Here's my story: I've spent $700 bucks for 13 years of mowing. And I've been ridin' in the saddle. I mow about an acre, two or three times a month. I let the grass get a little too tall sometimes, but these mowers have had no problem cutting it down. My first was a Craftsman 14 or a 16 hp that I paid 100 bucks for. I only bought one battery in 5 years. It was probably from the 80s or 90s. The engine was still strong but the rest was shot. Time for a new one. So, I ended up calling a guy and he said "come on by, I have one for sale." He had a Murray he wanted 200 for. But I noticed a larger yard man sitting under a tree, it was a hydraulic 18 hp Yard Man that he said needed some TLC. I asked him what it needed. He said just a "little this and that." I've heard that before! Dig? I said, does it Run?" He said yes, and after some effort we got it cranked. I bought it. I just had a feeling about it. The quality stuck out. Hydraulics will last longer. I know a little something. But It was a little risky. I knew it needed a little help under the deck. I paid $225.00 for it. But 8 years later, it!'s still running. That Kohler engine is great. It's a 1996 model. It takes a little effort to get it cranked, I use a little ether and have a process, because I don't want to kill my battery with excess cranks.? I've spent $400 over the last 8 years on it. There's a pro mechanic who has put a belt on it. and some pulleys and such under the deck, batteries. I mow my lawn in 30 to 40 minutes. That saves me an hour versus the push type. Saves my back even more. My mechanic said the Kohler engine is as good as a Honda. This was a high time machine before I got it. I can just tell. But I've only put about 100 hours on it or so. I'm trying to stretch the life out by mowing only 2, maybe 3 times a month. If I mow every week, there's no need for the ether -- but I like for my grass to grow tall before cutting -- it keeps it thicker and better looking. My neighbors have a love- hate relationship with me.

That's funny, I have one that lollygagged all summer and is doing the same thing. It's in the ground and even has tiny buds, but I bet we'll have frost before it blooms and I have to dig it up. Now I'm wondering if digging it up and potting is going to disrupt the blooming process. By the way, I have potted brugs that are more than 5' tall and they're coming in the house. Isn't the average ceiling something like 7'? So I would bring it in and enjoy the flowers, then trim it back.

After checking around a bit, I guess prices do vary. But both the Clean-Ace and Clean-Arc can be found for $70 or less if you know what to look for. The Clean-Ace is actually a conversion bulb meant to run on a mercury vapor ballast, but many people (myself included) run them on MH ballasts without any problem. The Clean-Arc is meant to be run on a MH ballast, and is the bulb I would have chosen if I hadn't found such a good deal on the Clean-Ace. I ordered (but haven't yet received) the Clean-Ace from Salty Supply. It's called an Iwasaki 6500K in the aquarium industry. (EYE is a subsidiary of Iwasaki.) Doing a search for 400w Iwasaki will turn up lots of $70 bulbs that are in fact Clean-Ace bulbs if you check the model#. The Clean-Arc can be found for $70 at Business Lights as well as other places. As for the specs, you're looking at the base up/down (BUD) version of the Clean-Ace. The horizontal (HOR) version has identical specs to the Hortilux Blue, which is also a horizontal bulb. T15/17 may refer to the shape or size of the glass portion of the bulb (not sure), but they all fit in a standard mogul socket. IMO, this is just another example of charging different prices to different markets for the same product. I've been very happy with the 250w Clean-Ace in the past, and I'm sure the 400w Clean-Ace/Arc are just as good.

My father was a WW2 veteran, could have gone to college on the GI Bill, but didn't like studying, so he went to work for Sylvania Electric as a draftsman, a white collar job, working for engineers who designed electronics(radios,TVs) and machine parts. He made enough money to support a family of 6 (himself, wife and 4 kids)for 30 years, and buy a nice house in the "suburbs". The Sylvania name is still around but the factories are now in China. Surprise, surprise. Dad had a terrific work ethic, never took a sick day except for several hospitalizations (ulcer and gall bladder operations). He was "laid off" in the 60's when the local plant closed. Through a relative, he found work as a janitor, later went to a trade school and learned "stationary engineering", meaning he learned how to fix and maintain heating and cooling systems. He loved this job-he worked for many years, for a while in a big concert hall, also at a Catholic school. He always said he liked this job, he was treated well, allowed to work on his own without supervision. I've since met several stationary engineers who said the same thing. I'm retired after 31 years for the federal government, but I know govt is not hiring these days. So I don't recommend anyone do what I did. But my father found a good path.