Quote Originally Posted by jamstigator
I have a 400 watt digital ballast and a 1,000 watt magnetic ballast. I would have bought a digital ballast for the 1,000 watt unit, but they were either very new at that time, or they were only available in 240v versions (which doesn't work for me). The biggest advantages of digital ballasts are: they have few if any moving parts so there's less to break down over time; they are basically absolutely quiet, no hum; they generate less heat than magnetic ballasts (always a factor); they consume less energy for the same amount of light generated; they strobe their light at much higher frequencies than magnetic ballasts which the plants seem to like better. (Could be wrong about the latter, but that's what it looks like to me.)

So, all-in-all, yes, I do think they are worth it. Anywhere you're going to use an HID lamp, I'd definitely consider attaching the lamp to a digital ballast. I plan on buying a 600 watt digital ballast (or two) to replace my 1,000 watt magnetic ballast, and just keep the 1,000-watter around as an emergency spare.
Wait a minute, I thought a digitial ballast was simply that the ballast allows both HPS and MH bulbs....is this true???
sOcK3y3 Reviewed by sOcK3y3 on . digital ballast, worth it? hey guys i plan on starting a grow in a couple months once i have some spare money for my set up, i plan on using a 250w hps just for 2-3 plants so i can have a nice little personal stash for me and my friends, but i my question is this, i know that digital ballasts are better then regular magnetic ones but are they worth the extra money, so all of u guys that have digital ballasts and have used both which do u like better do do you think it was worth the extra buck, if its worth the Rating: 5