I've read that overdriving these tubes will definately shorten their lives but 10k hours still is a long time. The main advantage that I see is heat reduction. My room is completely climate controlled but the less the A/C has to run the better. There is less plant damage if they happen to grow into the lights as well but these overdriven bulbs will still burn leaves but not as bad as HID. As for safety these ballasts seem to creat vey little heat, just barely warm to the touch. I'm really happy with the cost advantage for cloning and veg states, much cheaper than the T-5 setup that I was thinking about. I'm thinking about making some more of these for side lighting in the flower room.