Well said NGT - couldn't agree more.

It's horses for courses - cfl's suit some peoples situations and HID's suit others.

I have to admit to being very tempted to throw out a challenge to all comers that I can produce a higher yield per watt of lighting and m2 with fluorescents than anyone else can with HIDs.

The final yield size is dependant on a huge number of variables of which lighting is only one of them - grower skill and grow style also features pretty highly too.

HIDs are best for most people because they don't have to think about the watts per sq foot and lumen depth penetrations - it's laziness more than anything - they know they can get good results with HIDs without thinking - cfl and fluoro users have to think a lot more carefully about not only what they're doing but the wattages, PAR watts and lumen depth penetrations than HID users do.

That said, fluoro and CFL users can get comparable results to HID users if they know what they're doing, which very few people who do use CFL's and fluoro's actually do.

One of the biggest incentives for using fluoro's and cfl's is that they're very cost effective in terms of their wattage and PAR watts when compared to HIDs. A typical MH and HPS hid will only be outputting around 30-40% PAR watts, whereas some specialist T5 fluoro bulbs can output as much as 80% PAR watts.

This means HID users are basically paying for 60-70% of operating wattage that isn't outputting any plant useful light, whereas with fluoro's this drops to 20%.

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Mandala Seeds Kalichakra and Satori Grow
Holefillers 0.6gram per watt 64w Micro Grow

i forgot who it was but someone already did an awesome comparison between fluro,cfl,and hps. im a newbie and i found that one. i think the results were cfl's won in the veg but the hps took over in the flower, and the tubes just lacked the firepower to keep up with either. but i am new so correct me if im wrong ill try to find the thread

I would say each is better in their own way...

If you are vegatating small plants go with cfl's..

If you are flowering 5 plants- go HPS

or if you are a god like babygro and know everything there is to know then maybe you could succeed like him/her using cfl's the whole way through

CFL vs FLORO vs HPS

check that out. i was doing some extensive research on lighting comparision and this is the best thread i could find plenty of pics and documentation

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

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i'm the guy i've always wanted to be

Looks like I'm going to have to do it anyway, because until I do, this nonsensical HID V CFL debate will simply rumble on won't it?

I'd actually like to do it just for fun and just to prove what can be achieved if you put your mind to it.

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Mandala Seeds Kalichakra and Satori Grow
Holefillers 0.6gram per watt 64w Micro Grow

what about cfls to veg and using 2 70watt hps AND cfls for flower?

I seen the comparison one, but in all fairness was it fair? Wasn't the same amount of watts used for each different kinds of lighting. I just like hearing the die hard CFL "fans" rave about how great they are.

And I get tired of seeing people bash CFL's and fluoro's because they don't understand how to use them properly.

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Mandala Seeds Kalichakra and Satori Grow
Holefillers 0.6gram per watt 64w Micro Grow

^Fuck yeah^ good point...