Which light to choose?

[oldmac]

400 watt Metal halide, or 4 T-5's. Im in a controversy on which too get. I also want something that will allow me to clone and start seedlings. I need advice from veterans.

First, there is a big difference between a 400w MH and 4 (4'?) T5s. The 4 HO T5s are just 216 watts total (4x54w). A 400w MH will give about 38,000 intial lumens and the 4 HO T5s will only produce about 19,000 lumens. The MH will have more light penetration vs the T5s. This is really apples vs oranges.

For clones or starting seedlings you could probably use just 1 4' T5 54w (6000-6500K) lighting abt 2'x4' and get great results. If you are vegging moms or plants taller then abt 2' or have a lot of them, then the MH is better.

You need to figure out how much space you are going to devote to seedlings, clones or vegging. Also think abt the heat build up, the MH is more then twice as much heat as 4 4' T5s to deal with.

Hope this helps you with your decision.