I think all the cheaper brands use the same components. I would bet even Quantum and Lumatek use some of the same chips. I think the iPower is more popular, and is what I have, and I haven't seen any trends of bad reviews (among thousands of customer reviews) on any issues, so it's safe to say that they're good ballasts, even though they're not top-shelf.hey guys....im buying a new 1000w ballast....please any body...which one...ipower or vivsun? ty ty
You can only go up, from the bottomim gonna spend extra and get Solistek after looking at the review pics on amazon for ipower and other chinese brands.....
Which is exactly what I didWell ive also noticed if you do get the chinese brands like ipower, vivo, etc then you should ditch their bulb and get a good one like eyehortilux
good to know. i may follow your lead. HTG is my dawg but their digital dimable is gonna be expensive.Which is exactly what I did
I've ran Solis Tek for years, my recommendation ...buy a phantomim gonna spend extra and get Solistek after looking at the review pics on amazon for ipower and other chinese brands.....
wish i could but thats out of the budget for now. just wanna get it going for now.I've ran Solis Tek for years, my recommendation ...buy a phantom
https://www.amazon.com/Phantom-PHB2010-Digital-Ballast-Dimmable/dp/B00HYURNH2/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=phantom+digital+ballast&qid=1553531431&s=gateway&sr=8-3 $189 and free shippingwish i could but thats out of the budget for now. just wanna get it going for now.
solistek ballast 1000w is 145$ on amazon
phantom is like 396$
wow thanks
Ipower’s air cooled hood is a joke. The one I have has huge gaps where air escapes. When you hold your hand under it you can feel the air from every side of the glass. I haven’t had any issue with my ballast but it’s getting boxed up after three months of use. All the reviews of them catching fire has always left me with a uneasy feeling.good to know. i may follow your lead. HTG is my dawg but their digital dimable is gonna be expensive.
How are hood quality on yours, ive seen alot where the hood was kind of crap with missing screws and stuff.
yea and since they dont sell just ballast kit without hood im probably gonna skip it and get a nicer brand. I would feel the same way you do, uneasy.Ipower’s air cooled hood is a joke. The one I have has huge gaps where air escapes. When you hold your hand under it you can feel the air from every side of the glass. I haven’t had any issue with my ballast but it’s getting boxed up after three months of use. All the reviews of them catching fire has always left me with a uneasy feeling.
The hoods are crap, bet they work. They are not sealed well, they're small, sometimes missing parts, etc...good to know. i may follow your lead. HTG is my dawg but their digital dimable is gonna be expensive.
How are hood quality on yours, ive seen alot where the hood was kind of crap with missing screws and stuff.
Ah tru yea my local shop has a blockbuster 8 for 99 which i think is a good deal. Its gonna go in a 5x5 tent so it should fit nice.The hoods are crap, bet they work. They are not sealed well, they're small, sometimes missing parts, etc...
I just upgraded my hood to a SunSystems 6" BlockBuster, and it made a HUGE difference! I was only getting decent light readings within about a 2'x2' square. Light was getting to the edges of my tent, but my lumens were only reading around 20k to 30k. With the new hood, I get 70k and above at the edges, even tho my canopy is only about a foot from the glass. I'm getting arounda135k under pretty much all areas directly under the glass! Very wide spread. There's also a Magnum XXL reflector that's even larger (and more expensive), but fitting it in a 4x4 tent is difficult. Doesn't leave much room for ducts. These would be great for the next tent size up, or a room grow.
That's a killer price!! I wouldn't get the 8", unless there's a specific need. Everything above 6" gets pretty expensive (fans, ducting, etc...). I got my 6" for $114, so you'd be getting a better deal that what I got, which was really good.Ah tru yea my local shop has a blockbuster 8 for 99 which i think is a good deal. Its gonna go in a 5x5 tent so it should fit nice.
wish.....kinda on a budget....most peeps are saying...ipower is pretty solidI've ran Solis Tek for years, my recommendation ...buy a phantom
I used to run solis tech not the newer ones with built in timers and stuff mine ran solid for 4 years with no issues at all and i bought them used on craigslist.I bought 2 Solistek 1000 watt ballasts. I had numerous problems with them. Not firing. Losing their memory after blackouts. But then one died...yaaay. Then the other one caught on fire....bigger yaaay!!!! Never buy anything to do with these ballasts. Though I have a 10K finishing bulb and that is great. Guess they must have out-sourced the production to a Chinese company to save costs lately. I am currently using Nanolux which (apart from having to clean the cooling fans occasionally) are great. I have 2 1000's for flower and a 600 for growth. Never had a problem with them.