Projector buying advice, please

I need a projector for a small classroom for watching the usual powerpoint presentations but also films.

• The climate is tropical and replacement light bulbs practically impossible to get so I need something with a long bulb life.
• The projector must be bright enough to watch in a lit classroom as there are no curtains.
• High definition is not necessary and definitely not 3D.
• I have VGA port in my laptop but I guess there are always adapters to downgrade.

My budget is very low, somewhere £300 mark, preferably.

Any suggestions of possible makes and what should I look for?

 

I would check out user reviews on reputable sites like Amazon or other large online retailers.

 

I have been reading reviews for a few days now but I'm even more confused, because most of the budget projectors don't have any ratings - and some of the reviews sound very much like advertising.

As people often post their review soon after purchase, few posts comment about reliability, unless the machine was a dud to begin with... And that's the main sticking point:I don't think there are any licensed repair shops in the country where I live (and the same goes with replacement bulbs). Of course, if something goes wrong once I start using it in my country, I won't be able to take it back.

 

I wouldn't imagine reliability is a general problem.
I would purchase one with reasonable reviews but purchase a spare bulb at the same time.
Have used a few different makes over the last few years and never had a problem....not even a bulb failure. These have been fairly low cost projectors with different organisations.

 

claptrap, why not go to local colleges and universities and ask what projectors the instructors use. You'd probably get good feedback on good and bad models from people using the devices.