1000 hps vs. 2x 400 hps?

bterz said:

I disagree about the magnetic ballast/AC combo.

I bought a 600w Lumatek Ballast, 600w Hortilux Bulb, and a Hydrofarm Radiant 6 aircooled hood for like 350$

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What kind of digi is it though, and was it brand new from a retailer?

$350 could get you a 5000btu AC and a 1000w HPS kit easily.

And digis dont make any difference with Heat. They just weigh a lot less and dont have the big start up spike.

Still not worth it in any way for a digi ballast. Way over priced for the same results you can get with a magnetic ballast. And what do you do if your digi ballast stops working? Replace the whole thing? With a magnetic ballast theres about 3 parts that can fail, fixing them takes about 5 minuts and will cost under $10.

do what I did and use 3 400 watters!
its more cost effective to buy a thousand watt but I dont know about yeild
II tell u in about 2 months

GreenGold said:

do what I did and use 3 400 watters!
its more cost effective to buy a thousand watt but I dont know about yeild
II tell u in about 2 months

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3 x 400w is 3 x 50k Lumens.....2 x 600s is 2 x 96k Lumens.

so 3 x 400w = 150k Lumens, which is pretty close to a 1000w light but more wattage. 2 x 600w would be more efficient but if you need a single bulb/hood because of space then use the 1000w.

I dont understand why anyone would waste money on a 400w light, they are the least efficient.

400w = 50k lumens. 600w = 96k lumens.....400w = waste of money.

not when you get 4 for about $250
I would rather have 2 600's honestly, but I can run 4 over my 4x4 table and get a better yield than buying a thousand watt
SOG style that is

I started out with a 400w, because I wanted to experiment. The experiment is going well, but I
realize I could do much better with more light. I'd like to go with the 1000w like BC suggested,
but I don't exactly want to run an a/c unit in the room just to be able to cool my light.

BCtrippin, it's interesting what you said about the digis not being any better ... they all make claims
of putting out 10% or even 30% more light than magnetic ballasts. I wonder if anyone has tested
that claim. As far as the heat, I've felt a 1000w Nextgen ballast in a shop and it was wayy cooler
to the touch than my 400w magnetic.

I'm going to have to choose between the 1000 or the 600, I just wish heat control didn't make the
choice for me. I guess I'm not giving up much when it comes to the 600, it's still plenty of light for 4x4.
Besides, is there really a huge difference in yield between a 1000 or a 600?

GreenGold said:

not when you get 4 for about $250

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equipment cost is minimal when your going to pay to power that epuipment. double the lumens for 1 1/2 the wattage is no contest. the money you saved on equipment you spend on electricity.

Skeksis said:

BCtrippin, it's interesting what you said about the digis not being any better ... they all make claims
of putting out 10% or even 30% more light than magnetic ballasts. I wonder if anyone has tested
that claim.

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the makers of Scrubbing Bubbles say you just spray the stuff on and the bubbles clean your shower!

you believe all the marketing thrown at you?

BCtrippin said:

2 x 600w in a 4x4 tent is extreme overkill. 1 x 600w would be plenty, and yes, 600w are the MOST efficient HPS for watt/lumens. But I dont think multiple lights would be a very good choice in a 4x4 tent, thats why I would recommend the 1000w if you can handle the heat.

Have you considered an AC? If you run an AC or portable AC outside the tent then you can draw in cooler air into your tent and handle the higher temps.

You could probably get an AC and magnetic 1000w ballast for the same price as a dual 600w digi...or any digi ballast.

Digi's are alright, but a totaly waste of money IMO. Magnatic ballasts work perfectly and last for Years and Years if maintained properly.

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..

2 x 600w in a 4x4 tent is extreme overkill

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no its not have you ever done it? i use a 1000w in a 4x4 space and hit over a GPW if it was in a room 5x5 i would not and by the way i hit the same under a 1000w as i do with my 2x600W a 1000w is better than 2x600w HPS fuck all grows top colas like a 1000w.

400 top colas the size of your thumb
600 top colas the size of your wrist
1000w top colas the size as your thighs

cant be arsed to type it all out again so link

https://www.rollitup.org/grow-room-design-setup/175445-you-think-you-know-lighting.html#post2266489

1000w in 4x4 room



and here is what all thouse plants x16 each look like in that 4x4 1000w room (ps look at the size of the very bottom buds!) penotration is what you need! 2x600w will not grow buds that big at the bottom of the plant. thats 16 plants in a 4x4 space the canopy is thick above and the 1000w can still grow buds like that even through all the above leaf.

9inch bigbud said:

..

no its not have you ever done it? i use a 1000w in a 4x4 space and hit over a GPW if it was in a room 5x5 i would not and by the way i hit the same under a 1000w as i do with my 2x600W a 1000w is better than 2x600w HPS fuck all grows top colas like a 1000w.

400 top colas the size of your thumb
600 top colas the size of your wrist
1000w top colas the size as your thighs

cant be arsed to type it all out again so link

https://www.rollitup.org/grow-room-design-setup/175445-you-think-you-know-lighting.html#post2266489

1000w in 4x4 room



and here is what all thouse plants x16 each look like in that 4x4 1000w room (ps look at the size of the very bottom buds!) penotration is what you need! 2x600w will not grow buds that big at the bottom of the plant. thats 16 plants in a 4x4 space the canopy is thick above and the 1000w can still grow buds like that even through all the above leaf.

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Yes it is overkill. 50k lumens per square foot is a waste of electricity...

1 x 1000w puts out 50k less lumens then 2 x 600w. I wouldnt put more then a 1000w in a 4x4 space, just because of the penetration. 2 x 600w in a 4x4 space is Over Kill and a waste of electricity.


Thats great that your plants are healthy, but you dont need that much light to get buds like that. Your plants only use so much light, then rest gets Wasted.

On a clear sunny day outdoors you will get about 6-10k Lumens per square foot outdoors. 2 x 600w over a 4x4 space is 50k per square foot. Thats 5x more light then the sun on a bright summer day....IMO thats overkill.

Skeksis said:

BCtrippin, it's interesting what you said about the digis not being any better ... they all make claims
of putting out 10% or even 30% more light than magnetic ballasts. I wonder if anyone has tested
that claim. As far as the heat, I've felt a 1000w Nextgen ballast in a shop and it was wayy cooler
to the touch than my 400w magnetic.

Besides, is there really a huge difference in yield between a 1000 or a 600?

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I hope your not putting your ballast IN the tent...lol. Yes its true, digi ballasts run cooler, the bulbs dont though. And they dont put out any more light, if you want more light form a ballast upgrade your bulb.


Yes there is a difference between 600w and 1000w. About 400w and 40k lumens...

With the 1000w lights you get better penetration and you get more lumens at your points of light. With the 600 your running more efficiently as far as electricity and temps wont be as bad as the 1000w.

BCtrippin said:

Yes it is overkill. 50k lumens per square foot is a waste of electricity...

1 x 1000w puts out 50k less lumens then 2 x 600w. I wouldnt put more then a 1000w in a 4x4 space, just because of the penetration. 2 x 600w in a 4x4 space is Over Kill and a waste of electricity.


Thats great that your plants are healthy, but you dont need that much light to get buds like that. Your plants only use so much light, then rest gets Wasted.

On a clear sunny day outdoors you will get about 6-10k Lumens per square foot outdoors. 2 x 600w over a 4x4 space is 50k per square foot. Thats 5x more light then the sun on a bright summer day....IMO thats overkill.

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no its not! up to 75 HPS watts per square foot is where the point of diminishing acurs 2x600 in 4x4 room is bang on 75 watts per square foot. just because the sun is only 10k, but thats 10k allover the plant not just the top of it, it does not mean a plant can not use more light than what the sun shines. when you use more light and have it all over the plant amazing things happen to plant growth> read how to "supercharge your garden" its a good read and will explain it all to you.

if you look i use 2x600 and a 1000w and i get just the same under the 1000w as i do with 2x600s and the buds are much bigger more solid under the 1000w. im going by what practice i have used and not somthing i think or made up or what should be better " I HAVE DONE IT"

9inch bigbud said:

no its not! up to 75 HPS watts per square foot is where the point of diminishing acurs 2x600 in 4x4 room is bang on 75 watts per square foot. just because the sun is only 10k, but thats 10k allover the plant not just the top of it, it does not mean a plant can not use more light than what the sun shines. when you use more light and have it all over the plant amazing things happen to plant growth> read how to "supercharge your garden" its a good read and will explain it all to you.

if you look i use 2x600 and a 1000w and i get just the same under the 1000w as i do with 2x600s and the buds are much bigger more solid under the 1000w. im going by what practice i have used and not somthing i think or made up or what should be better " I HAVE DONE IT"

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I believe that you have done it man, thats great, but I can guarantee you could achieve equal or better results with Less Light. Put as much light as you want over an area, it wont make any difference. "amazing things" dont happen when you start using excess amounts of light. Nothing happens. You can get better penetration, thats about it.

Im not saying its bad to use excess light, theres just no point.

If using a pair of 600s why not just do a larger area than 4x4? Seeing that the OP is stuck in a tent, a pair of 600s would be insane to manage as far as heat, and even space with air cooled hoods.

it does not mean a plant can not use more light than what the sun shines

Yes it does. Your plants are literally "Maxed Out" at 3-5000 Lumens. They cant use any more then that without injecting C02. After 3-5k lumens the light is just Wasted, depending on the strain. You can even bleach plants from too much light.


Adding light does Not guarantee better results, theres SOOO many other ways to get more out of your buds.

This is an interesting topic.

I would think that after around 9-10,000 lumens they would max out, but the point of diminishing returns
would be around 7000 per sq/ft. I would agree that to get the most out of hgh lumens you would need to
inject C02. Not that more lumen don't equal more bud, just saying that you might get even more yield if
you bring the other factors up to meet the increase.

For me, right now, I'm thinking a single 600 will do the trick in a 4x4 tent. The 1000 may be alot more lumens,
but the 600 will be cheaper to run, very efficient, and less heat to contend with. That, and I don't want to
get so close to the max amps. I'm working with 120v 15 amp circuit, and the 1000 watter takes up most of
that by itself. I'll end up with over 5000 lumen/sq. ft. which should be good enough for fat dense nugs.

Believe me, I would love to live in a place where I could run a more powerful circuit and hang a couple 1000w
over a 4x8 bed.

can you use a 600w with a 400 or aill you be wasteing your time

MRBUD said:

can you use a 600w with a 400 or aill you be wasteing your time

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You can use whatever you want, but its kind of an odd combo. Why not use 2 600s or 1 1000w?

Unless its just what you have sitting around its kind of an odd combo. I wouldnt buy a 600 and a 400 for a new set up.

BCtrippin said:

I believe that you have done it man, thats great, but I can guarantee you could achieve equal or better results with Less Light. Put as much light as you want over an area, it wont make any difference. "amazing things" dont happen when you start using excess amounts of light. Nothing happens. You can get better penetration, thats about it.

Im not saying its bad to use excess light, theres just no point.

If using a pair of 600s why not just do a larger area than 4x4? Seeing that the OP is stuck in a tent, a pair of 600s would be insane to manage as far as heat, and even space with air cooled hoods.

it does not mean a plant can not use more light than what the sun shines

Yes it does. Your plants are literally "Maxed Out" at 3-5000 Lumens. They cant use any more then that without injecting C02. After 3-5k lumens the light is just Wasted, depending on the strain. You can even bleach plants from too much light.


Adding light does Not guarantee better results, theres SOOO many other ways to get more out of your buds.

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I have grown as i have said under all size lights in different size rooms making the grow room bigger does not = bigger yeilds i.e iv grown under a 1000w in a room 5x5 and in a room 4x4 the room that yeilded the most bud was the 4x4 room what does that tell you?

plants dont just grow with light intensity the intensity has to be the correct colors or PAR having 50,000 lumans above the plant how much of that light is used by the plants to grow?

plants grow faster when light penitrates deep in to the canopy surounding the plant with strong light and not just lit from the top thats why 1000w bulbs grow bigger top cola's than 400s or 600s its called penetration. the better the penetration the bigger the plant will grow and yeild more worth while buds and not the scragly shit you get growing under a 400w lamp

so whats excessive light? there was experaments done on overgrow a few years ago by lots of growers and thats where the 50 watts per squre foot rule comes from, but the 75 watts per squre foot was said to be the maximum amout of light before diminishing returns i.e using more light without Co2 was a waste and you would be better off using a bigger room.

2x600s in a 4x4 room is right on 75w per squre foot use 2x cool tubes and a 6" ruck fan on them and you will have no problems with heat from the lights.

BCtrippin said:

400w HPS puts out about 50 000 Lumens. A 1000w HPS puts out 126 000 Lumens.

Simple math. Unless your worried about heat go with the 1000w or if you want 2 lights, use 2 600w HPS. A 600w HPS puts out 98 000 lumens, almost double and only 200w more than a 400.

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I'M liking the sounds of the 600 watters side by side..

considering thats 1200 watts already what would u suggest for a low wattage veg set up for aprox 30 clones.. (I just want the clones to veg for 3 weeks, grow to 12-14 inches high)

if you look i use 2x600 and a 1000w and i get just the same under the 1000w as i do with 2x600s and the buds are much bigger more solid under the 1000w. im going by what practice i have used and not somthing i think or made up or what should be better " I HAVE DONE IT"[/quote]

so straight up ur saying a 1000 hps hands down over 2 600's??

randk21 said:

if you look i use 2x600 and a 1000w and i get just the same under the 1000w as i do with 2x600s and the buds are much bigger more solid under the 1000w. im going by what practice i have used and not somthing i think or made up or what should be better " I HAVE DONE IT"

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so straight up ur saying a 1000 hps hands down over 2 600's??

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[/quote]

not hands down no but i grow under 2x600 and a 1000w and there is not a lot of difference in yeild under my 1000w i get over a 1000g under the 2x600s i dont

my 1000w room is 4x4 my 2x600s room is 3x6 each 600 covers 1mx1m you can bang your head all you like m8 i grow with them and know what works better.

here is my 2x600w room


and here is my 1000w room



look at the plant in the center its almost falling over in its pot its so top heavy. 600watters dont grow buds that dense or hard if you hit some one with that plant you would knock the fucker out its that hard.

not hands down no but i grow under 2x600 and a 1000w and there is not a lot of difference in yeild under my 1000w i get over a 1000g under the 2x600s i dont

my 1000w room is 4x4 my 2x600s room is 3x6 each 600 covers 1mx1m you can bang your head all you like m8 i grow with them and know what works better.[/quote]

I'm going to have to agree. It also has to do with the fact that a single source of light is better than multiple sources of lower value. I know there's lots of people on here that disagree with that, but it's the reason that CFL's can't grow like HPS even if you put in the same amount of lumens in the same size space.

I was considering 2x 600w lights, but I'm just going to go with a 1000w.

I used 2 400w lights this time in a 3x3 area and it just seems to be coming out like a whole lotta bud grown under 400w's. Not like bud that was grown under 800w's.

I'm just not going to futz with this anymore and I'm going to the big dog. Air Cooled 1000w is the next purchase for me.