HPS does put out more LPW but CMH does not until you get into 1000 watt DE units.
i didnt say CMH > HPS
i said CMH > 85-90 lumen/W T5.
even with the 105 lm/W of a 315 bulb, its spectrum is so much better than HPS that many people yield a lb+ from 350W at the wall
T5s work great in the right hands
LEDs work great in the right hands
CMH and HPS all work great in the right hands
that doesnt change the fact that T5 is the least efficient out of all of them. yes the spectrum works well but its a small variable vs its efficiency which is the lowest of the pack by a significant margin.
cree gives their COBs a 35000 hr L85 rating.about the same as energy miser bulbs and you would need water cooling to maintain the 25c operating temperature that rating is based on.
more like >90% lumen rating at >61000 hours when run as high as 2100-2800 mA at 85-105C
for most growers using them at 1050-1400 mA at 40-70C thats probably closer to 100000 hours (25 years of 1212)
no manufacturer rates or tests chips at 25C (tho that info is sometimes provided). Ther is certainly no 'need' to run them so soft. you can blast them near their limits and still be as efficient as HID (and thus much more efficient than fluorescent)