htgsupply growbright 400 watt hps bulb,$25

[bh420]

Very true !!!,
I do also notice the ballast on my 400 watts getting EXTREMELY hot. I know for a fact if something bumped up against it (another cord, etc) it would probably melt whatever touched it. I have had to ensure all cabling is tied down and will not move where it might bump into the ballast. At 120$ per ballast/reflector setup + 30$ for a premium bulb, I really can't complain about the extra work put forth to keep the ballast away from any meltables.

Lesson from this thread... if your gonna cheap out on the hardware, always at the very least, buy the best possible name brand bulb you can afford.

 

[watson540]

Very true !!!,
I do also notice the ballast on my 400 watts getting EXTREMELY hot. I know for a fact if something bumped up against it (another cord, etc) it would probably melt whatever touched it. I have had to ensure all cabling is tied down and will not move where it might bump into the ballast. At 120$ per ballast/reflector setup + 30$ for a premium bulb, I really can't complain about the extra work put forth to keep the ballast away from any meltables.

Lesson from this thread... if your gonna cheap out on the hardware, always at the very least, buy the best possible name brand bulb you can afford.

thats the lesson you got from this? really?? the lesson I got..after babysitting an htgsupply lamp for the last week and now it finally dies(this lamp was 3 weeks old at time of death)..is to go to lowes and buy one for 16 bucks like above poster said

 

[chef]

I haven't had the best luck on their cheaper HID bulbs, but I love their 4' T5's

I run 4-blue & 2-red per fixture, zero issues, great results, need to order some more.

my 2

 

[ArcticBlast]

i have this bulb/ballast, seems ok like others have said, you really cant beat the price, just pick up a few replacement bulbs and you're set

ArcticBlast

 

[jammie]

all i know is i will never order anything from them again. their prices are cheap for a reason. its a coinflip if you get a good bulb. i ordered a bulb from them and the inside exploded after 24 hours and the next 2 replacement bulbs didnt work either. went to worms way and everything great now. also 2 of 3 of their timers went bad after 6 months.

if you order from them make sure you have backup lights/equipment because shipping this shit back and forth takes 3-4 minimum each time.

wow- sorry to hear of your bad experience with htg. i've used them about a dozen or so times. once the guy told me to order a cheaper bulb that was out of stock and then gave a free bulb upgrade. recently when i was unpacking my light, i dropped the box with the socket cord set and cracked the porcelain around the socket. i called told them what happened and they sent me another one-free. i think they have some of the best customer service around

 

[bh420]

thats the lesson you got from this? really?? the lesson I got..after babysitting an htgsupply lamp for the last week and now it finally dies(this lamp was 3 weeks old at time of death)..is to go to lowes and buy one for 16 bucks like above poster said

Yeah that is the lesson. I've setup 3 grow's using their 400 watt HPS + a solid brand name bulb... no problems ever. Also like the other posters have also noted... their customer service is excellent. The hardware is good... the bulbs suck.

Although you can go to lowes and buy whatever it is for 16$..... how does that even come close to matching the light put out by a 400watt high quality brand name bulb?

Sounds to me like you were using the generic HTG supply bulb as advised against. If you have to 'babysit' your light, you should probably be replacing/repairing rather than waiting for something bad to happen.

 

[DonkDBZ]

My growbright bulb crapped out on me. After a few months. There 6500k 55w PL-L's I have had no problems with.

 

[hoosierdaddy]

You won't get a 400 bulb at Lowes or HD for $16. Their 150's are $20.
Anecdotes of service and product quality sometimes offer you the least amount of good info. When something craps out on a person, it takes seconds and their supplier is a fucked up place with crappy people, poor service, and bad stuff.
HTG has a very good track record and people have had great luck with their products and service. Bulbs are a fickle item and can crap out for no reason. That is why places like advancedtechlighting pre-burns each bulb they supply.
An $80 super bulb can crap out as easy as a $25 bulb.

I know this is not what you were looking for, but I would suggest actually taking a look at the 400watt CMH from ATL. It will burn in the HPS magnetic ballast and is a fantastic grow light, with a spectrum far better than any comparable HPS bulb (any) can put out.
It will cost you about $65-70 bucks to get it, but I find them well worth the money in quality of bud and yield.

All my other bulb purchases I make with econolights.com
They have very cheap bulbs that seem to last very well. I use both their 150 and 400 watt bulbs. The 150's are $5.25 each and the 400HPS is $6.25 each.

 

[NHMI]

I think a CMH would be best but i like HTG. I had a problem with my bulb and they were quick to replace it. I got 2, 400w HPS's from them and they are both doing great. I am waiting on my CMH to come in but as far as 400w lights go I like HTG...and I know several pro growers who like them too, this is the 1st time I have ever seen anything bad about them...

 

[cpt.kush]

ok guys .. i was searching for info about HTG and thought i would hear the worst but from what you have posted there ok , so im gonna order ther 400w hps kit and just order a bulb from someone else and build a heat shield for the ballast ..im also going to order there fan & filter combo too .once again thanks for the info ...cpt.k

 

[ArcticBlast]

My growbright bulb crapped out on me. After a few months. There 6500k 55w PL-L's I have had no problems with.

that's funny lol, i'm on the original 400w hps bulb still, but i'm on my third set of those 55w pl-l bulbs lol

ArcticBlast

 

[GeorgeSmiley]

Add HTG's carbon filters to the piece of shit, never buy.

Tries 3 of em several years ago and they all let smell through. They don't come with enough carbon, period. Based on that and years of reading, I wouldn't use they gear to light my laundry room.

Cheers
Smiley

That said, it took me 30min to find a shop that would give me a business account with 25% off.

So I photoshopped a local business license, printed it out,..... they barely glanced at it and set my account up. Did the same thing all over town at diff supply centers

That's cheaper than plant lighting hydro.com and they have cut rate prices they make up for in shipping.

Always a deal local if you can make it safe.

 

[ArcticBlast]

i like HTG because its cheap, and because its convinient as hell... i can drive to the store in less than 25 minutes and their customer service is fucking awesome lol...

i got a discount because they rang me up wrong and i came back for them to correct it (charged me for a BIG bag of coco, when i only got a couple of bricks)... just all around nice people

i keep telling the dude to get on here, he sort of shrugs me off every time lol

ArcticBlast

 

[TalkingMonkey]

ive been growing buds the size of my arm with their cheap 400 hps...benn using it for years now without a prob. only neg i can think of is it does produce alot of heat. so if yer in a closet(like me) or cab then it will be a major concern the original bulb lasted for many many grows/years and performed very well. It still works but i replaced it because of age. Also the current replacement bulb was a 20 dollar ebay bulb and has been flawless all year. the htg timer that came free with the light has lasted 7 years and counting

P.S. HTG included a free pair of trimmers on my last order' and a free lighter/bottle opener with every order(dont try to open a beer unless ya wanna break yer lighter). Their customer service has always been great along with their prices. wont hesitate to buy from them again.

 

[ArcticBlast]

lol yeah that lighter is a POS, i dont know why i still grab one everytime i'm in there lol

nice buds dude! and yeah, that ballast gets hot as shit too

ArcticBlast

 

[JACKtheREFFER]

I love HTG i have bought 5 lights from them (3 600's and 2 400's bulbs and ballasts) and other products all still working fine


Never get the lighter always opt for the shirt its better

 

[simon]

I use a pair of 400HPS for veg. Over the years I've tested a variety of lamps, agro and not so agro. At this point, I mostly buy Sylvania 400 lamps - ~$15. They test best new, test best after a year, test best after 2 years of daily use with barely 10% reduction in output. GEs and Philips lamps are also very good, albeit not as powerful as the Sylvanias. Asian-made lamps, often sold at a large discount, consistently test the worst. YMMV

Simon

 

[!!!]

Their brand bulbs suck IMO. You can get a Ushio 400w for $15 shipped - much better quality.

As for ballast kits, I had no problems with HTGs 400w ballast except it gets REALLY hot. I sold mine and bought a DIY kit instead.

 

[simon]

You can get a Ushio 400w for $15 shipped ....

Do you have a link? I'd like to try one.

Simon

 

[EstimatedProph]

I would never expect to pay much less than $100 for a bulb. Remember the sun is the most important part of any cannabis plant's life.