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When it's time to replace your Apollo projector lamp, many assume that replacing the part of the lamp that produces light, or relamping, will cost less than buying a new Apollo lamp w/assembly. Seems like a great way to save money, but relamping has its drawbacks.

There are many Apollo projector models, and their compatible replacement lamps in production. When purchasing a Apollo lamp that has gone through the process of relamping, there is no way to determine what was remanufactured or rebuilt on the lamp. Some relamping vendors only replace the bulb inside the assembly. Most Apollo projector lamps, RPTV lamps and Apollo assemblies have reflectors that diminish in functionality over time. These Apollo reflectors should also be replaced to even get close to the original performance of a Apollo lamp. Information about which Apollo bulb is compatible with each Apollo lamp assembly and Apollo projector model is not readily available, not always accurate nor is the info published by any reliable industry sources.

If you purchase a new bulb to insert into existing Apollo projector lamp housing, you will be required to perform this task yourself. Relamping may require special tools that most do not have lying around at home. Do it yourself relamping also brings the possibility of damaging the new bulb, or the lamp assembly you already have. Once this happens, you could wind up spending hundreds on a bulb you just damaged trying to install and buying a new bulb to replace the one you damaged.

Bulbs that are sold by themselves, without the lamp housing, can sometimes be inexpensive. These inexpensive bulbs can be found and purchased from obscure, little known vendors, or from individuals on websites like eBay. Resale or wholesale vendors make up a large portion of the sale and distribution channels for relamped projector lamps. Thus, a buyer will typically have no way to know who made the lamp, where the company is located, or if they produce reliable, long lasting lamps. Relamped products also have a high rate of exploding upon installation and being dead on Arrival. At times, the bulb will not be fully connected to the Apollo lamp assembly, causing the entire lamp to fail. There is no known solution for improperly installed relamped bulbs. There are also no known repair shops for relamped bulbs. Your only recourse would be to send it to the company you purchased from, and lose the time, money and effort you have put into the project thus far.

In the end,. Relamping seems like a low cost alternative in lamp replacement. Considering just these few pitfalls, relamping is a gamble few of us could afford to take!