I haven't posted much as I am doing research and just been reading to find the answers to my questions as oppose to posting the same question that has been asked 15,873 times by someone else but I ordered up some solis-tek ballasts and shot them an email with regards to lamp selection and just thought I would post the response below for anyone who may be interested. Cheers!
Thanks for your email, this is a very good question...
Most brand name bulbs are compatible with our ballast. However there is a
huge misconception with standard HID bulbs that run on 50 / 60 hz. These
bulbs were designed for magnetic core and coil ballasts that run on 50 / 60
hz. Now a days the digital ballasts may be compatible with 50 /60 hz but not
optimum (that's why you get lamps popping and premature failure etc), the
bulb should be rated for high or low frequency... which most lamp
manufacturers have not caught on to this yet since digital lighting is still
relatively new.
The only company for lamps that is on key with the digital progression is
SunPulse Lamps, but they only make a Metal Halide lamps.
Good News! We are actually releasing a SolisTek High End DIGITAL lamp
designed for DIGITAL BALLASTS low and high frequency! This will be available
by June 2012. This high end digital lamp will make a matched system with
our solistek digital ballast. Which makes tremendously low THD (total
harmonic distortion) with the efficiency and reliability of core and coil,
on a digital platform!
Thanks for your email, this is a very good question...
Most brand name bulbs are compatible with our ballast. However there is a
huge misconception with standard HID bulbs that run on 50 / 60 hz. These
bulbs were designed for magnetic core and coil ballasts that run on 50 / 60
hz. Now a days the digital ballasts may be compatible with 50 /60 hz but not
optimum (that's why you get lamps popping and premature failure etc), the
bulb should be rated for high or low frequency... which most lamp
manufacturers have not caught on to this yet since digital lighting is still
relatively new.
The only company for lamps that is on key with the digital progression is
SunPulse Lamps, but they only make a Metal Halide lamps.
Good News! We are actually releasing a SolisTek High End DIGITAL lamp
designed for DIGITAL BALLASTS low and high frequency! This will be available
by June 2012. This high end digital lamp will make a matched system with
our solistek digital ballast. Which makes tremendously low THD (total
harmonic distortion) with the efficiency and reliability of core and coil,
on a digital platform!