best ballast on the market

im a longtime outdoor grower but a complete newbie to indoor, so i hope you guys could help me with a question. the past couple of weeks ive been doing some research looking for the best lighting, venting, and hydroponic gear. i have been getting mixed reviews on ballasts everywhere i look. what do you guys think are the best ballasts on the market are far as performance and longevity goes, price not being a factor? a few that i like so far are global greenhouse, sun system 6 switchable, and lumatek (but i have heard alot of bad things about these).

Thats a bit of a loaded ? Dank! LOL j/k I think the good ole mag/coil ballast are the way too go. Even the basic diy person can make simple repairs on them. Just find a brand that has been around and has replacement parts available and should be good too go for many years. That being said I recently aquired a 600 lumatek. To early for a full opinion. But I do like how it fires the bulb.

And oh ya, WELCOME to RIU! Check out the FAQ section for starters. Wealth of great growing info!

thanks cowboy. yeah i guess that kinda is a loaded question. i called all of my local hydro stores and they all recommened the ones that they were selling (big suprise). im just wondering what other people have had success with or problems with.

I just today had this discussion with a pal of mine who owns a hydro store. I am using an old clunking magnetic ballast that was loaned to me, and the sound is driving me crazy! I have a sweet setup, completely quiet if it were not for the ballast. This is what my friend told me; the best options are the Lumatek and Sun System (galaxy) digital ballasts. Of those he prefers the Galaxy because they do not send too much power to the bulb. Apparently the Lumatek ballasts over power the bulb so that they can claim more lumens. I know there are arguments for both sides of every issue, but I know that this guy knows his stuff and I trust him. I would like to see more discussion on the issue. I was searching online for reviews for an hour last night and couldn't find ONE!
If anyone out there has used these ballasts or others Bring It! What ballast to choose is a huge issue for most growers and there is very little discussion about it!

I am posting again because I don't know how else to subscribe.....sorry

Welcome! I dont know much on ballast and all. But im going to be getting this one http://www.htgsupply.com/viewproduct.asp?productID=48930 its a digital greenhouse system. And it comes with everything you need, although i will upgrade the reflector and bulbs that they offer with it. But htg offers alot of diff. ballast if you havent looked then take a peek.