which 400w hps bulb to get?

[jamrockjay]

Hi fellow ICer's
There are plenty of 400w hps bulbs on the market, some say this some say that... but which really are better?
I am thinking of gettin a SON T but even this is not as straight forward as there are so many different brands? Does anyone have any preference when it comes to which brand to use? Is there any brands that i should stay away from? I know this may sound stupid to some but.... do different brands give off different temperatures?
Am i making the right choice with the SON T? Or am i making a mistake? I have seen that you can get dual spectrum bulbs that you use for veg and flower, are these any good?
Any help and ideas much appreciated, many thx


RhinoJay lives on...

 

[Calimed]

I have used a 430 watt son agro with good results and am planning on picking up one ofthe hortilux 430 watt bulbs soon. Sad thing, they are 87 bucks compare to 60 for the avg 400w bulb

 

[sparkjumper]

I use hortilux to flower and I figure If I were veggin with HPS,it would be a standard HPS.If I had to choose one or the other for both phases it would be hortilux.It's been my experience that you can veg plants just fine with commercial MH or HPS lamps,but for flower I definately prefer a horticultural lamp.I wasted hundreds using the agrosun gold MH for veg finding later that standard MH lamps do just as well.I found the opposite to be true in flower.The yield I get from flowering with 3 1K hortilux is noticably bigger than flowering with 3 1K "parking garage" HPS lamps

 

[jamrockjay]

Thanks for that sparkjumper, do u know if u can get those hortilux bulbs in the UK?
Calimed, the son agro seems to be quiet a popular bulb and the reviews on it are quiet decent.



RhinoJay lives on...

 

[jamrockjay]

By the way does anyone think im over doing it with the 400w, as my grow area is 1x1x2m's? would i be better with a 250w? many thanks again



RhinoJay lives on...

 

[Calimed]

I think you are fine with A 400w in there if you give it enough ventilation.

 

[VerdeHombre]

That space is perfect for the 430w Son Agro.

 

[jamrockjay]

yeah i think the 400w will be fine i know of some who run a 600w in theirs, best thing i think is to see how i get on with the 400w and take things from there.

 

[sparkjumper]

I get my lamps from www.1000 bulbs.com.EDIT Hell its been so long since I ordered I forgot the site.Very popular though a little help please

 

[Bush Dr]

Philips Master SON-T PIA gives the optimum flowering spectrum for a 400 watt

Get a dual ballast, HID/HPS plus one HID lamp and one HPS lamp, you can only run one at a time so there is no cost effect involved

The SON-T PIA lamps have a distinct pink look to the light which is the extra red in the spectrum of the lamp

 

[jamrockjay]

Bush Dr, could i use the master SON T PIA Plus for my whole grow, including veg? asking as dont think i can stretch to a dual ballast at the mo, i have got some envirolites smewhere hiding so i could use those for veg if needed.. Can u give me a quality site to get one or two of the Philips MASTER SON-T PIA Plus? many thx

 

[jamrockjay]

By the way Bush Dr im in the uk if that helps... many thx

 

[bubbathai]

I have used the phillips son agro 430 watt continously, it only costs me 49$, 20$ more than a standard 400 watt(27$) and a lot less than the hortilux at 89$. I just harvested 5 oz from a single thai (20 + weeks flower) with the the 430 son agro.

 

[G.O. Joe]

I use the Son Agro and 430 ballast in a space the same size, well a little taller, and it's just great for both veg and flower. I'd sooner buy a MH ballast and bulb than pay Hortilux extortion prices for a light bulb.

 

[Bush Dr]

You can't get 430 watt lamps in the UK bubba & GO Joe

The MASTER SON-T PIA are also known as SON-T+ lamps, there's a number of places this is one
http://www.norfolklights.com/philips-son-t-plus-hps-bulb-p-1198.html

Most ballasts sold un the UK are dual spectrum, (Maxibright, Brightstar) which one do you have?

You'd be better off getting a HID to start with then swap 1 - 2 weeks into flower as the SON-T+ is for flowering and gives superior results to dual spectrum lamps

 

[jamrockjay]

I didnt think we could get the 430w lamps over here, as i not been able to source any....
Im unsure of which ballast i have i will have a look in next couple of days and let u know Bush Dr. I might just stick to using the cfl's for veg for the moment as i had good results with these b4. will defo pick up one of the master SON T PIA lamps for my flower stage

 

[jamrockjay]

what is the difference between a Philips 400 watt Son-T Plus and a Philips 400 watt Son-T Agro? Which is the best out of the 2?

 

[entropical]

Hi Jamrock! If you're considering a 400W bulb, Id recommend you to read this thread:
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=72215

 

[Bush Dr]

what is the difference between a Philips 400 watt Son-T Plus and a Philips 400 watt Son-T Agro? Which is the best out of the 2?

SON-T+ Has more light at the red end of the spectrum = flower producer

The Agro puts out more blue light = biomass producer

Using the Agro should theoretically produce more plant, but the SON-T+ will produce bigger flowers

CFLs for veg are fine, lots of blue light, if you can only get one HPS/HID get the SON-T+ and veg with cfl

 

[jamrockjay]

Thx again Bush Dr looks like its the SON T + for me then