This is what I have been told by four different suppliers.

I finally found and bought two new F90T17CW and they were not cheap.
And that is all I have found so far.

Update: 5/9/14 here is a place that "might" be able to find you some F90T17s.
They are listed for sale, but apparently not in stock, but it tells you to call them.
Since they buy and sell NOS bulbs I have been told they "may" be able to locate some from bulb suppliers cleaning out their old stock.
They are always buying up old stock to sell and have a huge assortment of older obsolete incandescent and fluorescent bulbs for sale.

https://www.interlight.biz/light-bulb/F90T17/CW


They do have the F40T17s in stock by the case only.

https://www.interlight.biz/light-bulb/F40T17/CW/IS


The F40T17s are also still available here one at a time, but I think not for long.

http://www.amazon.com/GE-10575-F40T17-Straight-Fluorescent/dp/B002CYXOG4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1397692015&sr=8-3&keywords=f40t17

Many web sites still let you order the F90T17s, but they have none for sale.
So you can order all you want, but you just can't buy any.

I would guess that they will be showing up on e bay some day, but will be very expensive when they do.

I figured the day would come, it looks like that day has finally come.
Nothing good lasts for ever.


 

I knew the day was coming; in fact, I'm surprised GE continued production as long as they did. The only somewhat-large, working T17 installation I'm aware of is DieselNut's.

Yeah I think Johns pole barn is not a pole barn any more but a museum of vintage fluorescent lighting.

I am sure there are some cases of F90T17s out there that will surface on e bay once it is found that they are no longer made and people are looking for them.

But they won't be $23 each any more.
Because they are not now I found out.

I expect T17 fixtures to start showing up on e bay also once people can't find bulbs for them anymore.

I found that the federal stocking system has a stock pile of F90T17s.
I would expect them to be surpluses at some point and be sold at auction and then filter out to e bay for $$$.
As the government is now on a "green" kick and the old T17s are not green I guess.

A school system just auctioned off 33 cases of F40T17s for 11 cents for each bulb.
May be these are the ones now selling on Amazon for $30 each.
if so, not a bad profit.

Also they don't make 57 Chevys any more either.

I am pretty proud of my installation in the ole pole barn and thanks yall for the compliments.  The lights all work beautifully when the temps are above freezing, but are temperamental when cold. I am glad I got a few cases of tubes while I could, even though they cost me the equivalent of two mortgage payments when I did!! (literally!)

So no wonder why they don't import anymore the PG 215W lamps to Switzerland/ Europe!

I'm glad to have two PG's in my collection. One is used and one is NOS.

Sometimes and may be not this time, old manufacturing equipment for discontinued items is bought up cheap at scrap prices by some small company in a foreign country like India or somewhere similar and set up on a small scale to provide continued manufacturing of the discontinued products as long as there is still a demand for the product.

There should still be money to be made from the sale of these bulbs.

As long as the T17s have been in production and used around the world I would think there would still be a demand for them.
If you had several large warehouses for example that had all PGs that were working just fine all those years and now can't get bulbs so you have to replace all your perfectly good working fixtures for no other reason than you can't get bulbs, this could be a big hit to your bottom line.

I guess you could say the same thing about the T12 ban, but in the case of the T12 ban there was plenty of advance warning.
But with this T17 thing, it is just, bang/gone.
GE could have done better with this.
But this is the way business seems to be conducted today.


Also the T12 ban did not affect any T17 bulbs as far as I can tell.
It is not even mentioned in the bulb ban.
I think it was more a decision from the GE bean counters than anything else.
And the bulb ban was the perfect excuse just to dump the whole thing.

Instead of moving production to China like everyone else does, they just junked it out is what looks like what happened.

  

IMHO this is not like the T12 ban at all, and probably not even related. GE ceased production of T17s because hardly anyone was buying them. The few who still use T17s can now switch to T12/T8/T5 for much less than it costs to keep T17 systems going (they're not extraordinarily reliable from what I understand). I'm pretty sure there is almost zero demand for T17 equipment besides a handful of collectors, and that's not enough for GE to continue production. T12s, on the other hand, have by no means vanished (and won't for a while). Walk into any Lowe's or Home Depot and there they are.

Also, aren't Powergrooves interchangeable with T12 VHOs?

Yes, a PowerGroove is a 215 watt tube just like a VHO and interchangeable.

What? No more T17s? They're still on GE's site. i guess they haven't updated it yet. Well I guess I won't have lamps for my two F90T17 fixtures. I can't afford them at the current rediculous price, nevermind 10 years from now when they're like fifty bucks a lamp. I have ample starters though. Maybe I'll get lucky and find a case of T17s cheap locally. I can't count on that happening though. I guess down the line I might end up having to sell one of the T17s if I cann't find lamps. That's unfortunate.

Oh they are already more than $50 each.
They are increasing in price.
If you can find any.

I bought 2 NOS GE F90T17CWs for $100 each plus $70 shipping back in April and it was take it or leave it.
And I have not found any more since.

I look on Ebay and Craigs list every day.
I am sure there are some of these in the back of a store room some where, but just has not made it to ebay yet.
The price of these bulbs are only going up unless GE starts production again, which I doubt will happen.

I can pretty much guarantee that these will never be produced again.

I can pretty much guarantee that these will never be produced again.

Unfortunately I have to agree with you.

I've heard that the T17 and PG17 lamps are still listed in the 2014 GE lamp catalog, with no indication of them being discontinued. I am confused. Maybe most suppliers just won't carry them anymore, or maybe GE will make them on a minimum order basis.

I think that's because they were discontinued after 2014 had started. They probably won't be in the 2015 catalog.

UPDATE: It is confirmed by a reliable source that the T17s and Power Grooves are done for good and will never be made again. The machinery was removed and scrapped. I heard the energy legalisation was the reason, but I think it may be to make room for the new halogen soft white A-19 lines which will soon be sold at Wal-Mart.