Time to change the bulbs

[Tinytoon]

getting ready to replace a couple of 400w HPS bulbs and would like to get thoughts on what would be the best bulb to invest in. Bottom line I want something that is worth what I'm paying ..... dont want a $20 bulb for $80. This would be for flowering as I run an MH bulb for veg

 

[FreezerBoy]

If you don't care to chuck both for CMH-Ceramic Metal Halides then any brand name HPS will do. I did the AgroSun thing for a while until I was forced to swap the $70 lamp for a standard $20 HPS. The garden never noticed the change.

 

[Dregs]

man, I have been tossing around the CMH thing since I started growing 6 months ago.. and every time I see a thread on it I start looking again.. I have a 400w HPS for flowering and a 400w MH for Vegging.. and once again I am looking at the CMH stuff..

 

[Tinytoon]

so I take it that you are saying the $20 bulb at home dePOT is just as good as $70 bulbs online??

 

[alphaguru]

CMH is def the way to roll.

by far.

 

[MAZEinaHAZE]

yeah, i'm surprised that freezer boy said that.....please Freezer, if you're out there, clarify and expand.

usually the rule of thumb is..." u get what u pay for"....is this not your findings on HPS bulbs ?

 

[20north]

cmh or bust

 

[cocktail frank]

if your going 400w, go with the CMH.
look around at others growing with them.
you will not be disappointed.

there's a few dudes kicking ass with these in hydro.
this poster is a few threads down from ya
http://icmag.com/ic/showpost.php?p=2583105&postcount=203

 

[FreezerBoy]

yeah, i'm surprised that freezer boy said that.....please Freezer, if you're out there, clarify and expand.

usually the rule of thumb is..." u get what u pay for"....is this not your findings on HPS bulbs ?

I started with a 150 HPS. Sort of. Actually it was a $70 170 AgroSun. One day the AgroSun died, the HydroShop shelf was bare so I settled for a standard $20 150. The garden never noticed the difference, never slowed down or flowered less. My wallet on the other hand, noticed the difference between $70 and $20 real quick.

It may be at my lower wattage (150 vs 400) there wasn't all that much light to begin with.

A 250 CMH is twice the price of a 250 HPS but, I was a hairsbreath from doing the switching route anyway. Double the lamps would've been double the price anyway, not to mention double ballasts or switchers. Added bonus, CMH is more blue than MH AND more red than HPS, all with one lamp, one ballast, no switching.

Note I'm in a single chamber grow. So one lamp versus switching two makes sense. Here, we're talking double chambers where he already has a dedicated MH veg area. The added expense simply for flowering may not make sense. Note further a CMH works on a magnetic HPS ballast. To replace the MH would require a new ballast as well.

 

[RockyMountainHi]

Home Depot

400W Silvania MH bulb - I think it was $24

 

[BlindDate]

Chuck the 400 and get a 600.

 

[BudGood]

If you decide to stay with regular HPS and not go CMH, Osram makes a bulb specifically engineered for grow plants, I have had nothing but good results with them. Osram Plantastar, I think I got mine from BetterGrow Hydro online.

 

[FunkBomb]

Plantlightinghydroponics has 400w HPS lamps for $9.00.....

-Funk

 

[brie]

I use $18 400 hps a buy at the local wholesale bulb distributer I am happy with their performance I use 19 at a time all 400s