LightWave T5 LW24-HO? Will this light do the trick?

Hey all,

A bit of digging around the forum shows many growers are satisfied with T5 grow lights. I'm upgrading my budget/ghetto lights and I'm thinking of grabbing a T5 for myself, but as usual, there are quite a few models and specs out there.

I'm specifically looking at this one:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LightWave...edsBulbs_JN&hash=item41606d78fb#ht_2396wt_934

Does this seem like it'll do the job for a 2-3 plant grow? I'm presuming the bulbs are interchangable for flowering & vegging? The fact that it states it's adequate for reptile tanks is throwing me off a bit.

Alternatively, any UK growers with a reasonably priced, effective T5 light willing to share a brand name and supplier?

Thanks all

RMX: it looks like a foreign made unit, and I'm assuming conversion would make it 2' long. I guessing that partly from the wattage draw. My 4 footers draw 55 watts for each tube and my 2 footers draw 35 watts. Looks like a good deal. Just remember to buy a fixture that's big enough to completely cover your grow. T-5's illuminate what's immediately below but they don't spread the light well. I don't know what the rest of your grow is like but if everything else is in order and you're only trying to grow four plants you should like it.

You might also want to see what your local hydroponics store has to offer. If something goes wrong with it you can have a hard time getting adequate customer service from some company located 3,000 miles away. I hope this helps. HSA

Hi HSA,

Thanks a lot for taking the time to reply - Glad someone has verified that it at least looks like an acceptable choice! I hate to do the hand holding post thing, but there are so many choices out there that I'd hate to fork out the cash only to regret my purchase a few days down the line!

I have the cash and the freedom to grow unhindered - it's just that I hate that nauseous feeling in the gut you get where you pay for something inferior and could have gotten a better deal if you'd just made some inquiries beforehand! lol.

HSA: Yep that light is roughly 2 feet wide, which would be perfect for my grow space. I'd also agree that they seem to be foreign manufactured units - Chinese maybe? At least the seller is UK based if any problems should arise!

I'm hoping the concentration of light in one central spot isn't too much of an issue since I'll only be growing 2-3 at a time? It might be possible to improvise a reflective environment in my grow space with some sheets of diamond mylar.

Overall, as long as the lumen output and wattage seem good, I'll likely go with this one. I'll be committing to the purchase tomorrow evening, until then, if anyone wants to recommend an alternative light that I could check out (UK based) I'll have a look and definitely consider it.

Cheers!