your missing the point, a cfl will never be as good as an hps for flowering, 8 cfls equaling 150 watts, you can get a 150wtt hps that will give you so much better results. 150wtts isnt gonna get you a 1/2lb on 3 plants thats over 2 onces a plant. A newbie grower isnt going to achieve high results with minimal supplies. read up, this topic is a repeat over and over. Sticky threads are ones that actually have good important info. cfls or hids is a no brainer, you just work with what you got.