Conclusion

ExabyteSystems' cold cathodes definitely come affordably. Quality is usually good, but not perfect. One case of poor quality we found was that the RGB cathode would dim if the wires going into the tube were shaken. Thankfully, no other cathodes had this problem. We were also disappointed to receive a broken cathode, but ExaByteSystems has (and will continue to) take care of problems to customers' satisfaction.

The only way to mount the inverter is with screws, unless you want to make a run to the store for some Velcro.

We were quite happy with the mounting of the lamp and switch, but the inverter is a different story. Except for two screw holes, the inverter does not come with anyway to attach. Some quick thinking led us to use one screw through an empty hard drive bay, with the inverter and a nut on the other side. It may look ghetto, but is not viewable through our window. The inverter could also be mounted with some Velcro from your local grocery store. Overall, mounting was not much of a hassle.

The mounting of the cathode is strong. You literally must pull the lamp off until the sticky pad rips. Luckily, this was the broken cathode.

Some heat is generated from the lamps, but not enough to raise system temperatures. The inverters get slightly warm, but again not hot enough to raise system temperatures by any means. Coming from using Sunbeams (which don't heat up at all) the heat was not welcome, but since temperatures didn't rise and it did not seem to be a big deal we were not bothered by this. Also, unlike Sunbeam cold cathodes, there is no way of telling what color each lamp is before turning it on. Once mounted this is not a problem, but when testing six cold cathodes it would be nice to know what is what.

Each inverter only supports one lamp, which means for every lamp you'll need an individual inverter and switch. Although we expected this would be annoying, it really wasn't bad. After doing the math of buying two kits compared to one kit with an extra lamp from competitors, ExaByteSystems is still cheaper than most.

In the end we were very happy with the white and UV lamps, but the RGB's quality and dullness lowered the final score. Mounting the cathodes proved quite easy, and while two lamps require two inverters and switches, the price is still cheaper than competitors. For only $11, I'd definitely recommend picking up a white or UV lamp.

I suggest every check back our site within a week, I've got an extra five cold cathodes ;-).

Final Score: B-

Questions, Comments? Discuss the review in our forums or E-mail me here. If you're interested in purchasing these cathodes, please visit ExaByteSystems.
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