So i put this fixture up about a year ago its just a generic 4x f40t12 fixture but im looking to replace it with something more interesting
what do you guys think i should do?

my requirements are that it CANT be -LED -T8 or -T5

Maybe try some metal halide or mercury vapor recessed fixture.

How about a track light?

If you can find one, I'd put up one of those metal halide /mercury vapor 2x2 troffers.

that would be awesome

One or two of those MV recessed cans would be pretty neat too. Find a 70w PSMH recessed can, remove or disable the ignitor and then install a 100w MV lamp.

High Intensity and Lumex120 both took the words right out of my mouth.
I agree with both of them... or you could mix it up... one Mercury Vapor recessed
fixture, and one Metal Halide... both magnetic, of course. lol... 2x2 troffers especially

i do want it to be practical and not to intense

i do want it to be practical and not to intense

So no point in suggesting a 1,000W MBF/U then.?   

So no point in suggesting a 1,000W MBF/U then.?   

hahahah wow that would be bright!

Get four fluorescent tubes and put them on the sides, Get a plastic (polycarbonate) sheet the same size of the fixture and place the tubes on the glass. Also hide the tubes but this will create a awesome total internal reflection effect that just looks plain cool
My idea probably isn't the best

One or two of those MV recessed cans would be pretty neat too. Find a 70w PSMH recessed can, remove or disable the ignitor and then install a 100w MV lamp.

He could just get a regular incandescent recessed can and stick the ballast in a pull box next to it. It would be a lot cheaper.

Get four fluorescent tubes and put them on the sides, Get a plastic (polycarbonate) sheet the same size of the fixture and place the tubes on the glass. Also hide the tubes but this will create a awesome total internal reflection effect that just looks plain cool
My idea probably isn't the best

i like the sound of this but i cant invison it in my head, if you made a thing in ms paint that would help

Three recessed can fixtures.. 50w mercury, 35w HPS and 35w MH.. Arranged in a triangle formation in one of those ceiling tile things.. It'd make for interesting startup and a nice splash of colors.. Especially if you use a clear mercury... If you want it to be mostly white you could either use a DX merc.. Or if you did want to use clear lamps you could use a higher wattage metal halide.. Like maybe 70 watts.. That would make the general light color whitish.. But you'll also have the tinge of HPS and mercury in it too... I think it'd look neat..

He could just get a regular incandescent recessed can and stick the ballast in a pull box next to it. It would be a lot cheaper.

That would work but putting a ballast in those steel pull boxes tends to make them louder than normal unless you really tighten down on the screws and use foam to isolate the cover. The magnetic field from the running ballast tends to make the cover on those vibrate and rattle like crazy. I've have a few homemade ballast boxes made from a steel case have that problem. It's also not that code rated too, most regular core and coil HID ballasts are marked specifically not for recessed use. If you really want to convert an incandescent recessed light to HID I would find some cheap F-Can ballasts from Restore or eBay and use that instead. Much quieter and less janky.