A thread like this allways ends up going the same way, just as all the previous threads trying to compare the two.

A comparison between the two is impossible, because they are both good for growing but for different reasons, so trying to compare them is impossible.

There are situations where growing all the way through with cfl lighting is going to be head and shoulders above growing with any kind of hid lamp.

If stealth is the key and you dont want to spend a lot and to just get a bit of mediocre bud then go down the cfl route. People who do this like to have a small grow area for a couple of small plants.

If stealth isnt important and a bigger yield with a better quality of bud then you go downt he hid route, but with hid you get higher heat and trying to get the most out of it will require further grow tools.

So sometimes cfls are better than hid and sometimes hid is better than cfl. It all comes down to circumstance and budget.