are High Output Fluorescents worth it?

[paOol]

are HO lights worth spending the extra money on?

i'd like to get some fluorescents for a small veg box. just for clones/seeds/mothers.
i was considering this from home depot for $20
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053#BVRRWidgetID

but i also saw this at HTG and it seems better, but i don't know if i can justify spending 2x the amount.
http://www.htgsupply.com/viewproduct.asp?productID=54208

 

[B. Friendly]

if you're talking about energy effecient bulbs = yes
especially for cloning, they give off mad amounts of light compared to ordinary Florescent Tubes
Go Energy Effecient Bulbs even if for the selfish increased light intensity it's worth it.

 

[growshopfrank]

My advise is go with the T5's you wont regret it

 

[paOol]

after shipping costs, the T5 light comes out to $69.
if i go with the home depot T8's, i'll be spending $20 + $14 on bulbs. $34 total.

the light's main purpose is for a perpetual grow. I'm fine with slower growth from the T8's but if the T5s are THAT much better, then i guess its more worth it in the long run.

 

[RetroGrow]

T8s work awesome for vegging. For cheap lights, they are well worth it. I use them for my moms too.

 

[paOol]

T8s work awesome for vegging. For cheap lights, they are well worth it. I use them for my moms too.

have you tried T5HO before? how does it compare

 

[LoKey]

For the price T5 or T5HO arent worth it in my opinion, till the price comes down that is, which wont be for some years, yeah there a bit more efficient, but were talking about 8w less and approx 200lumens more per fixture.

as for those homedepot ones, they work great, i have very similar ones i use for general lighting in a non heated location, but i replaced the ballasts in mine with electronic ones, but that's because the old ballast had a hard time with cold weather starts, and were somewhat degraded after 2+ years of consistent use, but with the new ballasts im actually over driving the bulbs right now getting around 1.7 Times the output they normally do, not that you would need to with vegging, but its an option if you dont have much room.

(there are how to's out there about how to over drive bulbs)

 

[milehighmedical]

.

 

[love?]

The Home Depot light will give you 2*2800 = 5600 lumen.

The HTG supply one 10000 lumen.

So even though the price is double, it also gives you almost double the amount of light. If you're mainly gonna be rooting clones get the HD one but otherwise I would probably go with the other.

 

[growshopfrank]

T8s are good to light your workbench T5s are excellent for cloning and early veg if money is that tight maybe you should find another hobby

 

[Keif]

Check out PL-L's. They have a superb lumen output.

They can be found at your local store as well!

 

[CANNATOPIA]

My advise is go with the T5's you wont regret it

I too use t5 for veg & they work great for me.

 

[RetroGrow]

Nothing wrong with T5s, they're great, but T8s are cheap and not as bulky for narrow spaces or mounted vertically for side lighting. I have half a dozen of them and they have many uses.

 

[stonedar]

the HTG lights he linked are PL-L's

 

[Super.Seeds]

PaOol,

I started with the 4' T8 or T12 fixtures/bulbs from Home Depot...I used to have like 6 or 8 4' fixtures but the penetration is nil and you can expect lanky, scrawny, crap plants. They worked alright while I was learning but I now use T5s exclusively....And wish these old lights weren't taking up space on the shelf. 4' 8-bulb Tek Lights over a 2x4 tray...Working MAGIC! Supposedly these lights are good for a 4x4 light pattern. Plants that are bushes and can veg with 30 plants in a tray up to 24" tall with no issues and thick stems. REALLY good penetration with virtually no heat.

As for PL-Ls: I have also owned a 96wx4=384w PL-L and anyone that says PL-L is better than T5 is both seeing and reading the #'s wrong. This was a three foot aquarium specific fixture that I used to grow with...Basically four 6-foot bulbs, bent in half, at 96w each. 6500k bulbs just like my new T5 bulbs but crappy penetration compared....and more heat! Works for clones/small plants ok, but T5s are IT! I hated buying them at about 450 a pop but my plants thank me every day!

ps If you are strapped for cash there are a bunch of cheaper versions of T5 instead of "Tek light". Sun Blaze's are only 230 for a 4' 8-bulb. If you go cheap in the veg room it will effect you in bloom!

SS

 

[paOol]

bushy plants, and thicker stems. dam, I'm convinced that the T5s are the better investment.

Are there any good deals on a 2 bulb light? that HTG one comes to $70 shipped and i feel i don't need more than 2 bulbs for just clones and a mother.

 

[Super.Seeds]

You could honestly use CFLs (spiral bulbs) for the clones/cloner....I use 2 of them above my 45 site cloner with great success (since clones need little light) but I am planning on upgrading to a two foot 4-blub t5 with 24w bulbs (and running just 2 at a time).

For a mother plant it depends on how tall and wide you want it to be. How many clones do you want to take from it and how often?

I would ALWAYS buy bigger than you think you will ever need (or than the companies advertise). I went with quality stuff when I first started but my only issue was that I didn't go BIG enough...And now I want BIGGER. People usually think smaller when it comes time to spend $$$, but in the end, the money spent initially is important. And if spent correctly, will save you in the long run. Get a 4-bulb light that allows you to run 2 bulbs and you will be in better shape than just a 2-bulb light. Just my 2 cents...I'd hate to see anyone else go through the thousands I have "learning". LOL.

SS

 

[BPJR]

I love my t5's for veg. So do my plants

 

[Kcar]

You can get a sunblaze 41 (4' 1 bulb t5) for like $25
with a 6500k bulb.

http://www.hidhut.com/catalog/sun-blaze-strip-light-24w-complete-system-p-1404.html

 

[ZZTops]

T5's are a Must and the T8's make Great side lighting...

Burning the T5's @ 7500K and the T8's @ 3500K...

Here's a Happy Mother and her Clones at different stages...