Hortilux worth it?

[chrishydro]

If you give me a minute i will get you the link to the light i bought, same light same price but you get hangers also about 30 dollar value. The good ones with the rope. Give me a sec to go dig through stuff

These are the final products I plan to buy (I will only buy one bulb..I have to decide which I want to come with the ballast):

http://www.amazon.com/Sylvania-64490-Metal-Halide-Light/dp/B000TZSZAS
http://www.amazon.com/Philips-36881-1-Ceramalux-Pressure-C400S51/dp/B003YO0WWA
http://www.gchydro.com/Lumatek+Ballast++with+Aluminum+Wing-+HPS|MH+400.html

any thoughts?

 

[chrishydro]

http://www.virtualsunhydroponics.com/Agricultural/products/VS400WRDS.asp?rt=2

There you go, same hood, same lights hanger and timer for the same price you were going to pay. Good luck

 

[303]

its bs hype dude...the sylvania will do asd good

agreed. i bought some cheap bulbs from htgsupply years ago, still use them. one went out, bought a hortilux, i was stoked and grabbed my light meter. then I wasn't stoked, my old bulbs outperformed the new hortilux. gimmics...

 

[Davidsnow]

http://www.virtualsunhydroponics.com/Agricultural/products/VS400WRDS.asp?rt=2

There you go, same hood, same lights hanger and timer for the same price you were going to pay. Good luck

That one has an open reflector instead of one stuck in the hood...does that make a difference?

 

[chrishydro]

mine is the exact open one in the picture. check this out im saying it works

 

[chrishydro]

I added the t5s on the side once it hit five feet.

 

[Davidsnow]

mine is the exact open one in the picture. check this out im saying it works

Killer plant! Looks a little stretchy overall, though :O was the light too high?

 

[ScoobyDoobyDoo]

agreed. i bought some cheap bulbs from htgsupply years ago, still use them. one went out, bought a hortilux, i was stoked and grabbed my light meter. then I wasn't stoked, my old bulbs outperformed the new hortilux. gimmics...

what kind of light meter are you using? never heard of a grow light in my life that you could use for "years" and would outperform a new bulb. most of us change bulbs for this exact reason every 3-9 months.

 

[SimonD]

agreed. i bought some cheap bulbs from htgsupply years ago, still use them. one went out, bought a hortilux, i was stoked and grabbed my light meter. then I wasn't stoked, my old bulbs outperformed the new hortilux. gimmics...

The last Hortilux lamp that I tested was a 600HPS, and it measured relatively poorly, as well. Not as bad as, say, Plantmax or Eiko 600HPS', but not nearly as well as a Sylvania Grolux or a relatively mundane industrial GE 600HPS'. Its performance wasn't exemplary, either, compared to GEs flanking its sides.

Simon

 

[chrishydro]

I started the plant with a t5 when it got to 20 inches I put the other one in and it went crazy. I think it was growing slow and had a great root system becasue of the t5 slow growth but when I put the new one it it was ready to rock.

 

[ScoobyDoobyDoo]

i love hortilux bulbs. i think they outperform the others in bulb life and spectrum.

 

[303]

what kind of light meter are you using? never heard of a grow light in my life that you could use for "years" and would outperform a new bulb. most of us change bulbs for this exact reason every 3-9 months.

Well I've been using my same bulbs till they go bad, my opinion they dont loose lums till there dead. A lot will argue, but won't argue back just what I do and have experienced.

 

[ScoobyDoobyDoo]

Well I've been using my same bulbs till they go bad, my opinion they dont loose lums till there dead. A lot will argue, but won't argue back just what I do and have experienced.

that's cool. go with what works for you. just remember that lumens mean nothing in actual plant growth. a lumen is the measurement of visible light to the human eye. not near as important as PAR value or footcandles.

 

[polyarcturus]

Well I've been using my same bulbs till they go bad, my opinion they dont loose lums till there dead. A lot will argue, but won't argue back just what I do and have experienced.

if your bulbs are adequetly air cooled they can last up to 3 years without deprecating in luminosity or spectrum. most ratings that say 6 months where test done on enclosed fixtures, or bare bulbs no ventilation.

 

[kamie]

Here is a comparison grow for you to ponder.

https://www.rollitup.org/indoor-growing/355137-think-your-bulb-doesnt-matter.html

i like the eye hortilux and the ushio's.. i don't wanna go through 8 weeks using a cheap bulb and end up being disappointed.. go to your local hydro store and ask them for a deal. my store has em for $58 for the 1'ks can't go wrong with that

 

[SimonD]

I see ~5% loss in intensity from GE 600HPS over a year. ~10% loss from Sylvania 1000HPS over a year. Saw ~50% loss from a 400HPS Grolux (this was years ago). 600HPS Glolux lost ~10% per year. The Digilux 1000HPS lamps I tested this season lost a significant amount over the course of 3 cycles at 12/12. I'm not quoting a number yet. Sylvania and Philips 400HPS' lost ~5% over a year. I can go on. Everything is in air-cooled hoods, of course.

Simon

 

[polyarcturus]

actually some info from simonD i enjoyed.