Hortilux conversion bulbs questions

hey i have a 400 watt hps ballast and i want to get this bulb:
Eye Hortilux Metal Ace Conversion Bulb - 400W from 4 hydroponics.com by Growco Indoor Garden Supply

i was just wondering if anyone had used one and how they liked it, is it really worth the extra 35 bucks for the hortilux over the normal hps to mh conversion bulbs? im using a home made ballast from insidesun.com (im poor), any problems?

the description for that bulb says its 7 inches fat, is there a thinner hortilux hps to mh conversion bulb? (or other manufacturer like optilume?)

ok after some more research i found out i should probably get a ceramic metal halide, seeing as how i have a non-digital ballast. i found this one at bulbs.com:

CDM400S51/HOR/4K/ALTO - 146506

anyone found any cheaper or better? i heard there was a high defect rate on cmh, is that still true?

I was very happy with my CMH bulb....:)..http://boards.cannabis.com/indoor-li...-ballasts.html

I used that exact same Hortilux MHC bulb on my 400W system, and I have no complaints about the results it had. It does read on the box that this type of conversion bulb needs to be used with enclosed light reflectors (not entirely sure why), but I used it in an open bat-wing reflector for the longest time, and I never saw any ill effects from it. There are always differences between bulbs produced by a quality manufacturer, and bulbs produced generically. But the slight differences don't always outweigh the cost. I'm a bargain-hunter, and will devote large periods of time to finding the cheapest price before I buy. Maybe if you check out a few more sites, you'll find that Hortilux for a more reasonable price. (I know how stupidly expensive they can be...)

so i gues some people think the cmh is the best bulb for vegging or flowering period, better than a hortilux blue mh for vegging, better than any hps bulb for flowering, and all for 53 bucks? is this 53 dollar bulb seriously the best bulb in the world regaurdless of price?