T8 Fixtures

I am in the market for new lighting....and i have found the tubes i want to use. a 6500K t8 fluorescent outputting 2900 lumens each....the drawback is i can't find a T8 fixture that is what i'm looking for. I did find a promising shoplight fixture however it only hold 2 tubes....im looking to run 4 tubes in my veg area to get maximum lumens per sq ft. My question is this, should i buy two of the two bulb shoplight fixtures for apprx $20-25 at walmart, or should i spend upwards of $80-100 for a 4 bulb fixture at the hydroponics store? Does a single 4 bulb fixture operate more efficiently than 2 two bulb fixtures? Would walmart shoplights be worth the savings as far as quality compared to a 4 bulb fixture specifically designed for indoor gardens?


i know the t5 fixtures would be alot better, but im not overly worried because i grew my last plant with t12 and 4 twisty cfls so the t8 fixture is an improvement plus my grow area is 3.8'x1.6'x3.1"

Adding more is helpful. the t-8's are not much of an advantage however. The t-8 bulbs should fit the t-12 fixtue as well. the bulbs are different diameters, the pin pattern is the same. There isn't any advantage to having a single 4-tube fixture as opposed to two separate fixtures. The two separate fixture's could be placed at different heights and you could only turn on one until you need them both. They will also be easier to move up and down than the 4-tube single because the weight will be split between the two. I bought one of the four bulb fixture for like $20.00. All the rest I have in t-12's or t-8 are two bulb fixtures, I find them more convenient. Get the full spectrum bulb,. about $5.00 at Menards. VV

2 separate lights are better in my opinion because they can be moved as needed. I use t12 bulbs because they put out more lumens for about the same price. if you get a light with an electric ballast inside it you can get another ballast like that and overdrive the bulbs to get almost twice the lumens out of them. some say that it isnt safe but ive done it for a long time now and it has been fine. every little bit helps when using fluros anyways. lol

you can just stick t8 bulbs in that t12 fixture but the t12's have higher lumen output anyways so why downgrade.
the larger the diameter of the fluro tube the more lumens it outputs.

meh, the t12 fixture is only for 1 bulb and it's only a 2 foot fixture. i compared the lumen per watt ratio's on the t12 and the t8 and the t8 had better lumen to watt ratio. something around 3000 lumens for the 40 watt t12 and somewhere along the lines of 2800 for the 32 watt t8 overall the t8 is more efficient...on paper and in numbers anyways. I'm not even considering overdriving the bulbs....i dont want to burn nothing down or fuck anything up...i would rather shell out for a t5 than overdrive bulbs. plus my veg space is only 18 cu ft altogether [6 sq ftx 3.1 ft height] I'm headed out to wal mart to get my new fixtures right now. :0

Please tell me your flowering space is taller?? VV

yeah, my flowering space is about another foot or so taller......my room is set up like this: veg area below the counter, flower area above the counter, clone box in the corner and i have like 8 ft ceiling so 8ft- 3.1 ft.....i have apprx 4.9 ft above the counter but my last plants i grew and flowered under the counter and it worked out fine.... i only yeilded about .5 ounce from the one plant though

hell yeah, i posted at 4:20.....just thought i should point that out....im gonna smoke a bowl

I'm about to embark on the road to t8ville, i've just ordered up fittings for 8, 4 foot, t8 tubes. I plan on making a large veg area for many plants.

i ended up getting 2 2 bulb fixtures and it seems to be doing alot better than my old cfl's....they are easier to adjust and have a more professional look about them...i was indecisive about the bulbs....i ended up getting two bulbs that were 5000k and 2800 lumens t8 32 w and two that were 6500k 2700 lumens t8 32 w and put one of each bulb in each fixture. they fit nearly perfect under my counter and it is fairly bright. happy vegging ngt

Jesushasdreads said:

meh, the t12 fixture is only for 1 bulb and it's only a 2 foot fixture. i compared the lumen per watt ratio's on the t12 and the t8 and the t8 had better lumen to watt ratio. something around 3000 lumens for the 40 watt t12 and somewhere along the lines of 2800 for the 32 watt t8 overall the t8 is more efficient...on paper and in numbers anyways. I'm not even considering overdriving the bulbs....i dont want to burn nothing down or fuck anything up...i would rather shell out for a t5 than overdrive bulbs. plus my veg space is only 18 cu ft altogether [6 sq ftx 3.1 ft height] I'm headed out to wal mart to get my new fixtures right now. :0

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oh......0_o sorry mate. my t12's came from walmart, hold 2 lamps and are 4ft a peice. i guess i just started with the ones you are getting or something. I just had the option for 4ft t12 or 4ft t8's and the t12's were bangin more lumens

yeah, your fixture is made by lights of america or something and is white? same one i got just with the t-12 bulbs

how can i tell what kind of fl i have ? check out my topic ....