I'm using the Hamilton 14k's (in hamiltons reefstar setup) and I do like the color. The growth and coloration of my sps seems decent.
The problem is that when I start checking things out to determine whats the next bulb I'm gonna use, researching pars and what not, you find out that most of the 400w run best on an HQI ballast (best par output) which by designation is a son or agro ballast, often a ballast designed for high pressure sodium lamps.
Par or PPFD performance is pretty dismal on the m135, granted not many DE bulbs have been tested, I believe I have only consistently seen happy reefing and coralvue.
I made the mistake of researching 250w setups, decided to go HQI because of the awseome performance, and then jumped to 400w cause you would naturally figure that a 400w HQI has to be better than 250w HQI right? Hamilton markets their 400w reefstar as being HQI lamp and HQI ballast, but it isnt the ballast that PFO and a couple other HQI makers have settled on as the best to drive HQI lamps. If it werent for the fact that it does light and burn HQI bulbs, I'd call it false advertising....
To date I have not seen a PPFD or any type of performance data on the Hamilton 14k de on a m135, I have seen plenty of SE's on the same ballast.
Man that's the headache you get when you have too much time....