Opinions on Projector Lamps

[frogmort]

I've had my Epson 6500UB for 26 months (my first projector - factory refurbished) and after about 1900 hours, my lamp is starting to go. It actually looked really great just a couple of days ago, but almost all at once it got considerably darker.

After looking around a lot over the last few days, my head is spinning about what to do.

I can get an el cheapo Chinese knockoff for about $50, but I've read a lot of horror stories about those arriving broken, damaging the ballast from improper voltage, or exploding and damaging the projector.

I can get the actual certified manufacturer Epson lamp from Visual Apex (where I bought my pj) for $259, but that's an awful lot of money for me right now.

Also, after doing some research I found a site called Pureland Supply. While not technically OEM, they have a genuine Osram replacement lamp mounted inside an Apog lamp module for $185 which is $74 less than the real deal.

I would rather pay full price if I knew I would be getting something much better and more reliable, but if I can get something that's absolutely just as good for $74 less, then that would seem like the way to go.

Have any of you guys had success with any of the el cheapo knockoffs, and if so from what seller, or have any of you had any experience with Pureland Supply or any other non-OEM manufacturer that offers top quality lamps at significant savings?

Right now I'm leaning towards either biting the bullet and getting the OEM or possibly going with the Pureland Supply Osram lamp. This will be my first lamp replacement and I want to make sure that I make the best choice while also getting the best deal.

Any knowledge about and/or prior experience with buying pj lamps would be greatly appreciated.

[Show spoiler]This site is my main hangout, but I'll probably copy-paste this over to avs too just to get the most help and input, so don't give me too much grief over doing that if you go over there please.