Should I upgrade to a magnum XXL?

[wdcf]

I have been thinking about upgrading my reflector to the XXL, but I am going to need a little convincing here...I run a 600watt hps(Agro-bulb that has 95,000 lumens initially)

my current reflector is this, generic but gets the job done? http://www.hydroponicsonline.com/st...400-600-1000-hps-mh-digital_390122850014.html

its 19X16 and 5.5 deep(inches)

the Magnum XXL is 32 1/2" x 26 1/4" x 7 3/4"

the reflectivity material is the same; my current reflector is 'janky' while the magnum is solidly constructed, but my reflector is not going to war and my current reflector is still in mint condition.

What it comes down to in my mind is this....if I bought a much bigger reflector(The XXL) wouldn't I lose lumens going to my plants because the reflector is bigger thus making the lumen output less concentrated? or would it be very minmal?
for your input

 

[America]

I've got a magnum in my GL120 (4x4) with a 600w. I'm able to get my plants within 6-8" of the glass and keep temps below 80F. I've got a 400 CFM fan to go along with it.

Upgrading to a magnum will have its benefits. You won't lose intensity of the light because they run so much cooler you can keep your plants closer. The magnums are designed very well and have great airflow.

The more useful benefit of the magnums is the footprint. I have easily a 50% larger footprint at the same height as my friends Super Sun 2, which is probably similar to the footprint of your generic.

They are very nice reflectors, and if you can get one for less than $200 I believe you can make up the cost of it after one grow, provided you increase your grow size in accordance with the larger footprint.

I'd say go for it!

 

[OC80]

Upgrading to a magnum will have its benefits. You won't lose intensity of the light because they run so much cooler you can keep your plants closer. The magnums are designed very well and have great airflow.

The more useful benefit of the magnums is the footprint. I have easily a 50% larger footprint at the same height as my friends Super Sun 2, which is probably similar to the footprint of your generic.

Ya^^ all true. I have the a supersun2 right next to a magnum and its like night and day. Ill have the money to make it two magnums after christmas.

 

[mrdizzle]

bigger hoods dont actually give better reflection. the light has to travel farther to hit the hood before it is reflected back towards the garden, all causing lumen to be lost. a larger footprint isnt really a good thing as the farther the light is spread the weaker it gets

 

[Lazyman]

Don't your bulbs have a built-in reflector? If so, then your hoods pretty much doesn't matter, little to no light hits it in the first place, nothing to reflect!

If not, then I've read the Magnum is better for 1kw bulbs, and the SS2 is better for 600's, but that may be a matter of preference. I'd ask Pico before I bought anything.

 

[Iron_Lion]

I have been thinking about upgrading my reflector to the XXL, but I am going to need a little convincing here...I run a 600watt hps(Agro-bulb that has 95,000 lumens initially)

my current reflector is this, generic but gets the job done? http://www.hydroponicsonline.com/st...400-600-1000-hps-mh-digital_390122850014.html

its 19X16 and 5.5 deep(inches)

the Magnum XXL is 32 1/2" x 26 1/4" x 7 3/4"

the reflectivity material is the same; my current reflector is 'janky' while the magnum is solidly constructed, but my reflector is not going to war and my current reflector is still in mint condition.

What it comes down to in my mind is this....if I bought a much bigger reflector(The XXL) wouldn't I lose lumens going to my plants because the reflector is bigger thus making the lumen output less concentrated? or would it be very minmal?
for your input

I need to know this too, I will be upgrading to a 600 very soon. Im looking at a lumatek kit that comes with an xtrasun hood.

 

[wdcf]

Well I just shot pico a PM hopefully he will stop by this thread....I have a 600w lumatek and a 600 digital greenhouse ballast and I like them both, lumateks warranty is amazing as well....

but now back to these reflectors!

 

[pico]

I tested the XXXL 6" compared to the SS2 with 1000w lumatek digital ballast over a 5x5 grid at 24" height. In this test, the XXXL did come out the winner. A little more even distribution of the light.Scroll down to see post here http://icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=51325&page=38

If you are doing a 3x3 area with 600w lamps, I might still stick with a smaller reflector. I would have to test it to be sure, but this is my guess. Both will produce great results, but it is hard for me to say give a definitive answer without having tested it myself.

In my opinion, 6-8" is too close for a reflector to be to the canopy. You will get more even light distribution and a wider light spread with reflector higher. You have to consider that no matter the design of the reflector, a lot of light is hitting right below the bulb directly, with no reflection. This hot spot can not be changed much by a reflector (diffuser maybe, but I have not tested) it can only be accounted for by directing the reflected light to the outer areas of the canopy instead of back to the hot spot. The XXL does this better than the SS2 in the above test and you can see that in the charts, less of a hot spot, but this is not because it is blocking direct light, it is just redirecting reflected light to another part of the canopy. This may give a similar result with 600w lights at 12-18", but then again it might not, maybe it spreads light too far and you will be losing that light if you don't have a big enough canopy area. You could reduce that spread by bringing the light closer, but that is going to increase the intensity of the hot spot in the middle, and it may not be the best approach.

In theory, there should be a way to calculate the reflector distance and canopy size to use with a 600w light to get the same sort of results done in my test. Haven't thought this through much, just brainstorming, but let's try an example. 600w light is 60% of 1000w, so lets try that number.

60% of reflector height of 24" is 14.4".
60% of canopy size of 25 square feet is 15 ft/sq.
15 ft/sq. is 3.87 ft. by 3.87 ft. canopy

So in theory if you used a 600w lamp 14.4" from the canopy with a 3.87ft x 3.87ft canopy, you should get a similar looking chart to what I had in my 1000w tests.

Again, hard to say without doing the testing in the real world. You can't go wrong with either reflector. I think I will be replacing my 1000w reflectors with XXXL 6" hoods, but I am not positive. They are so big it makes them harder to move/store/hang....etc. With 1 or 2 lights this might not be a big deal, but with lots....well it can become a problem. One of the nice things about the SS2 is the compact size and the ease of cleaning.

One thing to note, I did not test the 8" XXXL which has different dimensions, and larger vents that will most likely change the results significantly.

I have some lumatek 750s and they are fantastic. I just did a run with SS2 reflectors and yielded quite well. I have the 1000w lumateks as well, but the 750s impressed me.

 

[humboldtlocal]

Pico you are a wealth of light info.

 

[wdcf]

Thanks a lot pico, you really do contain a plethora of knowledge

 

[wdcf]

Anyone else on using a magnum?

 

[SELFHEMPLOYED]

Just bought a 6in magnum for my 5x5 tent. replaced a daystar 6in ac hood. Much better footprint for my tent. It is big as fu** though.

 

[Iron_Lion]

Just bought a 6in magnum for my 5x5 tent. replaced a daystar 6in ac hood. Much better footprint for my tent. It is big as fu** though.

I just bought a daystar 6" A/C, how'd you like it? It looks like a nice reflector.

 

[SELFHEMPLOYED]

It is a great reflector no doubt. The reason I switched is that I have 5ft+ trees in my 5x5 and the dimensions of the daystar were just too small to be able to cover that footprint at that height. I REALLY like Hydrofarm hoods. I have two radiant 8's in my 4x8 and the are the bees knees.

 

[Iron_Lion]

It is a great reflector no doubt. The reason I switched is that I have 5ft+ trees in my 5x5 and the dimensions of the daystar were just too small to be able to cover that footprint at that height. I REALLY like Hydrofarm hoods. I have two radiant 8's in my 4x8 and the are the bees knees.

Were you using a 600 or a 1000? Mine hasnt come in yet, Ill be using it to light up a 4x3 area.