I actually bought these because the shit ballast I bought from Amazon kept blowing my T5 bulbs except for 2 replacement LED bulbs that you can use with the ballast as is and I didn't know the difference so the plan was just to plug and go. At $150 someone bucks for 12 of them they aren't cheap but if they last for years I will be super happy. I also bought an 8 bulb Vivosun fixture from Amazon which is much nicer, bigger light that covers my plants better. I hate keeping mothers to be honest but I find myself with 8 strains again. I keep saying no more mothers but they keep pulling me back.