# Ballast Brands and Bulb Brands???????



## MysticWolf (Aug 23, 2009)

I've been reading allot of stuff on the different ballast and bulb brands but no where have I found where you can read past the hyp and sales gimmicks 

I want to go digital for the long term cost savings and the saving on heat and bulb life but to give an example at HTG supply they 

Lumateck & Growbright electronic or digital ballasts both with the same warranty????...So is one as good as the other ? Does one last longer? Which brands preform and which are DUDS? I've looked through all the lighting stuff and this has not been made a sticky but I think this would be an important Sticky to help all those upgrading or building up thier grows!!!

Just My 2 cents 

The same is true on bulbs everybody here says eye hortilux only but I go to read at all the bulb sites and each one raves about there bulbs ....So is it pay the steep price for the eye hortilux ???? Or are there bulbs that preform just as good if not better and where can you find bulb specturm comparison charts? so you can stack one bulb against another ???? Those facts got to be somewhere , but I have not found them yet...

Me I'm going from outdoor growing and learning indoor I started with what I had on hand CFL and things I scrounged together ...Now I have a nice cab built to grow in and I'd very much like to work toward putting the right equiptment in it the first time around!

Since here at the house I'd like to stay a bit stealthy and get the most bang for my buck ...So branded or off brand ...Please share your thoughts Thanks in advance.

James


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## clanchattan (Aug 24, 2009)

pay the cash for the ballasts.
save your cash on the bulbs.

go to your closest electrical supply house and buy your lamps. sylvania, g.e. 
whatever they have. lamps built to last 20,000 to 30,000 hours for a third of the price as the high zoot "grow" lamps. 

the yeild difference is marginal if it's there at all. and you can get fans, timers and other necessities with the savings.


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## The Hemp Goddess (Aug 24, 2009)

There can be a lot of difference in lumen output between different bulbs.  That is one of the things I pay attention to when shopping for bulbs.


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## SMOK3R (Aug 24, 2009)

hxxp://www.texashydroponics.com/shop/files/ballastComparison.pdf

I was just doing some light shopping recently and this article had a lot of info on ballasts.


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## clanchattan (Aug 25, 2009)

The Hemp Goddess said:
			
		

> There can be a lot of difference in lumen output between different bulbs. That is one of the things I pay attention to when shopping for bulbs.


 
but for a a guy asking how and where to spend his hard earned cash i vote for the the biggest bang for the buck approach which involves cheaper lamps, coil and core ballasts, (which i've advised against), and a general knowledge of lighting, coupled with a bacic understanding of electercitity, can yeild large ampunts of bud for a relitively cheap cost. do some recearch as to lumens vs. cost and there are people here who can back the proof I have of negating the cost of name brand lamps.


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## MysticWolf (Aug 26, 2009)

Smiles at all the Responses glad folks are adding input but no body is naming names or brands yet and @SMOK3R...I read that article it seems semi unbiased but put out by EYE Hortilux well they push their product too, and it is a good one many growers swear by them.

Though I'm talking about a listing of Like say the best and the worst magnetic and electronic ballasts.

and a Hit list of the best bulbs verses the worst so people can bargain shop I mean different places have different sales going on after all.

Plus allot of the off brand named bulbs are produced by the major makers so I heard and the ballasts too.

Like they say do not by a Grow bright ballast or one made in China but Lumatek states on their site they use parts from china though assembled in the USA ????

Quantum and Next Gen say the same things as well as Digital Greenhouse....

Also I heard from a friend that allot of the electronic ballast makers have off brand names that are just as good in fact with less bells and whistles they are more dependable then the state of the art high dollar ones ? 

After reading the article too is the 5 dollars a month savings worth the extra money...??? and It seems like they all get just as hot from the article too..

Questions Questions as I shop and find just the right parts 

Which is where a Hit list would come in handy and a Miss list 

Just a thought 
James


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## MysticWolf (Aug 26, 2009)

@ The Hemp Goddess...Do you go by shear lumens Dear lady or do you go by the nanometers of the light because on some bulbs like the bulb with the built in reflector ...because it's nano range is the same actually appears a tad better then the eye hortukux

Thanks in advance 
James


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## Growdude (Aug 26, 2009)

MysticWolf said:
			
		

> @ The Hemp Goddess...Do you go by shear lumens Dear lady or do you go by the nanometers of the light because on some bulbs like the bulb with the built in reflector ...because it's nano range is the same actually appears a tad better then the eye hortukux
> 
> Thanks in advance
> James



Just get the cheap bulbs from a electrical supply house, you wont be able to tell any difference.


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## BuddyLuv (Aug 26, 2009)

Do not use Lumatek Ballasts with growbright bulbs. The bulbs will not last. I learned this the hard way and ended up sending back 12 bulbs before HTG asked if I just wanted to upgrade to better bulbs. I haven't had an issue since. I run 8 Lumatek 600w with Eye Hortilux bulbs.


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## BBFan (Aug 26, 2009)

Much respect to BuddyLuv and Growdue and to the others who've posted here.

IMHO it's all about the quality of bud you want to grow.

For some, it's about constantly seeking how to grow the very best we can while achieving optimum results.  You need to understand your light in terms of spectrum and at what nm it outputs and how it affects the different pigments in your plants.

For others, it's about growing some decent weed for yourself, your friends, perhaps your patients, at little or no cost and enjoying being self sufficient.  Not so much concerned about whether you got .4 grams per watt or 1.3 grams per watt.  Got enough to enjoy and to hold you over to your next harvest.

Others it's just about quantity.  How much can we get for the smallest investment with the least risk/exposure.

All the advice given here is great advice in my opinion.  Clanchattan and the glorius HG offered great input.

I guess it's on you MysticWolf- what kind of grower are you?


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## The Hemp Goddess (Aug 26, 2009)

MysticWolf said:
			
		

> @ The Hemp Goddess...Do you go by shear lumens Dear lady or do you go by the nanometers of the light because on some bulbs like the bulb with the built in reflector ...because it's nano range is the same actually appears a tad better then the eye hortukux
> 
> Thanks in advance
> James



LOL--I go by _*sheer*_ lumens--which according to you may be a mistake.  I will investigate this further when I am not so high (been smoking some bubble hash with a friend ).  Thanks for the info.


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## MysticWolf (Aug 26, 2009)

@The Hemp Goddess...Not a mistake Dear lady if it works for you I was just looking at way too many charts the last few days and tring to educate myself on HPS and MH ...Tis a little overwhelming at first and makes ones brain itch 
laughs 
James


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## MysticWolf (Aug 27, 2009)

@BBFan...Well at the Collective pod I'm one kind of Grower here at the house with My just 6 plants I play and experiment a bit I guess you'd say reading things and trying it on a plant here and there to better My Skills...

Where as at the Collective Pod there are 6 patients counting on Me so I try to grow health and perfect cause each shares in those rewards and though My only knowledge up till this year has been outside now I'm getting indoor growing under My belt...So there any mistake costs everyone so I try not to make them...

Thank goodness for My books and the lending library I've built for the collective it darn sure comes in handy !!!!

Here I relax still read but I try to have a lil fun with My 6 plants at a time ...Do I want quality and quantity from it Yes I've got to make My Phoenix tears from it ...But if I try something here everybody doesn't pay for My mistake ...So I practice skills here allot like cloning god that was hard but I'm up to 90 plus percent success rate now...And like these 6 plants I have each pruned a different style ...from what I have read about the particular to see if it makes a difference strains on quality and quantity and weight.

I still go for healthy and strong though I think that to me maximizes effort when you cull any weak plants...

Being we are all disabled and have tight fundage I come up with creative cheap  options like I can tell you how to blast your roots through your buckets and bags like no bodies business ...But it doesn't use your high teck pricey formulas to do it ...and a good plant starts with really good roots.

Which I'm gonna post My root blaster as a DIY I think as it may help some as it has made a huge difference here from the first grow to almost the finish of the second grow though you may laugh at it at first and say no way ...But Way it Works every time ...I got proof patting My journals...

Have a great day BB and Thanks for the input 

James


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## BBFan (Aug 28, 2009)

Hey James-
Can't wait to see the Root Blaster set up, couldn't agree more about healthy roots.

If you're on a budget, IMHO the $20.00 bulbs work great.  I just spent $110.00 on a Sunmaster cool deluxe (MH).  Too soon to tell if it was worth it, but somehow I doubt I'll get significantly more / higher quality than I would have with the standard bulbs I was using- maybe a little.

Good luck on your grow and in your quest.
-BBFan


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## MysticWolf (Aug 28, 2009)

@BBFan...Hey BB well at the pod we are using all generic bulbs to be honest it is what we could all afford after pitching in and I lucked up one of our members saw a lighting place going out of business so I got an appt talked to the owner and got all the MH and HPS he had in stock for 14 dollars a pop so I got a case of 600 watt mh for 168 from him and a case of hps for 168 ...Which blew Our budget but that good a deal on closeout the Collective could not walk by...So far they are doing good though one of the MH blew on first fire and one of the hps exploded like 3 weeks in to flower on the first load...The rest are still going strong ...So till We can upgrade there it'll work ..
Have a great one 

James


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## BBFan (Aug 28, 2009)

MysticWolf said:
			
		

> @BBFan...Hey BB well at the pod we are using all generic bulbs to be honest it is what we could all afford after pitching in and I lucked up one of our members saw a lighting place going out of business so I got an appt talked to the owner and got all the MH and HPS he had in stock for 14 dollars a pop so I got a case of 600 watt mh for 168 from him and a case of hps for 168 ...Which blew Our budget but that good a deal on closeout the Collective could not walk by...So far they are doing good though one of the MH blew on first fire and one of the hps exploded like 3 weeks in to flower on the first load...The rest are still going strong ...So till We can upgrade there it'll work ..
> Have a great one
> 
> James


 
Nice shopping James!  You can't beat that deal, should keep you in bulbs for quite a while.

Good luck to you and stay safe.


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## MysticWolf (Aug 28, 2009)

@BBFan...What can I say BB....I'm Dominate by nature "Most can tell I even Dom the plants too!!! laughing hard" and I bargain hunt for pleasure...The Government kinda had a hand in that putting me on disability...Gotta make every nickle dime and penny count.

I self educate ...I gain skill sets...Then I study more and get practical experience...Then I kick well behind...My Gramp pretty much raised me and he had one simple rule. Never Give Up...Never Give Out ...Never Give In.

Which is why the pod is pretty much okay...Now getting each patent setup at home that is gonna be a challenge because we have one in a chair another missing an arm so on ...So we have to kind of figure out as we go...Talk about a challenge you setup a home grow for someone in a chair you lose that much height to start with then they are in a trailer you just lost more ....but two 2 ton car jacks with the planting table attached hooked to a hand pump works well ...Up and down you add 24 inches plus ...and pulleys and a hand crank on the light ...Grin ...We call that creative engineering 

Gives a wave 
Just Me 
James


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## BBFan (Aug 29, 2009)

Hey James-
Not having to deal with any of those issues, it's honestly something I never think about- I have enough challenges dealing with my grow without the added twist of physical limitations; adds a whole new layer.
My hat's off to you sir.


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## MysticWolf (Aug 29, 2009)

@BBFan...Well for me and you may laugh I was pretty smart in school but not always book wise but common sense wise...Aging and having matured and choosing the path of a Priest in Black Leather...Meaning I'm an alternative lifestyle Shaman ....I went back to school class by class and built my acumen...Funny thing though I belong to an alternative lifestyle all the collectives patients other than me are nilla folk so you might say I minister to everyone ...But the thing I love most is those lil puzzles of how to do this or that for those in the group...Prior to MS In the world of work I was an an electro-mechanical maint mechanic...So for Me those puzzles are wonderful Rubics cubes of a sort...I get off on the creative engineering on the fly and cheap...For me it is fun, and the payback with a smile or a thank you or a hug is wonderful too...Though I also count riches in friends family and extended family and love not dollars.

Though that is just my view 
Just Me 
James


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## zipflip (Aug 30, 2009)

> Tis a little overwhelming at first and makes ones brain itch
> laughs
> James



LOL  i get that way more times than often too  LOL

man you sure know how to find te bargains tho man.
 i remember the time ya talked bout the deal ya got on soil  too.
  good find tho man :aok:


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## MysticWolf (Aug 30, 2009)

@ zipflip....Zipppppppppppper hey ya Zip zip zip Smiling and grinning yeppers tis an old Native American trick We keep our ear to the ground and listen for the bargains then follow the energy ...I think it is honestly a genetic Cherokee trait in all honesty...Though it got Me in trouble a time or ten as in...What the heck are you going to do with that pickup truck full of tiki torches and charcoal ...Didn't matter I got the whole truck heaping full for 37 dollars...Of course it was trade and barter and selling booty ...37 invested and 237 dollars made so a profit of ca....ching 200 dollars...So put ear to ground ZipFlip listen for bargain...Follow the path true hunt with Great GrandFather ...then as in the Movie Dances with Wolves said...Make Good Trade ...

Evil Chuckle 
Just Me 
James


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## zipflip (Aug 30, 2009)

> Evil Chuckle


 :rofl:
i too tend to load up on lots of stuff i dot ever need but which i find as a bargain. i tend to always find uses for most or can trade or sell to friends or others etc... 
  so im hearin ya bro.
:48:  you have a good morni there mystic.


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## MysticWolf (Aug 30, 2009)

@zipflip...Always Brother always Smiling and you have an awesome day too ...Now I'm bartering to get My 600 watt MH/HPS system so wish me good luck Please...He is a little high so I'm beating him down slowly but surely Grin...Then it is on to the inline fan ducting and flanges..All the while the Girls are perking right along under the CFLs I'll have to measure the colas soon as today starts week 6 in flower but some I think are gonna be over 12 inches long and tight and weighty ....Not bad for home made scrounge gear...Hehehe ...So with the pod going okay...Tis time to upgrade the House finally...Oh and build an alcohol recovery still that is on the to do pad too ...The tiny one I made takes too long need a bigger beast of burden for the collective ....

Have a Great one 
James


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## zipflip (Aug 30, 2009)

> Oh and build an alcohol recovery still


 :huh:  :confused2:
wats that

be waitin patiently for sum bud porn shots later on mstic :hubba: 

but most definately good luck on the 600hps bro.
  i wish i knew ya for real wit all the deals you come cross,man.


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## dr pyro (Sep 8, 2009)

ballast and bulb combo make the diff your not gonna get the same lum output from every balllast. when they test these bulbs they never say what ballast they use to get the 100,000 lumes. you may get a bulb that says 140,000 but may actually put 125 or 130,000. you would have to get a meter to see what the output is between bulbs and ballast combo to see what the best is, but everyone does not have the cash to spend on ballasts to see .


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## MindzEye (Sep 8, 2009)

Look at the bulbs in the link below, The cheap ones have the same specs as the expensive ones.... Buy cheap bulbs...

hxxp://www.1000bulbs.com/400-Watt-HPS/


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## dr pyro (Sep 8, 2009)

i buy wahtever bulb is the cheapest within the reasonablel lumensoutput . i have heard bad things about the brands and combo buddy mentioned earlier


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## MysticWolf (Sep 9, 2009)

Excellent Info Thanks everyone as I check back in on the thread.

As far as digital ballasts is there say a top ten best brands list anywhere that anyone has found? 

Or a hit list of the 10 worst I have not found one yet.

Thanks 
James


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## dr pyro (Sep 9, 2009)

id be interested to see the list if there was one.


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