Anyone make good 150w bulbs?

So id like to make the most out of my 150w HPS. The bulb that came with it isnt THAT bright, so im wondering if anyone has upgraded theirs? I know HTG sells a better bulb but is there anything else out there thats REALLY worth the extra cost?

Im also thinking of upgrading my ballast to a HIDHUT digital ballast. I hear they dont get as hott and they actually produce more energy for the bulb to glow brighter? I dunno.

Thanks for any help!

-VB

VaporBros said:

So id like to make the most out of my 150w HPS. The bulb that came with it isnt THAT bright, so im wondering if anyone has upgraded theirs? I know HTG sells a better bulb but is there anything else out there thats REALLY worth the extra cost?

Im also thinking of upgrading my ballast to a HIDHUT digital ballast. I hear they dont get as hott and they actually produce more energy for the bulb to glow brighter? I dunno.

Thanks for any help!

-VB

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150w bulbs are all the same and nothing in the ballast will make the bulb burn brighter....

so then that must go for every other HPS bulb then? So whats the use of buying say....Hortilux bulbs if theyre all the same?

can anyone argue the post above?

Also, i think a digital ballast will be heaps better than the magnetic ballast im using now. Thing gets fucking hot to where i cant even tap it with my finger. Plus the benefit of less energy used.

at 150w there arent many options as far as balllasts and bulbs...at 400w and above you gey bulb options but as far as 150w 16,000 lumens is as good as it gets...and a digital ballast uses just as much energy as a magnetic..watts is watts is watts.....

Spectrum........ some bulbs have wider color spectrum or specific color spectrum for various stages of growth like my 430 super agro which has 70% red orange and 30% blue

jcdws602 said:

Spectrum........ some bulbs have wider color spectrum or specific color spectrum for various stages of growth like my 430 super agro which has 70% red orange and 30% blue

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thats 400w...not150

Agreed 150 is limited

nickfury510 said:

thats 400w...not150

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+REP for being a fuckin know/all!

yeah the plain and simple fact is 150w hps is not that bright. hps's don't seem nearly as bright lumen for lumen as other bulbs anyways.

250w metal halides seem brighter than a 400w hps... as far as the "eye pain" factor, but that has a lot more to do with the spectrum than anything.


shit 100w of 6500k cfl's is blinding to me but i can look straight at my 150w hps no problem.... i have a feeling this hobby is going to kill my night vision lol

Seriously though, not to be a dick, but if you're only using 150watts, there is no point in buying a different bulb. Plus, as mentioned as well, there are not many options.

You already got an HPS light, so it will have decent spectrum for flower. If you are trying to veg with it, get a MH or some CFLs. Once you bump up to like 400 or 600watts, then go ahead and look for an enhanced spectrum bulb, but until then, save the money and get some good nutes or improve your cab.

If you are thinking of getting a digital 150watt ballast, I would suggest getting a ballast kit instead. I got my 600watt kit with a bulb for like $150 shipped. You can get a 400watt for even less. I used my 400watt kit for like 2yrs without a problem, and have had my 600watt for like a year. They are super easy to put together, and it will save you tons of money.

No one is trying to be a dick when they tell you there is not point in spending extra money on a "better" 150watt bulb or ballast. They are trying to help you out so you don't waste your money. If you want to "enhance" the spectrum of your light, ADD some daylight cfls to your grow. Not only will this help with the spectrum, but it will also add lumens to your grow.

I appreciate the help from everyone. After the first week I realized that 150w is just not enough. Although my space is super limited, it can work with 12 SoG pots or just 4 1gallon pots. Im thinking after this harvest I will upgrade but this should do. Just wanted to see if anything could improve! Im stoned..0_0

-VB

What you can do to improve your light is add a 2nd 150w light, or upgrade to the largest light you can work with in your cab even if you need to add a cooltube. (250, 400)

I tossed this plant on a shelf with two of those $20 150w hps's to see what they'd do, and so far they work to my satisfaction, $5 bulbs and all.

This plant has 3 fat colas bigger than my arms, and outgrew my space pretty quick. You can only see two of them, but there's a third just as big right behind the largest one.

I did remote mount the ballasts though and stuck a fan on them. No point in having all that extra heat in the closet when you can modify them easily enough.

OregonMeds said:

What you can do to improve your light is add a 2nd 150w light, or upgrade to the largest light you can work with in your cab even if you need to add a cooltube. (250, 400)

I tossed this plant on a shelf with two of those $20 150w hps's to see what they'd do, and so far they work to my satisfaction, $5 bulbs and all.

This plant has 3 fat colas bigger than my arms, and outgrew my space pretty quick. You can only see two of them, but there's a third just as big right behind the largest one.

I did remote mount the ballasts though and stuck a fan on them. No point in having all that extra heat in the closet when you can modify them easily enough.

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Where do you get $20 150 w hps?

Oregon, thanks for reminding me about the Econolight! Hmm, now i need to figure out how i can add one of those to what i have without taking too much space? It would have to be some sort of cooltube. Two 150s would burn that sucker up..

for your next grow just try cfl's for veg and flower with both cfl's and hps? Or is space too limited for this?

space is real limited. I can get fresh clones anytime, and if i were to grow from seed it would be 12/12 all teh way through.

VaporBros said:

Oregon, thanks for reminding me about the Econolight! Hmm, now i need to figure out how i can add one of those to what i have without taking too much space? It would have to be some sort of cooltube. Two 150s would burn that sucker up..

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its not as hot as youd think...i have 2 150whps in a linked cooltube in a 3x1.5 cab...i never run the tube fan because it doesnt get hot enough.....

I'm sad to have to tell you guys the $20 and $25 econolights are all gone. They were so cheap because they were clearance items, and they finally sold out.

I wanted to get a couple more myself, but I was too late.

The best deals for now seems to be stuff on craigslist, ebay, etc.

hortilux makes 250 watt hps bulbs, but thats as low as they go, i run a 400 hortilux and i don't think i would go with any other bulbs for my hps, nothing else seems to come close

Nickfury, my 150 heats up my cab to 95+ degress with poor ventilation.

Oregon, thats horrible news, but usually craigslist has unbelievable deals!

Ive seen Hortilux bulbs in action, definitely gonna have to get one for my next setup