Stephenj37826
New member
To do a fair side by side comparison the reflectors need to be identical. Ac/de and the evolution would be a much closer comparison.
-
Happy Birthday ICMag! Been 20 years since Gypsy Nirvana created the forum! We are celebrating with a 4/20 Giveaway and by launching a new Patreon tier called "420club". You can read more here.
-
Important notice: ICMag's T.O.U. has been updated. Please review it here. For your convenience, it is also available in the main forum menu, under 'Quick Links"!
^This. Completely true. Needs to be done.
SS, from where are you concluding that a Phantom ballast will power the Ushio bulb? I just picked up a Phantom II, and I am afraid to report definitively that it causes the same flickering as the Solis Tek does likewise. btw, the AC/DE with just a good ol' Lumatek cranked to SuperLumens rocks and blows the gavita and all competition, for that matter, out of the water. 4'x'6 footprint easy. 1000+ canopy at 3' distance easy. It's remarkable. btw, it's more PAR umols per joule/watt of electricity than basically any other light source, including cmh and even the best led fixtures. Truth. I am eager to try out the Solis DE MH bulbs in my AC/DE fixtures. Anybody know if they play nice with the Lumatek ballasts, same as the Ushio DE bulb does? Also very eager to see a side by side comparison of the AC/DE running the Solis DE 4k next to the Evolution hood running the Solis SE 4k. The Sunlight Supply hoods seriously seem to be the best available right now. Very eager to see how well the Evolution can maximize an SE bulb. My bet is among the absolute best. There's a reason the AC/DE makes the gavita look like child's play. Quality hood design.
Gavita DE and the best among the LED options (particularly BML SPYDR) are indeed better, PAR spectrum-wise, than that of a Philips ceramic metal halide. AC/DE is indeed better, PAR spectrum-wise, than even that of the Gavita or the best of the LEDs. As seen here:
http://growershouse.com/images/DE_TEST_INFOGRAPHIC.pdf
Pay particular attention to the "Photon Efficiency" column here:
http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0099010
So pretty please show me a better lighting option than the AC/DE fixture with a Gavita 1150w or Nanolux 1200w DE ballast. Am i missing somthing? Because surely, you do not intend to point me in the direction of CMH. If argument is the admittedly fantastic spectrum of CMH, withstand your theory in the face of the Solis DE 4k bulb. Same 2,100 umol PPF/PAR rating as the Ushio DE, with more umol/watt than the 3100k Philips cmh bulb. But then the Ushio DE has even MORE umol/watt than either the CMH or the Solis DE 4k.
http://growershouse.com/philips-mastercolor-elite-315w-lamp-t12-3100-k
http://growershouse.com/solis-tek-double-ended-1000w-mh-4k
Then look at the umol/watt output of the 2100k Solis DE:
http://growershouse.com/solis-tek-double-ended-1000w-mh-4k
Nothing can touch that. Except other DE HPS bulbs...
Mayyybe the best LEDs can win out, given time to mature and taking into account heat savings. But one DE filling a 4'x6' footprint more than compensates for any perceived increased heat as compared to a std SE 1000w bulb, that's for sure. But bring on the side by side with the Evolution hood, by all means! That thing is sure to seriously kick ass. What is particularly of interest is whether it can push out as much light on the sides to create a footprint anywhere near approaching 6', which the AC/DE seriously, truly does. This thread feels so dead. What gives? We are discussing what is truly the best lighting options available...And DE bulbs do truly appear to have a bright future.
Yes, the DE definitely run brighter. a 750 DE turned down to 600 will undoubtedly burn brighter and more efficiently than a 600 SE, I'd say.
I also hear that the newest black fuse Lumatek's do not power the Ushio DE bulb. Sunny, are you or anybody else able to confirm if they do? I have a Lumatek that has the white fuses and is still under warranty and in need of replacement, but as I understand the new Lumatek replacement won't fire my DE bulb. The shop has offered to exchange for a Galaxy, which is all well and good, but they fire the DE bulb slightly less intensely than my white fused 2013 Lumateks do.
Can anyone pleasantly surprise me with a report that the newest black fuse Lumateks do power the Ushio? It's a shop that told me they made changes and that the newest ones now do not. I have not been able to confirm this.
would you say the ac/de gives a pfootprint than a big mangum xxxl type (open reflector, not air cooled) like the agrotech magnum? just wondering as I just purchased a gavita remote 1000, and have that type of big open hood, was seriously considering ac/de and would still switch if it give a better footprint, I just like open if possible, but then again, I choose this hood because I am dealing with some height issues, and wanted best dispersion.. Appreciate all 2cents.
The AC/DE hood is an amazing reflector. Not only is it low profile, but it also spreads the light incredibly evenly. You get a legit 6' wide footprint off the sides of the reflector. Not familiar with the performance of the Agrotech Magnum by comparison, but would assume it is also quite a good hood. You can run the AC/DE without glass and still air cool, as you are probably aware, so you might be able to deal with your height issue better with the AC/DE for this reason.
Thank you much for the opinion and experience. Yes I do like the ac/de, especially hearing about the footprint. I went with the big open one because I want to run co2, which I could do with the glass but would prefer to not use glass if I can help it, and love that you an run it open but do not want to waste co2. Thank you very much for sharing your experience .
wheredaweedat
Member
That was the comparison? That basically showed us nothing. Where are the pictures of the crops side by side?
Ok, so a simple statement of "increased yields 9-15%" and that's it. I was expecting more.
Ok, so a simple statement of "increased yields 9-15%" and that's it. I was expecting more.
S
SooperSmurph
So, over 1 year later, the DE bulb is going strong. Yes, the same DE bulb I installed initially. It continues to outperform bulbs around it, in brightness and yields. Ty for stopping by 
So, over 1 year later, the DE bulb is going strong. Yes, the same DE bulb I installed initially. It continues to outperform bulbs around it, in brightness and yields. Ty for stopping by
Hi Smurph, are you checking this with a light meter mate? I was curious to know what kind of percentage you'd seen in terms of degradation? I know the DE bulbs have a longer life rating but how is it translating in real terms?
cheers
j
S
SooperSmurph
Hiya Jamie!
Unfortunately my light meter is a piece of junk that maxes out under both the DE and Traditional bulbs, my statements are based on visual brightness, heat produced by the bulb, and the distance plants must be kept from the bulb in order to avoid any bleaching. So in terms of degredation over time, I can't really provide meaningful numbers, but I can attest that the bulb has degraded far less than its traditional counterparts, my bulb is 3 years old and still going strong.
Unfortunately my light meter is a piece of junk that maxes out under both the DE and Traditional bulbs, my statements are based on visual brightness, heat produced by the bulb, and the distance plants must be kept from the bulb in order to avoid any bleaching. So in terms of degredation over time, I can't really provide meaningful numbers, but I can attest that the bulb has degraded far less than its traditional counterparts, my bulb is 3 years old and still going strong.
S
SooperSmurph
24" would be manageable with DEs but the risk of bleaching would be high, their light is intense, you would need to be careful about keeping that gap exact, raising your lights constantly in order to not let the plants creep closer.
3 years old mate??!?!!?? Result!!!!
S
SooperSmurph
Next cycle from that light will be coming at the end of this month, primary strain is Dynamite, which traditionally is a medium yielder, we'll see how she does under the DE
Car accidents, hospitalizations, etc, have kept me from replacing my entire garden with DEs, but it's definitely my next priority!
Car accidents, hospitalizations, etc, have kept me from replacing my entire garden with DEs, but it's definitely my next priority!
