has the same price, but notes that the bulb design changed with serial number. I suspect that this is an original bulb, but of an earlier design. It may not fit in a later projector. Since Optoma only shows the later bulb on their site, it is likely that the design has been updated for safety or reliability. The people commenting on the amazon page mentioned exploding bulbs.
Again, I don't own an HD20 (I have an Epson), so all of this is simply online research. FWIW, there are other vendors even on amazon showing the later design at a somewhat higher price:
Amazon.com: Rplmnt Lamp Hd20 Hd200X Tx615 Tx612 Ex612 Ex615 (BL-FP230D) -: Office Products
Best of luck with your research
Jay "why couldn't all this be simple"
Optoma site: Optoma USA BL-FP230D
Projector genie Site: OPTOMA HD20 Lamps & Bulbs | America | Projector Lamp Genie
Note that this site has the same price, but notes that the bulb design changed with serial number. I suspect that this is an original bulb, but of an earlier design. It may not fit in a later projector. Since Optoma only shows the later bulb on their site, it is likely that the design has been updated for safety or reliability. The people commenting on the amazon page mentioned exploding bulbs.
Again, I don't own an HD20 (I have an Epson), so all of this is simply online research. FWIW, there are other vendors even on amazon showing the later design at a somewhat higher price:
Amazon.com: Rplmnt Lamp Hd20 Hd200X Tx615 Tx612 Ex612 Ex615 (BL-FP230D) -: Office Products
Best of luck with your research
Jay "why couldn't all this be simple"
James,
We sell replacement bulbs at shop.optomausa.com They are a bit more expensive than others you may find, but you can rest assured that the are OEM.
Best,
OptomaUSA
We sell replacement bulbs at shop.optomausa.com They are a bit more expensive than others you may find, but you can rest assured that the are OEM.
Best,
OptomaUSA
Welcome to SatelliteGuys! If you need anything let us know as we have Optoma users here (I'm eying the 3D FPTV's now).
HD20 ? Isnt this model discontinued? Anyways, if I needed to find a bulb for this, i'd try either amazon (as mentioned above) or Ebay.
Cheers, K
PS- Am the A/V guy at PWC.
Cheers, K
PS- Am the A/V guy at PWC.
PWC???
I stand by my earlier statement on buying OEM bulbs, and join with dfergie in welcoming Optoma here.
Honestly its all in the price and how well the projector is maintained (and not abused). Ive seen some chinese knock offs last as well as originals.. some not so much. and original lamps last 900hrs when rated for 6000hrs...
Cheers, K
Cheers, K
Thanks! I wondered if they were oem, my friend should have ordered one from Amazon and we will be replacing it soon! I will let you know how it goes.
The lamp in my Epson 8350 just died. Bummer!
I definitely want to go with an OEM lamp. But should I buy it from Epson directly ($300) or can I use some other source who claims to sell OEM lamps at a lower price? Anyone can recommend a reputable reseller? Thanks!
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I definitely want to go with an OEM lamp. But should I buy it from Epson directly ($300) or can I use some other source who claims to sell OEM lamps at a lower price? Anyone can recommend a reputable reseller? Thanks!
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Given how long they last I would go with Epson directly if you can get one from them. My last bulb replacement I got off of Amazon, at least the guarantee the ability to return 3rd party purchases.
I agree. A lot of places that sell "genuine Epson bulbs" are actually selling equivalent chinese manufactured ones that simply don't last. You think you are buying plug in, and end up getting a bare bulb that needs to be placed in the housing. That sort of thing. Mike's suggestion of Amazon is good if you are going for cheaper, since you can return it, but IMO it simply isn't worth the hassle to save $30.
Oh yeah, while you are at it replace the filter.
Oh yeah, while you are at it replace the filter.
Thanks for your advice guys! I ended up placing the order with Epson directly. Don't want to take any risk.
And of course I have also ordered a replacement air filter. Thanks for the reminder!
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And of course I have also ordered a replacement air filter. Thanks for the reminder!
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Just got the replacement lamp. A very easy install: Epson even provided a screwdriver.
Life is good again!
The previous lamp only lasted 1169 hours. I was hoping for more. But I won't complain as the previous two replacements were done for free under warranty! Love Epson's support!
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Life is good again!
The previous lamp only lasted 1169 hours. I was hoping for more. But I won't complain as the previous two replacements were done for free under warranty! Love Epson's support!
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
It may be worth mentioning that neither Optoma nor Epson manufacture light bulbs. In many cases, they don't even manufacture the housing.
I would add that the replacement lamp assembly (bulb and housing) that I bought on Amazon has outlasted the factory lamp that came in my RPTV. You should weigh the benefit of paying 50-200% more against how difficult it is to change the lamp.
That some manufacturers raise the spectre of a third party provided lamp somehow causing serious damage to your projector is sad.
As with all things consumable, YMMV.
I would add that the replacement lamp assembly (bulb and housing) that I bought on Amazon has outlasted the factory lamp that came in my RPTV. You should weigh the benefit of paying 50-200% more against how difficult it is to change the lamp.
That some manufacturers raise the spectre of a third party provided lamp somehow causing serious damage to your projector is sad.
As with all things consumable, YMMV.
I agree with this part of the post. However, I and many others have directly experienced the issue with short life clone bulbs being passed off as the real thing. It is no bargain to purchase a $100 bare bulb, go through the trouble of placing it into the old housing, only to have it explode after 100 hours of use.
There is also an issue with reusing the old housings. They become brittle and can shatter in handling or during use. I ran into this with my Toshiba RPTV where the old housing disintigrated in my hands when removing it from the set.
As you say, YMMV.
