Sunlight Supply Vs. Hamilton

[Corn]

I am looking to put more MH over my 225 sps tank. I am getting 2 more 250 w HQI but I don't know what to go with Sunlight Supply or Hamilton ??? I would be looking at the pendent (Reef Star for Hamilton) and (either the Reef Optix 3 or the Lumen Max 3 form Sunlight Supply) is there any difference in these pendent's ??? what is you experience with these.
Matt

 

[SPSFiend]

I researched HQI pendants and ended up going with the Lumenmax 3. They have a great spread and not hot spots.

 

[tacocat]

Hamilton's reflectors SUCK. Sunlight Supply all the way. The Lumenmax pendants look great (if they will fit) and the RO III are excellent.

 

[Corn]

can you run 2 Lumenmax 3 on a blue wave 7 ??? or do you need to have a ballast for each pendant ???

 

[Sparkss]

I agree to stay away from the Hamiltons. Although I lean towards Luminarcs over Lumenmax (but the LMs are so much easier to get these days, even MD sells them, and LAIIIs only come in SE, LM3s come SE or DE).

Tacocat, I had read somewhere that the ROIII is surpassed in performance by the LAIII and LM3, but still no "technical" word on how the LAIII and LM3 stack up against each other.

 

[Sparkss]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7933797#post7933797 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Corn
can you run 2 Lumenmax 3 on a blue wave 7 ??? or do you need to have a ballast for each pendant ???

BW7 is a dual ballast, so it will push 2 HQI bulbs. So 2 reflectors per BW7, unless you are running a custom LM3 that uses 2 bulbs (they are out there, just don't try to put 2 dif color temp bulbs in the same reflector.. it ain't pretty).