<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10425087#post10425087 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Subliminal
That sounds like it was written by my twelve year old cousin.
Anyway, like I stated before, I bought my 4x55w CF FIXTURE, complete with switches, enclosure, fans, new bulbs, etc, for less than $100. Significantly less...so there goes the 'OHNOES!!!'.
Anyway, my point was...and I'll state it again for the hearing impaired, that if you don't want to spend a lot of loot, and keep an open mind, you can find great lighting at reasonable prices, due to the high rate of turnover in this hobby.
and yeah...umkthxbye.
Congratulate your 12 year old cousin for being so well spoken and literate, then. Sounds like a kid on the track to success.
I could be mistaken, as I'm certainly no electrical engineer, but I would think a 220 watt PC system would use more power than a 150 watt MH system...otherwise the wattage ratings would be useless, right?
My point was that in purchasing new equipment, MH is not (doesn't have to be) more expensive. For all those wondering, I got my prices directly from
http://www.hellolights.com last night. Here are the links to exactly what I was talking about:
Compact Fluorescent and
Metal Halide.
I chose to go with retrofits, as they're the cheapest (and often preferred) lighting solution, and I compared the prices of new units because used prices fluctuate by such a ridiculous margin that it would be worthless.. As for great lighting at low prices, you sure can find some great deals...but IMO PC fixtures are not "great." Sure, it's not the highest quality MH kit, but it's still better than PCs.
For the record, I paid quite a bit less than $100 for my 175w PFO MH setup, and I'm willing to bet that I get higher par values and higher quality spectrum than your 220 watts of PC.
PC has its application, sure, but it's getting to the point where MH and T5 fixtures are nearly in the same price level. I do agree that you do have the benefit of being able to run a dawn/dusk actinic scheme, whereas MH by itself is just on or off.
Even though I currently use MH, I'm a big fan of T5-HO. They are by far the best option for uniform coverage, and in most applications I would choose them over MH. However, there are several species of various types that have incredibly low success rates under anything but Metal Halide. One example is the anemone H. Magnifica, which has dismal survival rates anyways, but seems to need the intensity epicenter provided by MH in order to find a place to call home.
Every lighting solution has its applications, but to say that PC is as good or better than MH is nothing more than a false statement.