Cool Tube vs. Vented Hood

I did a search on this, and didnt come up with much.

Advantages? disadvantages?

Common sense says that the cool tube can be put vertical and throw light 360 degrees around it, but the one that I'm looking at has reflectors:
DIGITAL 600 watt both HPS+MH COOL TUBE GROW LIGHT 600w! - eBay (item 180175343395 end time Jan-29-08 09:44:14 PST)

I'm torn between that or one with just an air vented hood:

DIGITAL 600 watt HPS+MH GROW LIGHT 600w AIR COOLED HOOD - eBay (item 180175343355 end time Jan-29-08 09:44:07 PST)

Any advice or thoughts? is the hood clearly superior in coverage (beneath)... is the cool tube setup a waste unless you position the lamp vertically?

Thx!

Do you know if you are considering vertical? I have heard that cool tubes are good in horizontal because you can vent the hot air out easily. At least with my hoods it isn't very efficiant and the air leaks in from the room through the glass. Yet the cool tube I use is sealed.

GreenLight said:

Do you know if you are considering vertical? I have heard that cool tubes are good in horizontal because you can vent the hot air out easily. At least with my hoods it isn't very efficiant and the air leaks in from the room through the glass. Yet the cool tube I use is sealed.

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I doubt I'll go vertical, but if the tube worked well horizontally, and there was not much tradeoff over the hood... I'd go the cool tube route just so if I ever wanted to go vertical, I could. I'm not sure if the cool tube from the link is sealed, but I will check it out.

Thanks for the input, I'd say that the scale tips toward the cool tube... (so far)

My buddy has one of those tubes and doesn't use it,somthing about hot spots and they are the most inefficiant for reflecting light. Trade off is you can run em closer. Anyways FWIW he uses a hood with ducts vented to it,and the tube sits unused.

HAN SOLO said:

My buddy has one of those tubes and doesn't use it,somthing about hot spots and they are the most inefficiant for reflecting light. Trade off is you can run em closer. Anyways FWIW he uses a hood with ducts vented to it,and the tube sits unused.

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Thank you HS.... score a point for the hood! great, now the score is even.


I can see how it would be less efficient at reflecting light, but if there are hot spots, how can you run them closer?

there is a difference in heat from a hood rather then cool tube. Those hoods get alot of radiant heat buildup because of the shape, whereas the cooltube can clear out all the heat/ radiant heat the bulb is giving off.

YaK said:

Thank you HS.... score a point for the hood! great, now the score is even.


I can see how it would be less efficient at reflecting light, but if there are hot spots, how can you run them closer?

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I'm not sure,maybe I missunderstood him cause that kinda doesn't make sense lol. All I know is he talks about using it,but I never see it get used. Always the vented hoods.