Alphalite Plasma, Anyone use one?

For fun, I was researching other lights. I'm a CXB3590 COB fan myself. I ran across the Alphalite NIT400T. It is $499 on Amazon. This plasma lite uses the Topanga Advanced Plasma Light APL400-4000BF emitter. You can see that at www.topangatech.com. I looked at the spectral power distribution for this light. Sure looks like a winner to me. If you go to the website, look at products at the top, and then APL400-4000BF on the left. At 235 watts, not bad. Topanga has others too. I don't know, not my dads plasma. I think it might need a closer look.
Anyone seen this light in action? I believe it is the same emitter as the rocket plasma, and at half the cost. Might be worth a look. Not sure I am willing to give up or replace my DIY COB light, but this might make a good addition to the grow room. What do you think?

85lm/W, nuff said

sethimus said:

85lm/W, nuff said

Click to expand...

True, it's not the brightest bulb, but it was the quality or spectrum that I was looking at. My 3590's are certainly brighter (more par and PPFD). This plasma has UVA and UVB that my COBs don't have. If you take off the glass would increase the UV spectrum. The spectrum includes a lot of blue between 400nm and 500nm. It also puts out a fair amount of red past 700nm. I would not run this alone, but might make a good addition to COBs.

Wow, they are following that old deceptive sales practice that fucked up the led market. They are hinting in there name that it is a 400 watt unit, but it's not even close, just like the blurple panels from China.

plasma lighting is just not there yet.

caumop said:

True, it's not the brightest bulb, but it was the quality or spectrum that I was looking at. My 3590's are certainly brighter (more par and PPFD). This plasma has UVA and UVB that my COBs don't have. If you take off the glass would increase the UV spectrum. The spectrum includes a lot of blue between 400nm and 500nm. It also puts out a fair amount of red past 700nm. I would not run this alone, but might make a good addition to COBs.

Click to expand...

lm/w does not equal brightness. lm/w is used to describe efficiency.

85lm/w is horrific for efficiency. right now cobs are running 120 - 160 lm/w.

PurpleBuz said:

lm/w does not equal brightness. lm/w is used to describe efficiency.

85lm/w is horrific for efficiency. right now cobs are running 120 - 160 lm/w.

Click to expand...

Topanga's APL horticulture plasma (which is the same light engine that is in Rocket and Alphalite fixtures) is a tailored spectrum. Essentially, what has been done is that plasma materials have been chosen to emit more light in the near-red and far-red part of the spectrum (to help flowering) and less in the green part of the spectrum (though there is still some green). Both blue, UVA, and UVB are present as well. Since lumens is weighted to the green, the lm/W will be lower inherently. Since most plants absorb green light poorly, there is not much of a need to have high levels of green and lm/W is less meaningful in the context of horticulture. It would be hard to compare this plasma with the COBs on efficacy alone, which have a completely different spectrum and are likely heavily weighted in the blue, which helps increase lm/W. I think a better comparison is to look at the two spectrums and see how the colors are weighted. Depending on what your needs are, it might be a better way of seeing if it's worth the buy.

the spectrum appears to be improved over other plasma lights. but its hard to tell how much better by their spectrum graph overlays.