Do mh bulbs lose the initial brightness after a few days?

Chinese cheap generic no name. Should I pay $27 for a 'better' bulb?

for veg just run'em but get a good bulb for flowering.
in the future if you get yourself lamps made for general purpose lighting expect to get the color change that makes it look like a loss of lumens, if it bothers you that much then get yourself lamps that are burnt in from factory or pay and get grow lamps.

ok thanks for your time mate

Sometimes you get a bad bulb it happens.
my 600w HPS bulb went one day, got a brand new one at the hydro store, put it in, and it never fired, bad bulb. It happens. Keep the junk one as a back up, and buy a new one.