and if I need more intensity to match COB lights, which I want, supplement a 600W HID with my p600 and boom, look who has the intensity and spectrum now of a light advanced wants to charge over 1500 dollars for...
I'm having trouble following the point. If buying light for the lowest dollars is the priority, why not buy two HIDs instead of spending $2 per watt on Name-Ripoff Platinum? I mean, if Name-Ripoff Platinum is a better value than HID, why not buy a second one of those? If you wouldn't, why buy the first? (Maybe I'm missing something crucial.).
One thing I keep thinking about is late 2014 when industry news reported China's government required the LED industry to clean up its act in 2015. Maybe something's actually happening. For example, something seems strange to me about Mars Hydro dumping the old version through eBay at very close to cost.
(That might also play a role in the Special Olympics runoff you mentioned. Was it the Mars model the old model, which is being dumped on eBay now?).
Eventually epi-whatever lights
will produce more light than T5HO and CMH. Just like Cree and the other leaders in the industry develop more efficient technology, Epiled/star moves forward too. It's inevitable that that that class of LED will surpass T5HO/CMH.
Maybe that's happening now, and related to that industry news a year ago(?). That would be good if that's happening.