Ceramic Metal Halide Bulbs...for HPS ballasts?

[Dutch Pimp]

Phlips MasterColor Ceramic Metal Halide ~ CMH ~ HPS-Retro White

OK..techies...what does everyone think about this bulb?

Dutch Pimp Reviewed by Dutch Pimp on 09-13-2007. Ceramic Metal Halide Bulbs...for HPS ballasts? Phlips MasterColor Ceramic Metal Halide ~ CMH ~ HPS-Retro White OK..techies...what does everyone think about this bulb? Rating: 5

[rhizome]

Not a huge fan of any conversion bulb, as the cost of use after a single replacement would generally cover the ballast that you're not buying.

I'm not familiar w/ this bulb in vivo, so I can't be more specific. (What's up with the spike @520-530 nm? Lot of power at not-so-great wavelengths...)

[Dutch Pimp]

Well..I am a big fan of hortilux bulbs. I have a 400 HPS Hortilux that did very well for me. But on my next grow, I was thinking about a conversion bulb....:silly:

The spectrum wavelengths on this bulb appear to be superior to both Hortilux or Son Gro. This is just a "thinking" exercise on my part, getting ready for my next grow. I will stick with my 400HPS ballast, no matter what. I'm just on the lookout for the BEST bulb on the market. Price is no object, but $53+tax seems a bargain.

I've paid a LOT more for things in my life, and gotten a LOT less, if you know what I mean...:thumbsup: Just looking for the most bang for the buck...imp:

[Dutch Pimp]

What's not to like?...comparison wise?

CMH vs. standard HPS vs. Son Agro 430 vs. Hortilux MH conversion bulbs.

[rhizome]

Again- I'm not familiar w/ this bulb in practice- I'm working from the spec graphs, and my experiance w/ conversion bulbs. For all I know it's a winner.

Most of the conversion bulbs that I've been around lost brilliance fairly quickly, and were relatively expensive. ($53 is a VERY good price for a 400w conversion- I'd def give one a shot.)

Replacing bulbs annually, if yer burning a good ag bulb, should run you about $100 per annum. If this conversion only lasts 6 months, it's gonna cost you $106+tax per annum. 400w conversions are often $100+, which puts cost per annum ( replacing every six months) up over two hundred bucks- prohibitive, to me.

In terms of the bulb, that spec graph looks to me like it's tossing a lot of energy in the 530-540nm range.

If you want the best, in my opinion that'd be the Hortilux Blue- but that's gonna require a MH compatible ballast. This may be a workable option.

[Dutch Pimp]

I appreciate your input rhizome...:thumbsup:

I was wondering about that spike at 520-530 nm too...it must useful for something...tanning maybe?...

Some dude at ICMag put me on this...claims to have used it for years. I asked about that spike...waiting on his answer.

Bottom line: I think I will get one. Nothing ventured, nothing gained...:stoned:

[Dutch Pimp]

One update on these Ceramic Metal Halide bulbs...they are NOT to be used with Digital Ballasts!

[rhizome]

Not from personal experiance, I hope...

[Dutch Pimp]

Not from personal experiance, I hope...

...no ...it's just the techie rap...from some dude at ICMag that has been using them. I have a heavy duty 400 HPS magnetic ballast. The check is in the mail...so to speak. Will let y'all know how it works...in a few months.....:weedpoke:

[khronik]

Well, it's clearly designed for industrial lighting, not horticulture use, and that large spike in the middle of the green spectrum will probably be wasted. It looks like a HPS/MH combo light, which could be great for vegging. The life is only 20,000 hours which is similar to typical MH bulb life. When it says the lumen maintenance is 85%, that probably means you'll get 85% of your initial lumens at half the bulb's rated life. I've seen other representations of lumen maintenance, but the % of initial lumens at 50% life is the most common. Also, lumens are about the same as a typical MH non-conversion bulb, so that's pretty good.

If you're familiar with regular MH bulbs, this looks like it'd work a lot like they do, but with a broader spectrum and in a HPS ballast. And because it's designed for industrial use, the low price probably has more to do with economy of scale than quality. Go for it!