So it's been a huge debate between my partners and I, but I wanted to get some outside info here. 600w lights are great in that you can have 3 for every 2 1000w lights and still be saving money. My roommates think we get almost same yeild and quality, but just from the 2 1000w lights ive used i'm pretty much convinced that, although you maybe dont quite double your yeild, you produce triple a meds and much much more dense buds, with almmost an extra o per girl. Any input from the mass?
I use (multiples of) both in the same room. All of my plants are LST'd and pruned for zero popcorn before flowering. The decision as to which light to use with each plant is strain-dependent. For example, Iced Grapefruit grows relatively short, fat flowers. Toward harvest they look like Nerf footballs. These plants do great user the 600s. OTOH, NL/Blueberry that I grow produces very long, more slender looking flowers. Toward harvest, they look like baseball bats. These do better under the 1000s. All things being equal the 1000s produce more, but things are rarely equal.
what I hear from the guys with big setups that have ran both, is they would rather run 10 600w's over 6 1000w's, you get more coverage with more bulbs and they run cooler so the lights can be closer
Given the choice, I'd run 10x600 over 6x1000 any day. It's because of the heat. Once the garden is scaled above, say, ~4K watts heat management takes on a whole new meaning.
600=buds that are more dense, if light properly utilized, because 600s put off less heat enabling you to put them closer to your buds which means more usable light at the canopy.
No. Just no. No way, no how, not in anyone's widest dreams.
I have 1Ks sitting right next to 600s, all in a closed-loop ventilation system. If I wanted to, I could run the 1Ks 6-8" above the tops, there's just no point to it.
the amount of light lost to the glass doesn't outweigh the few in you get in terms of getting closer to the plant.
That's not exactly true. The loss due to glass is minimal; however, the reflector itself can make a very substantial difference in the light seen by the plants. I've measured this, as have others, and of course the yields support the idea. Here's a thread with data to look at:
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=51325
Simon