Solis-Tek Matrix Ballast

[Bunz]

Stopped by the hydro warehouse today and talked with the salesman for about 30 minutes about these ballasts. They had rewired all of their displays with these ballasts. The features seemed great, but I wanted to ask the people I actually trust......so how are Solis-Tek ballasts? Same class as Lumatek, Galaxy, Phantom, etc. I've noticed they offer a 5 year warranty. Anybody??

Retail is $339 and remote is $15

http://www.solis-tek.com/matrix.html

Bunz

 

[banana buds]

just picked up 2 of the matrix ballasts for a friend's two-tent setup that we're bringing online tomorrow. i've been running one of them in one of my tents just for fun, seems like a pretty awesome ballast. can't say anything about reliability as i haven't had them going for that long. they seem to run pretty darn cool though, the solis tek at 1000w is way cooler than my 600w galaxy ballasts ever were. the dimmer / watt settings also persist even if you unplug the ballast, which is a plus in case you kick breakers or unplug it on accident. i'm assuming the timer settings will stick too, but haven't actually checked that.

 

[DJ Magic]

I just added a solis-tek to my lineup, the price was too nice to say no. I also run phantoms, galaxy, and lumatek, and while i haven't had the solis-tek long enough to comment on reliability, I can say that functionality-wise it's great, and runs cooler and quieter than the other brands mentioned above that it's hanging next to.
i also like how its built to prevent against mishaps from power flashes/quick outages.

 

[Azeotrope]

Honestly, if you look into the China mass-manufacturing industry, you will find that there are a few factories over there that make these types of ballasts for everyone. It is all about who orders which pretty heat sink and what options they choose. MetroLight makes theirs and they do it in Israel, there are just a few that make their own internals....... Heck< whazzup stated that the electronics in their gavita's are by philips, but if you research philip's dynavision line they just list the specs that the china plants must match for them to buy and brand ballasts as their own.

Not saying that their aren't good ones. I looked at the solis web site and thought -If I wasn't so sold on CMH, I would buy one! I would say, look for the best warranty and know that any of them can fail. I've never had a mag ballast fail! Therewas one that is all Japanese and maybe it was solis....

Good luck!

 

[señorsloth]

i know this thread is a tad old, but i'm ballast shopping, and these solis teks are starting to look pretty good, they are new on the market so there are very few reviews, but they are seem to be good...

has anybody else tried solis tek and how were they?

 

[budderfly]

i know this thread is a tad old, but i'm ballast shopping, and these solis teks are starting to look pretty good, they are new on the market so there are very few reviews, but they are seem to be good...

has anybody else tried solis tek and how were they?

I say go for it - I did (mine arrives Monday).

They've been on the market almost a couple years now, and I've heard nothing but good about them.

Solis-Tek is, in fact, the ballasts made entirely in Japan, instead of China like Lumatek, Quantum, and most others.

The Matrix 1000 goes for $275. I picked up the standard (non-Matrix) 1000w for $240. The only differences are it doesn't have a timer built in and it doesn't have an LED display - it still has all the same wattage & safety features, including the computerized staggered startup delay.

 

[señorsloth]

thanks for the info! that's really good too hear. my plan is to get the 400 watt model, to replace my 400w magnetic ballast...that way in the spring, fall and winter when temps are cool i can keep my watts where they are(which is WAY overkill)and then in the summer switch to 75% power or 300 watts, which should mean much cooler temps but i'll still be at 65w per sq foot, so i wont have too use my ac as much and can keep my heat down without quitting growing for the summer like i did last year...and it will keep my buds from getting the terps cooked off the buds before harvest like this summer...

my issue was i wanted to be able to run at 400 and i wanted to run at 300, but ALL other dimmable 400 watt ballasts will only do 400 and 250...and 250 is to low for me to run at but the solis tek ballast runs at 400 300 and 200w from what i can see, so it's much better for my setup, and seems to make it more unique, and when dealing with all the mass produced hong kong garbage out there i think being unique is a good thing, means there is less of a chance that you are paying 100 bucks for a generic ballast, with a 100 dollar brand sticker slapped on it...

i don't mind it as of right now, that i have a cheepass generic Chinese magnetic ballast with no name at all...i don't mind it because i bought it specifically because it was generic and cost less than 80 bucks, it would be a different story if i was paying 160 for the same exact generic ballast but with a lumitek sticker attached...thats just crooked as hell and personally i think its wrong, if you pay for an original product from an american comany then thats what you should get, not a cheep generic item made in china and then dolled up to look like it's a unique brand made item and a brand made item price...

these companies pay nothing for research and development, they just pay a warehouse for their bulk made junk, and slap a sticker on it... my only real problem with that is they charge the same amount as the companies that actually do all there own R and D and put out original products!

 

[budderfly]

I hear ya. Buy cheap if you want, but don't overpay. Solis-Tek is not the same cookie-cutter ballast as the rest.

I got a lumatek 400w back when they were kinda new. Never had any problems, but only bought standard mag's since then until now.

 

[budderfly]

Mine arrived today. Not going to fire it up for a while yet, but it certainly looks like a solid piece of equipment. There is definitely metal in that heat sink, weighs noticeably more than my lumatek 400w did.

 

[Pangea]

I say go for it - I did (mine arrives Monday).

They've been on the market almost a couple years now, and I've heard nothing but good about them.

Solis-Tek is, in fact, the ballasts made entirely in Japan, instead of China like Lumatek, Quantum, and most others.

The Matrix 1000 goes for $275. I picked up the standard (non-Matrix) 1000w for $240. The only differences are it doesn't have a timer built in and it doesn't have an LED display - it still has all the same wattage & safety features, including the computerized staggered startup delay.

I paid just about the same, though all my boxes say made in china.

Solid ballast.

 

[citifield]

The solis teks are the shiz, i love em reliable as hell, my buddy has sold about 150 units in the last year and has only had 4 defective units, switched out super quick and easy, the only ballast i'll spend money on again, well unless i plan i settiing up a cheap grow popping of a run or two then i'll up grade the ballast to the solis teks.

 

[señorsloth]

Mine arrived today. Not going to fire it up for a while yet, but it certainly looks like a solid piece of equipment. There is definitely metal in that heat sink, weighs noticeably more than my lumatek 400w did.

so you phisically have the 400 then? could you pretty please tell me what wattages it steps down too? is it 300 and 200 or just 250? i don't suppose you can set it in between two settings?

the more i look for info on these the less i seem to find, the first few sites said the 400 operated at 100% power, 75% and 50% which would be perfect, but then i seemed to find some sort of reference to them being completely adjustable, which to me says i can set them at whatever random wattage i feel like(would be awesome but i doubt they exist). finally i started seeing stuff saying it only works at 400w and 250w...which frankly i don't need, 250 is too low for my setup.

 

[standsideways]

Sloth, time to read the solus tech website bro.

First place one should look.

400w model does 400/250 it says.

 

[budderfly]

so you phisically have the 400 then? could you pretty please tell me what wattages it steps down too? is it 300 and 200 or just 250? i don't suppose you can set it in between two settings?

the more i look for info on these the less i seem to find, the first few sites said the 400 operated at 100% power, 75% and 50% which would be perfect, but then i seemed to find some sort of reference to them being completely adjustable, which to me says i can set them at whatever random wattage i feel like(would be awesome but i doubt they exist). finally i started seeing stuff saying it only works at 400w and 250w...which frankly i don't need, 250 is too low for my setup.

No I have the 1kw. I just mentioned the Lumatek 400w cause that's the only other digital I've owned personally.

The dial on my 1kw has positions for 400w, 600w, 1000w, and overdrive. No in-between positions.

I paid just about the same, though all my boxes say made in china.

Solid ballast.

My box said nothing about where it was made. I looked more closely at Solis-Tek's website and all I can find is that it says "Utilizing Japanese components".

 

[standsideways]

Like azeotrope said in another thread, they are all made in the same factory, or most are atleast.

Its all up to what _ brand orders for colors and pretty heatsink and what specs, and in this case "it will cost u $.01 more per unit to put in our new lcd screen with remote control!"

Anything made in asia is likely coming from the same factory as its competitors.

I know someone currently running a business with there product being made in the same chinese factory as EVERY one of his competitors, he said something very similar to above when i asked him "well how can u compete if they are all the same?"

He said "make ours look/sound
Better than the competition."

For all we know these could have the same internals as 10 others, but they are likely resin sealed, so we cant know for sure

 

[Endur]

I picked up the 600 hps/mh a couple months ago....

Been running it for 2 months, problem free....

I also opted for the 600 MH 6500K bulb, and love it.

Definitely runs cooler than my 400 Lumatek.
Sweet product, and will purchase a couple more in the future.

Peace
Endur

 

[señorsloth]

Like azeotrope said in another thread, they are all made in the same factory, or most are atleast.

Its all up to what _ brand orders for colors and pretty heatsink and what specs, and in this case "it will cost u $.01 more per unit to put in our new lcd screen with remote control!"

Anything made in asia is likely coming from the same factory as its competitors.

I know someone currently running a business with there product being made in the same chinese factory as EVERY one of his competitors, he said something very similar to above when i asked him "well how can u compete if they are all the same?"

He said "make ours look/sound
Better than the competition."

For all we know these could have the same internals as 10 others, but they are likely resin sealed, so we cant know for sure

if you had bothered to read the thread or any info at all you would know that solis tek are one of the few ballasts not made in generic hong kong factories, they are made exclusively for solis tek in japan with Japanese parts...

we are trying to get actual information about a product from people who have actually tried it! the opinion of somebody who knows less about the ballast brand than the people asking the question is next too useless. your post doesn't help at all, its just a waste of space and more crap to disregard as we try to find actual information. if you don't have anything useful to contribute, don't type anything at all, i can only hope your previous 46 posts were a little more useful to this community, otherwise your just trolling...

 

[standsideways]

if you had bothered to read the thread or any info at all you would know that solis tek are one of the few ballasts not made in generic hong kong factories, they are made exclusively for solis tek in japan with Japanese parts...

we are trying to get actual information about a product from people who have actually tried it! the opinion of somebody who knows less about the ballast brand than the people asking the question is next too useless. your post doesn't help at all, its just a waste of space and more crap to disregard as we try to find actual information. if you don't have anything useful to contribute, don't type anything at all, i can only hope your previous 46 posts were a little more useful to this community, otherwise your just trolling...

sorry for getting under your skin there senior sloth.

the fact is that you clearly arent very good at searching, and you LIKE to believe they are high quality japanese crafted ballasts..

youd be so so wrong.

the owner of SOLIS TEK INC, also owns 3 other companies in china/taiwan and a direct quote of his linkedin page says:

"Backed by a 20+ year strong manufacturing/import/export family business and a network of 50+ factories (Taiwan/China) that I closely work with on a daily basis"

he owns a company that sells fake designer hang bags, and some sports gear...from taiwan and china..yet you think hed be making ballasts in japan?!?!?!? HAH!

-----

but ya...solis tek is made in japan, extremely high quality unicorn ballasts no one can touch LOL

damn those marketing guys are good.

 

[standsideways]

for those who think i may be bashing these, i am not in any way,shape, or form.

i like the 1000W alot, the screen is a great idea, the remote control could come in handy for some, and they ARE a huge improvement over the first gen digi ballasts that had RF interference like crazy, no smart ignition, and 1/10 would be reliable.

if i had to buy another, it would likely be a solis tek, simply because of the features they have! i could care less where they are made!

 

[budderfly]

Regardless of where Solis Tek are made, they appear to stand out against the rest of the field.

Look at Lumatek, Quantum, Sun System, Galaxy, etc. and they all appear very similar. 100%, 75%, 50% and 110% power settings. No staggered start. No boasting of a list of safety features like Solis Tek.

Even if the Solis Tek is built in the same factory it would seem they are spec'd to a substantially different design. That, the warranty, the smarter dimmer options (1000, 600, 400), better safety circuitry and the numerous people who seem perfectly satisfied with theirs was enough to sway me.