Im looking for the best CFL for my grow box.To many choices!! which ones work best?

hey you guys, i am currently using basic cfl's that i bought and scrounged up...
i have about 200 true watts and need more!!! but, problem is i have like 10 bulbs, and i cant fit any more in there! Also, its getting very hot with all of them in there. some of the cheaper ones seem to burn hotter then the sylvania's or others with brand names. anyway....
i have a very small grow box, and am trying to get the most watts/lumens, in the smallest amount of space, and of coarse, the coolest burning cfl is very important to me.
i have been looking at apollo's 125 watt cfl, i know its a cheapr brand, so i am a little nervous about the heat on that one...and the overall effectiveness of it...anyone use those?
then i was looking at the sun god, mini lotus, those seemed to be a good fit....
those were just two i was looking at, Im open to suggestion here, throw me some ideas, tell me what has worked for you...
thanks in advance you guys!
-J

Hmmm....never thought that some cfls might burn at different temps depending on brand.....would be interested though if someone knows the answer.

SpaaaceCowboy said:

Hmmm....never thought that some cfls might burn at different temps depending on brand.....would be interested though if someone knows the answer.

Click to expand...

that wasnt really my point of the thread,its no biggie, but i dont want to stray from getting some advice...but as far as i know, for fact, is the 23 watt k-lite brand (2700K) i got really cheap are way hot to the touch, alot hotter then the sylvainia 23 watters (6500K) i have....Not sure if its the brand that matters, or it could just be the difference in what part of the kelvin scale yr working with, idk...purely speculation...
what i am really looking for is advice from people's first hand experiences in using the higher wattage CFL's. i currently have WAY too many bulbs in my mini grow box, and i am thinking that having so many is creating all this heat. help a brotha out!

I've used a few brands, pretty much whatever is on sale and haven't noticed a difference in temps. I have noticed they start to burn a little hotter at the end of their life. I like a mixed spectrum, so with 4 fixtures, I go with 3 - 6500k/ 1 - 2700k for veg and 3 - 2700k/ 1 - 6500k for flower. Can't say about which brands burn cooler, CFLs in general burn a whole lot cooler than say HPS or MH.. try positioning a small oscillating fan or computer fan horizontally right below the bulbs, if you can put your hand under the lights for more than a few secs, you should be fine.