So whats the difference between HPS and CFL??

[KoTToNMoUf216]

go with hps.they're the best for flowering.u would have to change the cfls to 2700 lumens(red spectrum) for flower(unless u do 12/12 from seedling) and the hps will penatrate more than the cfls.the good thing about cfls is that they are not as hot as hps and use less energy.i am using cfl rite now but if i could afford the hps i would use it.u have to put the cfls closer to the plant also resulting in raising light more often and less penetration but its up to u.some ppl prefer cfl over hps cuz of less heat and energy usage.in my opinion the cfls are good for small grows and hps good for bigger grows.Hope this helps.Good Luck
p.s i would veg with cfls and flower with hps u wont regret it

 

[phusionsa]

CFL:
HPS:


Any questions?

 

[robbzilla]

CFL:View attachment 1015103
HPS:View attachment 1015104


Any questions?

Nice......

 

[GrowThatGoodShit]

Agreed. Complete rubbish.

How do you know?

 

[rocksteady6]

We were both laughing at the breathing on them comment. They need fresh air and opening the doors does that to a bearable extent but breathing on them is the funny point that we were raising. Next to useless.

 

[Total Head]

science aside, the question can be answered with a simple 10 dollar light meter, which i have. i have to put the thing literally on top of a 47w warm cfl (150 w equivelant) for the needle to even go near the top of the chart. if i move it even 4 inches away the needle falls to almost the "dark" reading which is the same reading i get in a 10 x 10 bedroom with a regular overhead light with about 150 equivelant watts of cfl, while standing directly under the light. this same meter can be placed almost 4 feet under my 400 watt hps and shoots right to the top of the chart. at 4 feet below the light i can have a 4 x 4 canopy that will only get more light as it grows taller. it's not about lumens given off by the light, it's about how much of that light is actually reaching your plants. i realize my hps is more powerful than the one the op is considerering but it does not change the fact that light put out by an hid is more intense at a greater distance than any cfl thus requiring less watts to cover the same space with equal light intensity. also cfls require a lot of dilligence staying on top of positioning them and keeping up with the plants. they do run cooler, but unless you're growing in a tiny box with no space to correctly vent i would go with the hps.

 

[rocksteady6]

Your ten bucks was better spent on 1/2 a stick.

 

[Total Head]

i really got it for the moisture meter. it also has a ph meter for pure decoration.