Well i can only speak for lumatek as that is all i have used. So far they are great. I have the ballasts mounted on the floor in a closet with a fan blowing over them and they stay room temperature and are completely quiet. Bulbs are to full brightness within 30 seconds. They did have a problem with hortilux bulbs because of a voltage inconsistency when igniting but that has apparently been fixed with the latest versions. So far really happy with them.