newbe looking for best deal on hps

I didn't see your last post before I posted mine. As far as the same bulb for grow and veg I highly discourage it. It will work and you will get weed, but not nearly enough for yor effort. If you go this route, make sure the emphesis is on the flowering (more red spectrum like HPS), because after all, that's the important part. Anything will work for the veg stage, just not as well as MH. There are switchable ballasts, and their are conversion bulbs. Either of these would be a much better choice than one bulb. I think (not sure) all digital ballasts allow you to use conversion bulbs, so they are similar to a switchable ballast.

I think if I were to buy only one HID ballast that were not conversion or switchable, I would buy it for flowering and use blue spectrum flouros for vegging. You would probably get about the same results for much less electricity. There is a formula or two to figure this out somewhere.

Let me warn you about cool tubes...they are only as good as the 500 bucks worth of fans you really need to make them cool...the homemade units help, and will work great...If, you have the centrifugal fans to push enough air to keep them cool.

for all my lighting needs I buy from bghydro...and they have the support/service after the sale. lw

What about the Phototron?
Has anyone here ever used one or seen one up close & personally?
I like the concept very much but they are pricey...and I don't know if they are practical.

http://www.phototron.com/

Deff get Hortilux bulb. Those who use swear by them. Also, as someone said about distance from plant, for every foot you are away, you loose roughly 50% of your intensity. Here is a great chart to give you some info.
http://boards.cannabis.com/attachmen...2&d=1148175556


b0nger

horti is the best hps on the market, but I also use master Son T in my 250hps It kicks butt, also.
and for my metal halides I use agrosun gold and sunmaster. they are the same bulb,,made for 2 co's.

and check out that intensity link...goof info

lw

Let me warn you about cool tubes...they are only as good as the 500 bucks worth of fans you really need to make them cool

Latewood, what are you talking about? I have one 4" inline fan (Can-Fan brand because it outsucks two of the competion for the same supposed CFM). I paid just over $200 for it. That one fan cools my cool tube plus supplies ventaltion for my veg side and my separate mother area. That is my only fan in my veg and mother area except for a computer fan blowing on my ballast, and a real small inline fan (about $40 for 50 CFM) way down the exhast line by the opening in the wall.

Maybe you bought the competition's brand and that's why you needed $500 worth of ventalation. I would say my $250 worth of ventalation is sufficient for my veg area, since my plants can actually touch the glass without getting harmed. A good breeze also keeps the plants moving in the veg area and mother area. This is supplied by a very technical and ingenious array of pvc pipe with small holes drilled into it. This in itself is an interesting story about different hole sizes playing different music, which I will address in a later post.

Don't let Latewood fool you. Most everyone agrees cool tubes are the shit. Latewood I am surprised at you.

for every foot you are away, you loose roughly 50% of your intensity
According to that chart it's much more than that. That's if I'm reading it correctly. Those are inches, aren't they?

yeah you get the point. spend the money and do it right. Most shops will DO THE SAME as EBAY if you bring in a pic. Mine does so i dont have to wait for the damn thing and deal with ebayers. Electronic ballass are DEF worth the money once you get to two or more lights..especially if heat is going to be a problem. One ballast alone can raise the ambient temp of a well vented room ten degrees. Much cheaper to just get the more expensive ballast. and good luck