basically here's my lighting guide:

1. HPS: 250w is 115lumen/watt, 400 is about 130lumen/watt, 600w is about 150l/w; that's a big difference; keep that in mind; 600's are way more efficient than the 250's per your electric bill. they have great spectrum for flowering, they last, the bulbs are cheap and easily replaceable; this is the gold standard; however, there are plenty of times (read: closets etc.) where heat is an issue. sometimes it's not worth it to put in all the ventilation you might need to deal with an hps heat issue

2. T5HO flouros: 92 lumen/watt and come in 4ft and 2ft: they are expensive, but they are cool, and put out more lumen/watt than metal halide. IMHO a great investment for vegging, and for flowering as well if you can't take the heat of an hps

3. metal halide: i don't see the point anymore. they put out about 80 lumen/watt and you'll have heat issues. i don't know why someone would use MH over T5HO, they put out more heat, don't last as long, and less lumens

4. all other flouros: basicallly these are compromise solutions: cfl's are generally the cheapest and easiest to set up, or t12's or t8's depending on what deals you can get and the size of your box. they are not efficient, but they are cheap and cool


good luck; the same solution is not right for everyone. i just got today a 250w hps from insidesun and hopefully i'll be able to handle the heat. they have the cheapest unit at $92. it looks good to me. however, if i could handle the heat, i'd much rather have a 600w hps for the future, as they are MUCH more efficient, like 35lumen/watt more efficient. when you have 600 watts, that's a big savings in electricity/harvest
onequickmove Reviewed by onequickmove on . Flourescent Lights ??? Say I wanted to get a T5 light but my closet is one inch to short do you think I should get it and jam it in there some how prolly uneven as hell. Or get a 2ft flouresceent light and like 2 compact flourescents bulbs????? Rating: 5