im using cfls right now. i have one cfl in the center the is an 84 watt (=400 watt) bulb that was from some big ass work lamp. then surrounding it i have 12 26watt(=100watt) bulbs and it puts out 25,000 lumens total. i have them all around the top and not around the sides. my plants are doing very well. forsure not the same as an hps but i think i like them better. the plants seem to stay short and very bushy with the cfls. after my veg period my plants are only 1.5ft tall. im in day 8 of flowering and all have shown gender. dont know about bud quality or quantity yet since this is my first cfl grow. if that helps you any