SOOO is a 400w MH... a 400w MH???

[tuttlebudd]

Aside from the "specialty" lights....is a 400w MH the same as any OTHER 400w MH??? I guess what I'm asking is for a standard 400w MH light...if one were to just go tho Lowes/Home Depot are you getting the same thing as many hydro places sell??? I'm NOT talking about the Hort. or specialty bulbs...but the standard ones that come WITH a new light.
tutt

 

[stonewall]

no, bulbs can have a variety of different combonations of halides in the arc tube which greatly affects the bulbs light output quantity and quality. Some bulbs from diff manufacturers are close to the same output, but most differ dramatically. Even bulbs with the same CCT can have dramatically different spectral distributions.

 

[tuttlebudd]

I'm sure there's some variance...AND specialty lights...but IS the standard bulb that comes with systems...JUSt a MH bulb...

 

[stonewall]

as opossed to what?

a standard metal halide bulb is just that, a standard metal halide bulb. but not all standard metal halide bulbs are equal.

 

[clowntown]

Without getting too specific, the largest variations you may see in a "typical" (as in the bulbs that we use) MH bulb is the color temperature: ranging typically somewhere around 4,000K upwards to 6,500K. According to Wiki, there are specialty MH bulbs that range from as low as 3,000K to 20,000K. Lots of info on that link.

 

[spectrum]

i just ordered an Econo 400w MH ($90 InsideSun). for how cheap it is, its probably the standardist of all MHs, but still, im sure its going to work very well & be at least 20x times better than weak ass flouros.

 

[clowntown]

Wait, is that a ballast? And bulb? Or just bulb?

That's not a very good analysis on "standardest of all", though...

Either way, you should have some fun with that 400w. Hope to see your grow show soon!

 

[ScubaSteve]

My medal halide is pulse start. I went through 2 "standard" bulbs before getting the right bulb. Make sure you know what your ballast wants before buying the bulbs from homedepot/lowes.

 

[spectrum]

Wait, is that a ballast? And bulb? Or just bulb?

That's not a very good analysis on "standardest of all", though...

Either way, you should have some fun with that 400w. Hope to see your grow show soon!

ballast/bulb/reflector. the whole shebangs.

if i have any problems with my delightfully cheap Econo MH, ill make sure to post about it on the forums. but hopefully instead ill just be posting many pics of lush vegetation ))

 

[clowntown]

Wow, not bad at all!

If they sold it as a package, you should have no problems with compatibility.

 

[pontiac]

I Think there is another type of MH called Pulse Start Metal Halide, or PSMH. They output more light than typical MH bulbs and almost near an HPS's output. I believe they only come in 175w, 250w, 320w 350w and 400w, im not too sure. The 400w PSMH outputs 40000-44000 lumens (typical 400w HPS outputs 48000-51000). Ofcourse PSMH bulbs arent compatible with MH ballasts and vice versa; PSMH bulbs have their own ballast.