600 Lumatek -vs- 1000 Core & Coil

[Guest]

Both using Hortilux hps bulbs:

Was wondering what everyones opinion on this was. I'm shure theres several of you out there w/both or maybe even running them side-by-side currently ?



Big Thanx

 

[Dozee]

i have 2 600w lumatek and it rocks.it beat my ol coil 1000w in production easy

 

[GorillaGrower]

I wouldn't be surprised if your bulbs blow on the 600 lumateks.. I just noticed on the boards today this has been an on going problem w/ members.. I would say from exp. that this is a major problem.. I'm just glad I figured it out.

One bulb blown for no reason means it wasn't worth the 600.. just my 2 cents..


Your gonna wanna stay tight with your hydro guy.. because he'll be returning your ballasts and selling you more bulbs .. on the regular.

 

[space49]

I've done side by each and the 6 wins, at least in my realm. That said I'm going back to C&C because of bulb incompatibilty issues. YMMV

 

[Guest]

I like digital 600s, but I don't think Lumatek is the best there is. Although, if they're running good, I would expect them to compete with a 1K C&C.

 

[mikecar312]

i use to use a magnetic and a electronic 600 ballast with hortilux hps bulbs side by side. the electronic ballast looked brighter to me but i didn't compare or do any other readings.

my lumateks that i own have fired up hortilux, sunmaster, agrosun, and a cheap ebay one without problems. lumatek provides an excellent exchange warranty.

 

[space49]

So space49, what bulbs/brands have you had probs with ?

Eye Hortis. But I don't believe that's it's brand specific. It's a 60 hz vs. pulse start design bulb type . I've seen the degradation of bulbs that occurs over time from cycle mismatch. If I could find a suitable cheaper bulb to burn up I could live with it, but safety issues must be considered also. I haven't had any shatter but they sure do get cooked.

 

[CannaDestroyer]

my 2 cents

my 2 cents

i switched to lumatek 600s a couple years ago, and using my cheapo light meter they put almost double what my old 1000 coil and core was putting out. also my room is four degrees cooler. ive always used 600w agrosun bulbs with no problems and less degradation over time than my 1000s. my favorite thing about these ballasts is that they will restart a bulb right away in the event of a brown out or short power outage. also if the bulb wont ignite the bllast has a safety feature that shuts it off for a few minutes and then relights

 

[BOOSTEDseven]

i dont understand any of your logic concerning lighting.

600W = 600w no matter what you do to it.

600w bulb = 600w output, no matter how much WATTS goes in it.

regardless of how the bulb might be ignited digitally or not.. Max out put
is MAX OUTPUT.

1000w bulb = 150K lumens

600w bulbs = 95k lumens

my math shows 1000w a clear winner. regardless of how the POWER is generated.

1000w made with a hampster running in a wheel same as 1000w made by a digital balast.

 

[JWP]

no comparison...
digital all the way

think that magnetic ballasts cycle at 50 times/sec. then digital at 28,860 times/sec. forget flickering, constant light.

the super-lumen switch for hps bulbs will pump out an extra %10

can run hps or mh

short circut cut off. safety

as the bulb gets older the digital automaticly pumps more juice.

i dunno why anyone would want to run technology that over 100 years old. even for an extra 400w. just paying a bigger power bill for about the same light


Edit:

SON-T 600w lamp and a Digital light meter distanced 1m from the lamp



Digital Ballast with Super Lumen Switch OFF
Startup Amps 1.8
Running Amps 2.5 - 2.75 after 5 mins of operation
Running wattage 620 - 630w
Lumen Output 2,700 Lumens at 1m from lamp
Cost/hr @ 18.7c per KW/h = 8.1c per hour to run


Digital Ballast with Super Lumen Switch ON
Startup Amps 2.0
Running Amps 2.75
Running Wattage 660 - 670w
Lumen Output 3,000 Lumens at 1m from lamp
Cost/hr @18.7c per KW/h = 11c per hour to run


Normal Core and Coil 600w Ballast
Start up Amps 4.9
Running Amps 3.3
Running Wattage 708 - 750w
Lumen Output 2,600 Lumens at 1m from lamp
Cost per hr @18.7c per KW/h = 12.5c per hour to run

Its not all about wattage

 

[headiez247]

i dont understand any of your logic concerning lighting.

600W = 600w no matter what you do to it.

600w bulb = 600w output, no matter how much WATTS goes in it.

regardless of how the bulb might be ignited digitally or not.. Max out put
is MAX OUTPUT.

1000w bulb = 150K lumens

600w bulbs = 95k lumens

my math shows 1000w a clear winner. regardless of how the POWER is generated.

1000w made with a hampster running in a wheel same as 1000w made by a digital balast.

haha well put.

you guys are really gonna have a hard time convincing me that any 600 watt is better then a 1k in terms of output

 

[Haps]

I believe that a master with his 6 might best some chaps with a K, but not many, the math is just not there. I will not buy digitals or I would test it for ya. A new 6 against a year old K bulb might be an even go.
H

 

[rightwingblazer]

i went to the indoor garden expo and talked with lumatek. people were havng problems with the hort. they recommended the new ushio bulb made in germany. my preference is galaxy. i asked them what they thought of galaxy and they were at a loss of words. must be doing something right.

 

[George W Kush]

I haven't done side by side and I haven't used any meters but just from naked eye and memory I can say that my Hydrofarm XtraSun 1k HPS's aren't all that impressively brighter than the Lumatek 600w HPS's I had. I'd really like to try out the 1k digital ballasts, perhaps the Quantum Hydroponics' 1k's, maybe try out a single Lumatek 1k to see if the interference is a problem.

 

[rightwingblazer]

talked to several digital ballasts companies at the expo. the said the cords were causing the rf interference problems, but now companies are addressing the issue.

 

[reject]

When you calculate lumens per watt, the 600watt is the most efficient. However lumens aren't everything, PAR is what you need. AFAIK.

 

[George W Kush]

talked to several digital ballasts companies at the expo. the said the cords were causing the rf interference problems, but now companies are addressing the issue.

Sounds like old & irrelevant information.

When digital ballasts first came out, that was the issue & solution. If you look back at (I think) the 2nd revision of the Lumatek, they had shielded lamp cords. After that, manufacturers started to shield them internally.

I was told that shielding the lamp cord on the Lumatek 1000w will not help reduce RFI.

 

[rightwingblazer]

george- well is guess the companies (including lumatek) at the indoor garden expo dont know what they are talking about. maybe they should hire you.

 

[chef]

I love my 600 Lumatek, quiet, great safety features, getting another next week & maybe a 400 too.

No problems so far w/Growbright HPS & HPS conversion MH's, haven't ran a true MH in it yet.

Could that be a possible reason for some problems?

Really happy with the Growbright's overall too.

 

[jarff]

runnin.3x600 Lumatek with Plantastar @240V for about 6 mths (three shows)...gettin easy elbow per.600...
when runnin. 3x1K magnetic getting same yield. I,m happy.....wit Lumatek.....never had a problem as of yet...my power comsumption is way down......Also I tried an old Hortilux in one of em and it lit up with noproblems...I have the latest style from Lumatek which is suppose to be an improvement over their previous ones.AF has a small hydro shop and I get them for bout $200 each including all neccssary cords....
Plantstar bulbs $40 ea.....good bye magnetic ballasts...My 2 cents...
jarff