GE Lighting UltraMax Proline Electronic Ballast, 120/277 Volt Program Start Ballast, Normal Ballast Factor, Ballast for Fluorescent Light (2) or (1) Lamp T8

Very good value. Energy efficient and highly desirable if you want a lot of light from a standard 4' fixture with medium T8 tubes: 5,800 lumens! (You can't find that in LED tubes easily.) Also, because it's programmed start, makes tubes last longer - potentially up to 80,000 hours. Lightweight, compact and easy enough to install.

I have been using this ballast in a high-use area of my home for more than one year. I installed this product in order to replace a defective ballast in a light fixture in my kitchen that had used F40/T12 (40 watt), 4-foot-long fluorescent tubes. I switched to this ballast because of concerns about the continuing availability of the F40/T12 tubes. I selected this particular ballast, a GE UltraStart, instead of less-expensive, instant-start ballasts that were available, because this one, being a program/rapid-start type, offers extended lamp life in frequently switched applications (> 100,000 on/off cycles, according to GE Lighting). This new ballast has functioned flawlessly, and the fluorescent tubes still look almost new after a year of being frequently switched on and off. Being electronic, it is lighter-weight than the magnetic ballast that it replaced, and it uses the smaller-diameter F32/T8 (32 watt) fluorescent tubes, which produce a nice, bright light output. With this ballast, the light from the fixture comes on in less than one second after the switch is turned on, faster than the old magnetic ballast. I would highly recommend this product. Of course, it is advisable to have it installed by a qualified electrician.

Works like a charm! Hopefully, the programmed start will allow longer life in the bulbs, given the frequent on and off switching that goes with the Kitchen lighting. Be prepared to connect a bunch of wires--you can use your old receptacles (if they aren't damaged) by using a pin or a very small (<1 mm) screwdriver to open the catch on the receptacle wire slots.Update: Still working perfectly after almost 2 years! I'm ordering 3 more!

Great ballast. Got it for replacing T12 ballast that was bad, and re-lamping with T8. The programmed start was highly desirable because the lamps will be switched on and off frequently, and the programmed start, although it takes about a half second to turn on, will greatly extend the life of the lamps. Measured power factor at 0.98, so it is also efficient and and low distortion.

Replaced 3 magnetic ballasts with this electronic ballast and installed f8 led tube lights. Much brighter, instant on. Ballast is easy to install and works as desired. Shipment packaging was a little less than desired as plastic envelope was pretty beat up...ballasts worked though.

This is a nice ballast that eases a lot the installation work: plenty of wire slack to do the connections (60cm/2ft if I am not mistaken), lightweight, small and the instructions and specifications written on the label on the top are very clear.I bought it online as it is difficult to find a slow start ballast on the stores - the slow start (around 1 second to turn on) is ideal for areas where light is switched on and off frequently.

easy to install.

I just replaced the ballasts in four 2-light T12 fixtures that were dead, noisy, inefficient, or just were going through bulbs too quickly. The new T8 lights come on quick, they're bright, the ballasts are silent, and the price (even after the bag of wire nuts and roll of electrical tape) was better than picking up new fixtures. It's too early to tell whether the bulbs will last longer, but I'm happy so far.