I guess we can't make decisions by ourselves so the the stupid green horns and government have to make it for us like we are babies or something like that.

Lighting bans suck let the consumers use what thay want to use if it cost more to run so be it. It will last longer than most of the eco crap out there.

Good news: according to Keif the ban was repealed

Don't give me credit, Dave showed the link on here.

Don't give me credit, Dave showed the link on here.

Oh

Where is the link posted ? Id love a read

I grew up with Mercury lamps and would hate to see them go, but will live with a metal halide bulb, as I consider them an improved Mercury Lamp. I've had no problems running a standard probe start 175 MH Lamp in an old 175 Watt norelco dusk to dawn fixture with a high reactance auto transformer ballast. The problem is not running the lamp but starting it. I made a "remote" starter out of a SPDT switch. One side of the switch is neutral, the other side is 240 V through a 200 Watt light bulb for current limiting. I apply the current limited 240 V to the fixture. When the incandescent bulb gets bright, I know that the MH bulb in the fixture started. I then quickly flip the switch to apply neutral instead of the 240 V, thus returning the fixture back to 120V. I never had any problem with my manual start system..

@uptralume: Better to add just an FS4 or similar fluorescent starter in series with about 240V/100W incandescent and put all that parallel to the lamp. It will make some inductive kicks automatically...