Quote Originally Posted by Psycho4Bud
DON'T touch the MH or HPS lamp at all. Wipe it off with a clean towel before screwing it in and use the towel to hang onto your lamp. Just like a fingerprint, there's no way to wash your hands clean enough to handle the bulbs. Have a good grow! :thumbsup:
True, true.

The grease/oil from your hands/fingertips will stick to the bulb's outer glass shell... when the bulb fires up, that oil will cause hot spots on the surface of the glass shell... which will, eventually, cause it to go "pop".

Like Psycho4Bud (hehehe.... funny name) says, clean it (I use alcohol) and handle it with towels.