In Search Of Grow Light Advice

algar32

New Member
Hello all, I have searched the web for a good place to ask about grow lights for a few houseplants and this appears to be one of a few active forums on buying grow lights.

I was hoping to get some advice on purchasing one of the following two sets of equipment from craigslist. I created a more detailed post here:
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/lights/msg07183825985.html?11634

,but was unable to get much feedback. I was hoping to find out whether either of these setups were a good deal. The one setup is supposedly from a school for research. I couldn't find many details about the light online, but here it is:
http://delaware.craigslist.org/grd/3904073096.html


And the other is selling a variety of equipment:
http://delaware.craigslist.org/grd/3895405025.html

It appears to me that most grow light equipment is not well reviewed online so I was hoping I could get some insight from some experienced individuals. Thanks.
 

tbird25069

Member
the glow-in-the-dark 'shrooms are pretty cool looking . at first i was thinkin "how much light does a shroom need" (heh) then i saw the other plants listed. the HYDROFARM T5 unit: produces aprox 5ooo lumens and very little heat, would be easy to move, but your Dream Herb will be abit limited on final size, the PHANTOM gear: all looks like great gear, primo setup that wont have you wanting for more light, would pump +100ooo lumens easy, multiple 1000w bulbs will produce tons-o-heat and ventilation fans w ducting will be req, moving will be bulky, the FULL SPECTRUM SOLUTION 400w electrodeless unit looks interesting, if it doesnt produce a lot of heat (abit much to hope for i think) would be the best of the 3 for your situation IMO, strong light & compact (everything inside one hood) . maybe look at the 2' T5 TEK unit on ebay, 10ooo lumen, compact easy to move, and i would think produces less heat than the FSS unit (again i know nothing of electrodeless lights, but 400watts is 400watts, if you do get info on that FSS unit let us know about what lumen/heat it produces)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-ft-T5-TEK-GROW-LIGHT-w-VEG-BULBS-Floro-Fluorescent-lamp-24-in-6400K-tubes-4-/160720398285?hash=item256baea7cd
 

algar32

New Member
the glow-in-the-dark 'shrooms are pretty cool looking . at first i was thinkin "how much light does a shroom need" (heh) then i saw the other plants listed. the HYDROFARM T5 unit: produces aprox 5ooo lumens and very little heat, would be easy to move, but your Dream Herb will be abit limited on final size, the PHANTOM gear: all looks like great gear, primo setup that wont have you wanting for more light, would pump +100ooo lumens easy, multiple 1000w bulbs will produce tons-o-heat and ventilation fans w ducting will be req, moving will be bulky, the FULL SPECTRUM SOLUTION 400w electrodeless unit looks interesting, if it doesnt produce a lot of heat (abit much to hope for i think) would be the best of the 3 for your situation IMO, strong light & compact (everything inside one hood) . maybe look at the 2' T5 TEK unit on ebay, 10ooo lumen, compact easy to move, and i would think produces less heat than the FSS unit (again i know nothing of electrodeless lights, but 400watts is 400watts, if you do get info on that FSS unit let us know about what lumen/heat it produces)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-ft-T5-TEK-GROW-LIGHT-w-VEG-BULBS-Floro-Fluorescent-lamp-24-in-6400K-tubes-4-/160720398285?hash=item256baea7cd
Thanks for the advice. Yeah the glowing mushrooms are quite cool. I doubt the mushrooms will ever be put under the grow light (probably shouldn't have listed them on a grow light advice thread).

I still can't find much on the FSS unit. Its model number is ED-400w-GB and I found this (EHB-ED-400w):http://www.everlastlight.com/download/pdfs/everlast/EHB-ED-400W.pdf
It puts out 33,000 lumens, but it probably isn't that close of a product to the one craigslist. I am going to call the FSS on Monday to try and get some information on this light.

If I were to go the phantom route, what do you think the cheapest functional setup I could get would be? Could I buy everything I need from the craigslist seller or would I need to go elsewhere for other necessary equipment. You had mentioned fans for the hood as an added cost are there any other additional costs I should be aware of?

If the above plans don't pan out, I am looking into the 2' T5 teks you recommended.

Thanks so much for your help.
 

tbird25069

Member
the link on CL wants $290 for a phantom ballast and the big hood w bulb (that ballast will dim to allow lesser wattage bulb if that 1000w is hard to tame).......to complete: 6" non-insulated ducting runs like $15-20 homedepo (insulated is 2x cost, lowers sounds from fans but makes adj ht cumbersome) (2) 6" in-line fans, $30 ea homedepo -or- (1) vortex fan $75-100 ebay, will complete the hood . the idea is to duct the air thru the hood then out of the room, and is absolutely essential w a rig that strong.
 

algar32

New Member
thanks for the advice. The induction light already sold. I found some leds in the area which appear to be reasonably priced. Do you think this is a good deal/ suits my needs? I will probably pull the trigger and pick up all 3 units tomorrow if I receive positive feedback.

2 sunshine systems UFOS and a sunshine systems 45 glow panel:
http://delaware.craigslist.org/grd/3895745916.html
 

tbird25069

Member
i have lil experiance w LED lights (i do have a blue panel on my veg bench and the plants seem to luv it) but ive heard those UFOs are good to go, focused spectrums w lil heat (no ducting needed)
 
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