# Opinions on this Light  ?



## I Want Buds (Jun 14, 2009)

I found this,

hXXp://www.stealthhydroponics.com/product.php?xProd=120&xSec=3&gclid=CNGf6LL8iJsCFRufnAod0z3Rpg[/URL]

and was wondering what y'all thought about it. Is 17,000 lumens going to be enough or will I need to buy a few more cfl's?   Would the Deluxe package be enough?

Also, this product is supposedly better than anything out there, pound for pound so to say, in that it erases the need for ventilation by not emitting so much heat. If I could get 2 fans, with one blowing the stink towards this other thing I might buy that's supposed to get rid of the smell almost completely, I could just empty the air into my bedroom? and use the other fan to blow new air in my closet... 

Any thoughts and suggestions are greatly appreciated..


----------



## ShecallshimThor (Jun 14, 2009)

for that price id get a 400 watt air cooled


----------



## I Want Buds (Jun 14, 2009)

Sorry I forgot to mention that this is my first indoor grow and I'm trying to find a light that doesn't let off a lot of heat because I have limited ability to ventilate. 

And being my first try, I'm not hip to all the names, phrases, etc... 

400 watt air cooled what..? HPS/MH Combo?


----------



## RCCIZMe (Jun 14, 2009)

combo


----------



## Hick (Jun 14, 2009)

> 17,000 lumens


 and a 400 hps is 45,000 - 50,000 lumens. 
You need to "shoot" for 5,000 L per sq ft. 17,000 is good for 3 sq ft.


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Jun 14, 2009)

It is a misconception to believe that CFLs are cooler.  Lumen for lumen, CFLs are going to put out more heat than a HPS.  You are looking at a 315W light system that puts out 17000 lumens--not a great watt to lumen ratio.  If you are not going with HID lighting, I would encourage you to look into T5s.  You can get a 4' 4 tube 216W fixture that puts out 20000 lumens for $130 or they also make a 2' 54W tube that also puts out 5000 lumens if a 4' fixture is too long.


----------



## I Want Buds (Jun 14, 2009)

But do I _need_ 20,000 lumens to grow one or two plants in my little closet?


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Jun 14, 2009)

I Want Buds said:
			
		

> But do I _need_ 20,000 lumens to grow one or two plants in my little closet?



I don't know---how big is your little closet.  However, more lumens is better.  

Let's look at this...

315W CFL fixture 17000 lumens  $200
216W 4' 4 tube T5 20000 lumens $130
216W 2) 2' 2 tube T5 20000 lumens $140

The T5s put out more lumens with less wattage for less money--why would you consider the CFL fixture?


----------



## I Want Buds (Jun 14, 2009)

Because they claim that it is Very low heat. They specifically say I won't even need to ventilate. Not sure if they're just blowin smoke, :biggrin: but ventilation is a problem for me. 

Where did you get those other prices? Was that from the same stealthhydro site?


----------



## dirtyolsouth (Jun 14, 2009)

I Want Buds said:
			
		

> Not sure if they're just blowin smoke, :biggrin:



I'm kinda surprised that you didn't feel a rush of hot breath between your butt cheeks at the hydro store cuz he sure was blowin' smoke where the sun don't shine!  

I used to run a few compact fluoro bulbs but as soon as I got my T5's I got rid of them.    Maybe they're less problematic now than when I used them 4 years ago but I had LOTS of problems with new bulbs not working or bulbs dying intermittently and my hydro store was cool about swapping the bad bulbs out but it was a P I T A...  When I got back into all this a few months ago I went back to the same store and asked if there were any new fluorescent lights and if the compact fluoros were more reliable.  He said the bulbs had gotten better with more suppliers and options but in his opinion a lot of the lumens get wasted with that bulb design because a lot of the available lumens shine on surfaces that don't face the plant.  The reflectors help but it's still not near as good as T5's because more bulb surface is exposed to the plants and what isn't exposed reflects much more efficiently than with compact fluoresents.  He said if you could "open up" all the coils on a CFL and expose the surfaces it would make all the lumens more available.  

So...  I'm totally with THG on choosing T5's...  Do a bunch of Googling and find the best price...   or check craigslist and other sources for used fixtures for sale if you live in a metro area.

Happy Shopping!


----------



## I Want Buds (Jun 14, 2009)

Do the make an air-cooled T5 because I hear they get hot enough to fry an egg.


----------



## dirtyolsouth (Jun 15, 2009)

I Want Buds said:
			
		

> Do the make an air-cooled T5 because I hear they get hot enough to fry an egg.



While some warmth comes off of them it's nothing like HID lights.  Stop by a hydro store if you can and put your hand on one that's been on all day.  You'll still need some type of ventilation but nothing as strong as you would with HID's.  I know some people are starting to grow with LED's of all things and from what I've seen it works but is very pricey at this point and will probably get cheaper...   It looks like the big plus is you can get decent results for very little wattage...   like 70w for a growroom!  I'd think that they would put off very little heat too but I have no idea how many go in a fixture, etc...

Check this crazy looking sh*t out:

hXXp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dA9FkXuTOXc

Good Luck!


----------



## I Want Buds (Jun 15, 2009)

I noticed 'Hick' edited my post and removed the valid link. Am I not supposed to post a link?


----------



## Hick (Jun 15, 2009)

I Want Buds said:
			
		

> I noticed 'Hick' edited my post and removed the valid link. Am I not supposed to post a link?


direct links leave "tracks".. .. we prefer you edit them so they require c/p into a new browser window or tab.  THANKS!


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Jun 15, 2009)

I Want Buds said:
			
		

> Do the make an air-cooled T5 because I hear they get hot enough to fry an egg.



You have been really misinformed.  T5s are incredibly cool--cooler than CFLs.  I can put seedlings and vegging plants 1-2" away from the bulbs without them getting burned.  I would encourage you to not believe all the "sales hype" and trust those that actually USE the products, not those selling them.  

The prices on the T5 fixtures came from HTG.


----------



## I Want Buds (Jun 15, 2009)

Can T5's be used throughout the cycle? Like can I use that light for the seedling process and veg, and flower? Or will I need to make switches?


----------



## wrathkill (Jun 15, 2009)

i would get an hps like a 400w at least for blooming but t5 works great for veg i run a 400w hps in a small closet for bloom and flouros for veg


----------



## I Want Buds (Jun 15, 2009)

Hick said:
			
		

> direct links leave "tracks".. .. we prefer you edit them so they require c/p into a new browser window or tab.  THANKS!




Gotcha. Won't happen again.


----------



## I Want Buds (Jun 15, 2009)

wrathkill said:
			
		

> i would get an hps like a 400w at least for blooming but t5 works great for veg i run a 400w hps in a small closet for bloom and flouros for veg



How many plants you got growin? I'll have probably 1, or at most 2. Is a 400w hps necessary for 1 or 2 plants, or would a 250w be sufficient? Same question to the T5's. What wattage is necessary for only 1 or 2 plants in a small confined corner of my closet? 400w seems like a lot for 1 or 2 plants.
First time growing indoor, I'm not worried about getting lots of buds at the moment, that will come later when I perfect my setup. Right now I just wanna get the basic knowledge down so that as I go through this, I'll actually know what I'm seeing and learning.


----------



## dirtyolsouth (Jun 15, 2009)

Boy we go round and round with the hps/t5 talk everytime someone suggest HID lighting not knowing that you have no ventilation options, don't we...?  

A decent sized plant in like a 5+ gal container will get a pretty wide canopy going...  I'm estimating about 20" or so per plant so if you consider that and double it you're looking at two plants being about perfect for a 4 foot, 6 or 8 tube T5 fixture.

T5's work great for all stages of growth and bulbs are made to tailor to both veg growth and flowering.  For vegging you'll want to use your fixture with all 'Blue' spectrum Grow lights (6500 kelvin).  For flowering you'll want to swap out the tubes and put in 'Red' spectrum Bloom lights (3000 kelvin).  The bulbs are about $13 each so it's not going to break the bank and it makes your T5 very flexible.  I have a 6 tube - 4 foot T5 that I have 4 Red and 2 Blue tubes for a side fill light in my bloom room.  I use it in conjuction with a 1K Dual Spectrum HID light and LOTS of ventilation + A/C...   Even burning a 1K, my closet is much brighter with my T5's on...


----------



## dirtyolsouth (Jun 15, 2009)

wrathkill said:
			
		

> i would get an hps like a 400w at least for blooming but t5 works great for veg i run a 400w hps in a small closet for bloom and flouros for veg



How are your temps in your closet?  Do you have ventilation?  I Want Buds doesn't have any ventilation options other than fans...


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Jun 15, 2009)

You can get some real decent results with T5s all the way through the cycle--we have someone here who was given some T5s and that is all he uses and gets great results.   If you are going to flower with them, you will probably want tubes in the 3000K range.  T5s should give you better results than any of the other fluoros.


----------



## I Want Buds (Jun 15, 2009)

Are there t5's that stay cooler than others? and if so where is the best/safest place to look?


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Jun 15, 2009)

I Want Buds said:
			
		

> Are there t5's that stay cooler than others? and if so where is the best/safest place to look?



IMO, all T5s are created equal (as far as heat output).  I have purchased 2 fixtures from HTG.  I believe that they are the only ones with a 2' 54W 5000 lumen tube (which impresses the [you know what] out of me!).  The T5s are the next best option when you cannot run a HPS for flowering.  And, IMO, they are your best option for cloning, mothers, and vegging.  I have a 400W MH that I no longer use because I am so happy with the results from my T5.


----------

