deciding what T5 to get!

[thelaughingman]

sorry to bug ya'll with my ignorance, but I am in a conundrum about what T5 I should perches something that can perform acquitted for veg and some moms in the future I'm thinking 8 bulb? but witch one...I feel like a stoner in the candy isle
4x4 grow room, flowering with CMH

 

[Treetroit City]

Hydrofarm? Get the cheapest that you're comfortable with. They all do the same thing, light a bulb. Why spend more than you need to?

 

[negative37dBA]

So the room is 4'x4'. Are you using all that for moms/veg? If you are fill it up with 4', 8 bulb Sun Blaze. About $150.00 or so with the 6500K bulbs. Will do more than you need for that space.
I run the 2' foot version x2 in a 32" wide cab for moms and small veg.
T-5HO is the way to go for moms and good veg.

 

[wantaknow]

the quantum is nice

 

[vertigo0007]

Whatever brand you get, make sure it has the dual switches so you can tuen half of your bulbs off if needed. I recently cracked the box on a "pioneer", the all white one, that id had for 6 months. Much to my chagrin it does not have 2 switches. Theyre either all on or all off.

 

[the gnome]

I agree what third coast said, find the cheapest,
1 have 3 8-bulb units, and a 6bulb fixture 3.
they are all sunblaze I think.

the only real electronics in them are the ballasts, the rest is wires, t5 sockets
and an on/off switch.
most of the T5s you see use fullam workhorse ballasts.
the 8s use 2 ballasts, the 6 and smaller only 1.
Ive had 1 ballast fail in 3 years on 1 of the 8 bangers and 1 the 6banger in 5yrs

Whatever brand you get, make sure it has the dual switches so you can tuen half of your bulbs off if needed. I recently cracked the box on a "pioneer", the all white one, that id had for 6 months. Much to my chagrin it does not have 2 switches. Theyre either all on or all off.

that would be disappointing vert.
really cheap of pioneer, I mean what are we talking about here?
another switch---> $.42
and 37 more inches of scrap wire on the floor lol

 

[socialist]

Hydrofarm? Get the cheapest that you're comfortable with. They all do the same thing, light a bulb. Why spend more than you need to?

Agreed. I have 4 different T5 fixtures and the 3 cheapies work just as good as the expensive 4' 8 bulb I bought.

 

[JRayV]

I run two 8 bulb fixtures in my flower tent, very versatile lights for sure!

 

[CaStoner]

I bought one of those cheap china knock off on ebay they have 4ft 8 bulbs includes free shipping for $144 or 6 bulbs for $124.00.

 

[thelaughingman]

I bought one of those cheap china knock off on ebay they have 4ft 8 bulbs includes free shipping for $144 or 6 bulbs for $124.00.

So what's your take on it?

 

[CaStoner]

Well they have a few on ebay I saw some with hardly any reflective material used so becareful, and I see he jacked up on the 4x8 to $249 due to shortages. I had one before from Hydrofarm looks identical except for the finish and shorter cord other than that they are the same and all made in China.

 

[thelaughingman]

anyone have a bad boy from htg

 

[thelaughingman]

when I first started growing I used the cheap shop light from homedepot I got alot of females, the reason why I switched from fluro to chm was because the plants would stretch and fall.
does that happen with an HO light?

 

[thelaughingman]

this was a good read https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=207042