What are the highest wattage T8 lamps that are commonly used in the US ?

Special interest is in 8ft lamps, preferrably with 2 pin bases (that can be preheated)

Highest I know of is the F96T8 HO - 86w
I guess in theory it could be pre-heated if the proper ballast existed...

Is it in common use or just "lamp exists" ?

By preheated i dont mean specifically preheat ballast, but anything that heats the cathodes including Programmed Start / Rapid Start (do Magnetic RS exist for this lamp ?)

Is it exact same length as F96T12 ?

What happened to F96T12 HO in the colors 830/841 ?

Is it in common use or just "lamp exists" ? They aren't real common, but are a standard lamp, and are still made. Never seen one for sale in a store, but they are easily available online.
I do have a pic of one here

By preheated i dont mean specifically preheat ballast, but anything that heats the cathodes including Programmed Start / Rapid Start (do Magnetic RS exist for this lamp ?)  The ballasts I've seen are electronic Rapid Start or Programmed Start. Not sure if a magnetic RS ballast ever existed for them, or for that matter if they even existed before the magnetic ballast bans.
 
Is it exact same length as F96T12 ?  Yep they are, and have the same RDC endcaps as a HO T12

What happened to F96T12 HO in the colors 830/841 ?  both are still available, as is 850 & 865...

What you mean by still available ? Is it expected to go down soon ?



With the F96T12, there is this older catalog page :
http://www.randrsupply.com/Customer/rrsupp/specpages/PHILTGE00542_80.pdf

Most Halophosphor lamps are getting dropped, Triphosphors presented or new introduced

Current Philips website :
http://www.usa.lighting.philips.com/prof/conventional-lamps/fluorescent-lamps-and-starters/tl/high-output-t12/productsinfamily
http://www.lighting.philips.com/main/prof/conventional-lamps/fluorescent-lamps-and-starters/tl/high-output-t12/productsinfamily

Only Halophosphor remain ? (with the exception of one lamp the TLRS in the 2nd link, and only in 841)

Not clear to me what they are doing there ? I'd expect Halophosphor lamps to go and Triphosphor to stay ?

xmaslightguy is exactly right, T8HO came about just 10 years ago as an efficient alternative to T12HO, there were never any magnetic ballasts for them as the format didnt exist more than a decade ago.

The F96T8HO is rated at 86w

One exception is GE made a F96T8HO lamp for a short while that was rated at 96w and was a retrofit lamp for F96T12HO ballasts, I remember installing a few years ago, they were only available in 4100K as far as I know. So technically this would be the highest wattage T8, however I havent seen these in years, who knows if theyre still made.

Is the F96T8 HO a good default 8ft lamp for new installations ?

It is a good default lamp for applications that would normally use F96T12HO, the light output is basically the same but with lower wattage. A standard F96T8 is rated at 59w and is the normal output version which is much more widely used in 8' striplight installations. These however are all single pin (slimline) instant start

What you mean by still available ? Is it expected to go down soon ?

I simply mean they can still fairly easily be found (in this case its online only .. I've only ever seen the 4100k F96T12 HO's in stores, and they do still have them)

Not clear to me what they are doing there ? I'd expect Halophosphor lamps to go and Triphosphor to stay ?

Don't really know what they're doing for sure, and I could only see the 1st one of your 3 links (others showed a Philips page, but no lamp info..likely had something considered unsafe/or advertising related so my computer blocked that section)

But probably what you are seeing is lamps made to fit around the bans. Did they by chance say something like "Low Temperature?" or "Cold Temperature?" If so, then its exempt from the current lamp bans.

GE made a F96T8HO lamp for a short while that was rated at 96w and was a retrofit lamp for F96T12HO ballasts, I remember installing a few years ago, they were only available in 4100K as far as I know. So technically this would be the highest wattage T8, however I havent seen these in years, who knows if theyre still made.

I never have seen, or even knew such existed
I deff need to find some of those and test one on my Thorn 8' switch start ballast

@xmaslightguy, they mustve been a very short production run as a google search/GElighting.com yields nothing. This wouldve been 2010-ish when I installed them last. I remember they were a sale item at the HEIN Electric supply shop I used, and had actually went there that day to pick up a case of F96T12HO for a relamping job, the sales counter guy recommended the GE 96w T8's