The Lumen 220 illuminator for fluorescence microscopy is a high-quality alternative to mercury bulbs and has a lifespan of 2000 hours. Metal halide bulbs offer both a longer lifespan and superior light quality to traditional mercury (HBO) bulbs. The light intensity peaks with a larger bandwidth to improve excitation, and the overall light brightness is greater, while the spectral intensity is similar. Replacing existing HBO bulbs with Lumen will not disrupt experiments as the same fluorophores can be used and observed with both. Lumen 220 bulbs are an economical option. They have a lifespan of 2000 hours compared to 200 for HBO bulbs, which keeps the lifetime cost of the system low as well as reducing the need for maintenance as the bulbs will last for several months instead of just a few weeks. In comparison to LED fluorescence illumination, the L220 can offer significantly higher excitation power in the green part of the visible spectrum. It will work with Cy7 fluorescence allowing for multiplexing (examining various elements in a sample with different fluorophores) over a greater range of visible light wavelengths.