Don't know the first seller but there's some BS in the ad copy and that always makes me wary. (216W t5 equals 400W MH? I don't think so....that reflector is nothing special, same basic design as the HTG offering--as cheap as you can make it... also, I'm not so sure moving the the reflector out, away from the tube, will help--probably the opposite. T5's were designed with a small tube diameter for a reason...)

With shipping, that first one's $170. Too much.

I've ordered from HTG before. The shipping's discreet and reasonable, so I'd go with them. I'm NOT familiar with that fixture, though... looks pretty "entry-level" to me, as does the eBay unit.

On the downside, I ordered a quantity of HTG "store-brand" T5 tubes and won't do it again. Some were DOA, some blew on first ignition, some worked for awhile...none were visibly as bright as GE's, Ushios, or anything else I have. They were so cheap I never even bothered to complain about it, though...HTG probably would have tried to make it right.

So, I'll order from them again, just don't stock up on their cheapo bulbs. I'd actually consider tightly spaced T8 shoplights as an alternative to either of these fixtures. Neither seems to be a great bargain.

Just my .02, Hermie
DreadedHermie Reviewed by DreadedHermie on . Help me compare two T5 lights! So the two lights I'm looking at are T5 FLUORESCENT FLUOREX GROW LIGHT = 400 MH compact CFL - eBay (item 270519295940 end time Feb-07-10 20:00:43 PST) and High Tech Garden Supply They're both 4 bulb, 4ft long lights. I know HTG supply is a pretty well known supplier, but I've never heard of the other guys. The benefits of their light is that the lights are farther from the reflective surface, and that the reflector is a bit longer than the standard reflector on the sides, which might Rating: 5