where to find hid replacement bulb locally

[nodoubt]

just spent a couple of hours on the phone trying to find a replacement for my stanley locally....you can forget that....most people were like........HID WHAT ??....they really need to educate people more that deal with the public on things that pertain to what the sell huh......anyways......got the itch real bad today to replace my ice blue stanley to something around 4300 or so....gee thanks to whoever that was that posted those pics side by side !!:twothumbsany ideas for local stores etc?? thanks......

 

[kramer5150]

**EDIT**
BVH has clarified everything for you in his post below. I'll leave my post untouched however so you can see what the light looks like inside, hopefully this will help your project.

I believe its a 35W automotive H1 HID lamp. Someone who has actually done the mod should confirm this for sure. If you have any local automotive parts stores try that for starters. These bulbs are very popular with the street tuner crowd, so any specialty shops along those lines should be able to help.

Heres some pics of what it looks like, including the bulb base... its either an H1 or H3.

Heres the bulb socket on the back of the reflector (copper focusing shim is shown in place)

 

[BVH]

It's a short H3 bulb. Shorter than the typical "kit" hid bulb. My comparison pic is in the Part 1 Stanley thread.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=225844&page=2 - post #65

The typical "kit" bulb is the one on the left with the blue return wire.

 

[kramer5150]

It's a short H3 bulb. Shorter than the typical "kit" hid bulb. My comparison pic is in the Part 1 Stanley thread.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=225844&page=2 - post #65

The typical "kit" bulb is the one on the left with the blue return wire.

Isn't that bulb on the left an H4 or H7? It doesn't look like an H3. My understanding is that the standard "filament" to base dimensions are not identical.

 

[BVH]

I was not completely clear. The bulb on the left is from my original Costco and was meant only to demonstrate typical Kit bulb length, not base style. I don't know what base it is. With all my HID knowledge, I don't seem to be able to "get into" bulb base styles. Stanley bulb in the middle and shorty H3 on the right.

 

[kramer5150]

I was not completely clear. The bulb on the left is from my original Costco and was meant only to demonstrate typical Kit bulb length, not base style. I don't know what base it is. With all my HID knowledge, I don't seem to be able to "get into" bulb base styles. Stanley bulb in the middle and shorty H3 on the right.

OK thanks... I have a 55W HID kit on order (H4 base), it will be interesting to see what the bulb looks like. I may have to shim it to get it into focus. Note that I am modding a different spotlight, not my stanley.

 

[BVH]

IIRC, there is somewhere around 3/16" difference in the actual final location of the arc chamber btw the typical and shorty bulb. You might end up with a 1/4" shim. If that's the case, you'll need to figure out a new way to hold the bulb into the bore as the clip will not work, IIRC.

 

[liteitup]

stanley hid bulb on the left, standard h3 bulb on the right. just get a regular h3, it focused perfectly in my stanley. I have a sneaking suspicion that the h3 bulb that comes with the stanley is no better/different then a regular chinese kit bulb. remember the only "real" hid bulbs are the d2s, d1s ect... atleast thats my understanding.

 

[nodoubt]

stanley hid bulb on the left, standard h3 bulb on the right. just get a regular h3, it focused perfectly in my stanley. I have a sneaking suspicion that the h3 bulb that comes with the stanley is no better/different then a regular chinese kit bulb. remember the only "real" hid bulbs are the d2s, d1s ect... atleast thats my understanding.

where did that bulb come from and what k rating is it ??

 

[nodoubt]

hunted all day saturday and gave up....where can a get a good bulb online....

 

[liteitup]

hunted all day saturday and gave up....where can a get a good bulb online....

got my bulbs from xtremehids.com havnt had any problems with the bulbs.

 

[nodoubt]

got my bulbs from xtremehids.com havnt had any problems with the bulbs.

is this what you got ??
http://www.xtremehids.com/product_info.php?cPath=50_93&products_id=581
if so.....what did you do......just cut and splice the wires ??....is the bulb length close to the same ??

 

[kramer5150]

I have a 55W kit en route from xtremehids. I could have saved a lot of $$$, buying from overseas, but I didn't want to hassle with all that. They stock inventory and ship out of one of the Carolina states IIRC. They respond to emails and technical questions too.

 

[nodoubt]

I have a 55W kit en route from them. I could have saved a lot of $$$, buying from overseas, but I didn't want to hassle with all that. They stock inventory and ship out of one of the Carolina states IIRC. They respond to emails and technical questions too. Their H4 low bulbs have a removable shield, so the light emits in a symmetric 360 degree pattern. This is vitally important for a non-automotive application, not all H4 low-bulb shields are removable. You don't want your beam to look like this...

whats an 44 low bulb?? i thought these lights took a standard h3??? what color light are you guys getting?? 4300k ??

 

[kramer5150]

whats an 44 low bulb?? i thought these lights took a standard h3??? what color light are you guys getting?? 4300k ??

Oops... I edited my post above. Yes the stanley uses an H3 bulb. I was posting some off topic information on H4 bulbs.

I have gone back and edited my commentary to keep it on topic.

 

[liteitup]

I have a 55W kit en route from xtremehids. I could have saved a lot of $$$, buying from overseas, but I didn't want to hassle with all that. They stock inventory and ship out of one of the Carolina states IIRC. They respond to emails and technical questions too.

Buy it from ebay... xtremehids sells the same 55watt kits on ebay for 66 bucks shipped, same company just a better price . forgot to note that in my other post.

is this what you got ??
http://www.xtremehids.com/product_info.php?cPath=50_93&products_id=581
if so.....what did you do......just cut and splice the wires ??....is the bulb length close to the same ??

yep just solder it in there. bulb is identical dimensions, atleast by the naked eye. 4300k is a good color, supposed to be the brightest. 5k is also a nice color. wouldnt go any higher then 5k.

 

[BVH]

Be sure to adequately insulate your bare wire solder joints. You've got approximately 23,000 Volts going thru those wires for a fraction of a second and my experience shows if the wires are close together or close to a ground, they will arc across and could damage your electronics. One piece of shrink tube, a few turns of electrical tape, or the typical insulated crimp fitting does not typically provide enough insulation.

 

[kramer5150]

Be sure to adequately insulate your bare wire solder joints. You've got approximately 23,000 Volts going thru those wires for a fraction of a second and my experience shows if the wires are close together or close to a ground, they will arc across and could damage your electronics. One piece of shrink tube, a few turns of electrical tape, or the typical insulated crimp fitting does not typically provide enough insulation.

How do you sufficiently insulate wire junctions between the lamp and ballast?

 

[BVH]

First choice is not to splice unless absolutely necessary. I install Delphi Weatherpac connectors on all ends. They insulate and protect very well. If I have to splice, I researched and bought some 30 KV rated shrink tubing. Absent all the above, I'd probably try 4-6 layers of typical shrink tubing. (I have not done this, though so I don't know if it works)