Battle Between Bulbs: Hortilux Super HPS, Super Blue, or Another?

M

Mcburner510

Active Member
Hi everyone,

I'm finally able to legally grow (yay!) and I've been rigorously researching and planning, researching and planning. I won't start buying anything until after New Years - all my spare cash is going towards Christmas presents - but after that I'll start purchasing what I can, when I can, as a late birthday/Christmas present to myself :-P. I figure this gives me more than enough time to decide exactly what I'll need and want.

Anyway, onto the "battle"!

It's my understanding that Hortilux makes the best bulbs, their premium bulbs being the Super HPS & Super Blue. Looking at their descriptions, the Super Blue seems to be the winner, but looking at their actual specs I don't know...

1. Hortilux Super HPS: Provides 25% more energy in Violet, Blue and Green spectrum than standard High Pressure Sodium. (145,000 Lumens)

Super HPS SPEC PDF

2. Hortilux Super Blue: The EYE SUPER BLUE lamp features the extraordinary power of Super HPS and the balanced spectrum of Hortilux Blue in one bulb! The benefits of Metal Halide and High Pressure Sodium together: vigorous growth, accelerated development, and hearty flowering! The lamp’s unmatched energy spectrum provides the optimum light for plant growth through the entire growth cycle. (110,000 Lumens)

Super Blue SPEC PDF

---

At first I thought the "Super Blue" was simply a "Super HPS" with a MH bulb added to it, like a 2 in 1 kind of deal. Awesome, a balanced light. But then I noticed the difference in lumens. The "Super Blue" is actually weaker by 35,000 lumens. I know some people say lumens are irrelevant and others say they matter, I really don't know, all my knowledge comes from researching. But here's something I read at another community:

"Standard growing conditions typically include concentrations of CO2 at 300-500 ppm, temperatures between 65-80°F, and relatively low humidity (20-40% rH). Studies have shown optimal growth and yields at 90-95°F, 1,500 ppm CO2, 45-50% relative humidity, 7,500-10,000 lumens/square foot of light, and vigorous air movement both above and below the canopy. CO2 enrichment under 80°F, under 7500 lumens/sf, or above 50% humidity is not recommended because plants will not be conducting photosynthesis quickly enough to benefit from the enrichment."

The guy seems to know what he's talking about, so I'll take his word that under 7,500 lumens/sf in a CO2 enriched grow room is not optimal. Since my grow room will be CO2 enriched, I want to aim for the 7,500 - 10,000 lumens per square foot mark.

I'll have four 1,000W lights total, each covering a 4x4 area. Breaking the bulbs down to lumens/sf, the Super HPS would provide 9062.5 lumens/sf. The Super Blue would only provide 6875 lumens/sf, falling short from the desired 7,500 minimum.

I really like that the Super Blue has more blue in it (more balanced), because I read even during flowering having MH mixed with HPS is a good thing, but I hate that using it would mean not having the optimal lumens/sf in a CO2 enriched environment.

Which bulb would you choose, and why? Are there any better bulbs out there? I'm not really worried about price, more so about creating the best environment possible. And what bulb, any bulb out there, would be the absolute best for vegetation?

Thanks! Oh, and P.S., the blue text are links. Whoever designed the site made anchors impossibly hard to distinguish from normal text. Bad practice, but oh well, love the place anyway ;)
 
AdamBlack760

AdamBlack760

Well-Known Member
I dont like hortilux what there doing in the industry. The bisness that ive been going through for about four years has this to say.''
Starting July 1st 2010 Eye Hortilux requires us to show their Minimum Advertised Price on our website. This policy also forces us to substantially raise our minimum selling prices 50% so Hortilux can protect local Retailers selling prices. Eye Hortilux has instructed their distributors to stop selling plantlightinghydroponics Hortilux branded products because we refuse to sell their products at an artificial price, established by Hortilux, that is 50% higher than our regular selling prices."

Also go for a a friend that runs a small grow shop. He dosnt have huge overhead so he dosnt need to mark his products up to rediclous prices.


Anyways ive switched to the USHIO hilux and cant tell the diffrence between it and hortilux outher than price. I ran the super hps for a couple of cycles. I didnt use the super blue just beacuse of the lumens and wasnt that worried about that much blue spectrum sence i veged under t5's. If your going to use one light fixture to veg and flower i would recomend geting a switchable ballest and run mh for veg and hps for flower. I have a buddy that uses a pair of 250w hps from home depot to light up a small grow box and he gets beter results than i would expect.



Theres too many diffrences in rooms to tell the diffrence between bulbs IMO like strains grow methods wall coverings temps humidity ect. I run the USHIO beacuse its an enhanced spectrum hps and i get it for 75 bucks. When some shops are selling the hortilux for125.
 
buddwasher

buddwasher

Active Member
i am using x2 MH 600w when i got some more cash i plan to get x2 600w HPS - from my own research it seems HPS is best for flowering producing tighter more compact and overall bigger buds

then i can use my original MH lights for 2 weeks veg - as these produce more internodes and packs em closer together

i feel i made a mistke i should have got HPS 1st but hey ho live and learn
 
M

Mcburner510

Active Member
Yes Adam, that does seem ridiculous what Hortilux is doing, but when it really comes down to it all I truly care about is having the best bulb for my babies; period.

As for ballasts I'll be getting Lumatek Digital Ballasts for sure (I believe those were the switchable ones.) I'm already planning to do MH during veg and HPS during flowering.

The two bulbs I was talking about (Super Blue vs Super HPS) were for flowering only, I just wasn't sure which one would be best for the task. The Super Blue's low lumens is what's turned me off, like it did for you, but the more balanced spectrum would be nice even during flowering (or so I've heard).

Maybe I should just add a 5th light during flowering, and have it be a MH? I could put them all on movers and get the lumens I want, plus the broader light spectrum too. What do you think? Or maybe I'll just stick with the 4 Super HPS/USHIO Hilux and forget about having the additional "blue light" altogether during flowering, I mean I know it's not necessary.

Oh, as for strain, I've pretty much made up my mind on growing TGA Subcool's Querkle first.

@buddwasher - that's why I'm thankful I'm taking/got the time to research before I make a mistake ;)
 
embry928

embry928

Active Member
I have flowered under both of those lights and for me the blue mh did not produce as good or as much bud as hps, but did finish faster. I have found that a combo of those two lights in the same room works the best for flower. i have a growzilla hood so my lights are side by side in the same hood but you could use two different hoods close together. to tell you the truth if i was to start all over i would use all ceramic MH in all my rooms for all stages they work so good and run really cool. do some research on the ceramic MH THEY ARE BY FAR THE BEST FOR GROWING INDOOR.
Mcburner510 said:
Hi everyone,

I'm finally able to legally grow (yay!) and I've been rigorously researching and planning, researching and planning. I won't start buying anything until after New Years - all my spare cash is going towards Christmas presents - but after that I'll start purchasing what I can, when I can, as a late birthday/Christmas present to myself :-P. I figure this gives me more than enough time to decide exactly what I'll need and want.

Anyway, onto the "battle"!

It's my understanding that Hortilux makes the best bulbs, their premium bulbs being the Super HPS & Super Blue. Looking at their descriptions, the Super Blue seems to be the winner, but looking at their actual specs I don't know...

1. Hortilux Super HPS: Provides 25% more energy in Violet, Blue and Green spectrum than standard High Pressure Sodium. (145,000 Lumens)

Super HPS SPEC PDF

2. Hortilux Super Blue: The EYE SUPER BLUE lamp features the extraordinary power of Super HPS and the balanced spectrum of Hortilux Blue in one bulb! The benefits of Metal Halide and High Pressure Sodium together: vigorous growth, accelerated development, and hearty flowering! The lamp’s unmatched energy spectrum provides the optimum light for plant growth through the entire growth cycle. (110,000 Lumens)

Super Blue SPEC PDF

---

At first I thought the "Super Blue" was simply a "Super HPS" with a MH bulb added to it, like a 2 in 1 kind of deal. Awesome, a balanced light. But then I noticed the difference in lumens. The "Super Blue" is actually weaker by 35,000 lumens. I know some people say lumens are irrelevant and others say they matter, I really don't know, all my knowledge comes from researching. But here's something I read at another community:

"Standard growing conditions typically include concentrations of CO2 at 300-500 ppm, temperatures between 65-80°F, and relatively low humidity (20-40% rH). Studies have shown optimal growth and yields at 90-95°F, 1,500 ppm CO2, 45-50% relative humidity, 7,500-10,000 lumens/square foot of light, and vigorous air movement both above and below the canopy. CO2 enrichment under 80°F, under 7500 lumens/sf, or above 50% humidity is not recommended because plants will not be conducting photosynthesis quickly enough to benefit from the enrichment."

The guy seems to know what he's talking about, so I'll take his word that under 7,500 lumens/sf in a CO2 enriched grow room is not optimal. Since my grow room will be CO2 enriched, I want to aim for the 7,500 - 10,000 lumens per square foot mark.

I'll have four 1,000W lights total, each covering a 4x4 area. Breaking the bulbs down to lumens/sf, the Super HPS would provide 9062.5 lumens/sf. The Super Blue would only provide 6875 lumens/sf, falling short from the desired 7,500 minimum.

I really like that the Super Blue has more blue in it (more balanced), because I read even during flowering having MH mixed with HPS is a good thing, but I hate that using it would mean not having the optimal lumens/sf in a CO2 enriched environment.

Which bulb would you choose, and why? Are there any better bulbs out there? I'm not really worried about price, more so about creating the best environment possible. And what bulb, any bulb out there, would be the absolute best for vegetation?

Thanks! Oh, and P.S., the blue text are links. Whoever designed the site made anchors impossibly hard to distinguish from normal text. Bad practice, but oh well, love the place anyway ;)
Click to expand...
 

Attachments

xivex

xivex

Active Member
Not that I'm super experienced but when I started a few months ago, I too did massive research and came to the same conclusion as you...Hortilux makes the best lamps available. I'm not talking about price fixing or politics or the environmental responsibility of a company or of their waste...I'm just talking pure best lamp for growing irregardless of price, politics, etc. And to me thats Hortilux. If I was gonna do it again and had more space I'd be running the Hortilux 1000 watter Dual Arcs with the HPS and mH SUPER BLUE built into one lamp. Use em with a Adjust-A-Wing Large with the super spreader. That way you can benefit from the UVB light (increases resin production which equated to increased THC levels if used last 2 weeks of flowering) of the mH lamp for the last 2 weeks without the interference of glass from an Air cooled reflector (glass blocks UV).

This is just my $0.02...

Thanks,

X

PS -- Check out my grow journal link in my signature below to see a Hortilux grow. I'll post pics tomorrow.
 
M

Mcburner510

Active Member
Those Ceramic MH bulbs do look awesome Embry! I'd use (or at least look more into) them, but they don't seem to be out in higher wattages, I.E. 1,000W bulbs :(. Oh well, maybe in a couple years?

The Growzilla hood is a good idea too, I just might use those. I was set on the Magnum XXXL but now I don't know; it'll come down to whether I decide to supplement my HPS with MH or not... and I probably will ;).

Again, those Ceramic MH bulbs are awesome. I didn't even know they existed!

@xivex - I didn't know glass blocked UV :/. That's good to know. I'm glad someone else here came to the same conclusion as me though about bulbs. I'll be watching your grow mate, looks good!
 
legallyflying

legallyflying

Well-Known Member
I'm going to cast my vote for the ushio's as well. High quality bulbs.

Bud washer...600W MH? What? Where? you mean a conversion bulb?
 
Snow Crash

Snow Crash

Well-Known Member
I've read that the Iwasaki chemistry provides the best HPS spectrum possible at the moment. I'm pretty sure both Hortilux and the Iwasaki bulbs are applying this chemistry.

Best grows I've ever seen online (aside from outdoor) are using these bulbs.

You should take a look at the EYE Sunlux HPS bulbs. PLH is describing them as exactly the same thing, from the same MFG, but without the Hortilux name and price tag. Dunno if there is any truth to that but I think they are worth investigating also.
 
J

JustinThyme

Active Member
xivex said:
Not that I'm super experienced but when I started a few months ago, I too did massive research and came to the same conclusion as you...Hortilux makes the best lamps available. I'm not talking about price fixing or politics or the environmental responsibility of a company or of their waste...I'm just talking pure best lamp for growing irregardless of price, politics, etc. And to me thats Hortilux. If I was gonna do it again and had more space I'd be running the Hortilux 1000 watter Dual Arcs with the HPS and mH SUPER BLUE built into one lamp. Use em with a Adjust-A-Wing Large with the super spreader. That way you can benefit from the UVB light (increases resin production which equated to increased THC levels if used last 2 weeks of flowering) of the mH lamp for the last 2 weeks without the interference of glass from an Air cooled reflector (glass blocks UV).

This is just my $0.02...

Thanks,

X

PS -- Check out my grow journal link in my signature below to see a Hortilux grow. I'll post pics tomorrow.
Click to expand...

I'd like to second that. I'm running 2 400w Hortilux blues and a 1000w SuperBlue... I have found a significant differnce in quality as compared to just the HPS. I would much rather run dual 600's of each but since hortilux blues don't come in 600w I will use the superblues... you could aslo try the USHIO dual arcs as well since there's a little price diffence there.
 
CaptainCAVEMAN

CaptainCAVEMAN

Well-Known Member
Mcburner510 said:
Hi everyone,

I'm finally able to legally grow (yay!) and I've been rigorously researching and planning, researching and planning. I won't start buying anything until after New Years - all my spare cash is going towards Christmas presents - but after that I'll start purchasing what I can, when I can, as a late birthday/Christmas present to myself :-P. I figure this gives me more than enough time to decide exactly what I'll need and want.

Anyway, onto the "battle"!

It's my understanding that Hortilux makes the best bulbs, their premium bulbs being the Super HPS & Super Blue. Looking at their descriptions, the Super Blue seems to be the winner, but looking at their actual specs I don't know...

1. Hortilux Super HPS: Provides 25% more energy in Violet, Blue and Green spectrum than standard High Pressure Sodium. (145,000 Lumens)

Super HPS SPEC PDF

2. Hortilux Super Blue: The EYE SUPER BLUE lamp features the extraordinary power of Super HPS and the balanced spectrum of Hortilux Blue in one bulb! The benefits of Metal Halide and High Pressure Sodium together: vigorous growth, accelerated development, and hearty flowering! The lamp’s unmatched energy spectrum provides the optimum light for plant growth through the entire growth cycle. (110,000 Lumens)

Super Blue SPEC PDF

---

At first I thought the "Super Blue" was simply a "Super HPS" with a MH bulb added to it, like a 2 in 1 kind of deal. Awesome, a balanced light. But then I noticed the difference in lumens. The "Super Blue" is actually weaker by 35,000 lumens. I know some people say lumens are irrelevant and others say they matter, I really don't know, all my knowledge comes from researching. But here's something I read at another community:

"Standard growing conditions typically include concentrations of CO2 at 300-500 ppm, temperatures between 65-80°F, and relatively low humidity (20-40% rH). Studies have shown optimal growth and yields at 90-95°F, 1,500 ppm CO2, 45-50% relative humidity, 7,500-10,000 lumens/square foot of light, and vigorous air movement both above and below the canopy. CO2 enrichment under 80°F, under 7500 lumens/sf, or above 50% humidity is not recommended because plants will not be conducting photosynthesis quickly enough to benefit from the enrichment."

The guy seems to know what he's talking about, so I'll take his word that under 7,500 lumens/sf in a CO2 enriched grow room is not optimal. Since my grow room will be CO2 enriched, I want to aim for the 7,500 - 10,000 lumens per square foot mark.

I'll have four 1,000W lights total, each covering a 4x4 area. Breaking the bulbs down to lumens/sf, the Super HPS would provide 9062.5 lumens/sf. The Super Blue would only provide 6875 lumens/sf, falling short from the desired 7,500 minimum.

I really like that the Super Blue has more blue in it (more balanced), because I read even during flowering having MH mixed with HPS is a good thing, but I hate that using it would mean not having the optimal lumens/sf in a CO2 enriched environment.

Which bulb would you choose, and why? Are there any better bulbs out there? I'm not really worried about price, more so about creating the best environment possible. And what bulb, any bulb out there, would be the absolute best for vegetation?

Thanks! Oh, and P.S., the blue text are links. Whoever designed the site made anchors impossibly hard to distinguish from normal text. Bad practice, but oh well, love the place anyway ;)
Click to expand...

My vote goes for the Ushio 1000watt Dual-Arc bulbs that are both HPS and Metal Halide. When combined with air cooled hoods on a light mover you can really get the lights close to the plants and the plants sure seem to love the full spectrum they recieve.
 
J

jdizzle22

Well-Known Member
My vote is for the Hortilux Super HPS when I was doing all my research before buying my grow equipment it sure seemed like the Hortilux Super HPS was the best.
 
L

lampworker

Well-Known Member
If you keep researching I am sure you will find reports of Hortilux bulbs, for that matter most standard bulbs have an extremely shortened life span in digital ballasts. I jumped on the digital bandwagon as well. I now use the digital ballasts for veg and old school magnetic ballasts for flower. I do this mainly so that I can keep using the Hortilux Eye Super HPS bulbs and because Powerbox Flipboxes are only compatable with Quantum digital ballasts and I already invested in Lumatek.
 
J

jdizzle22

Well-Known Member
lampworker said:
If you keep researching I am sure you will find reports of Hortilux bulbs, for that matter most standard bulbs have an extremely shortened life span in digital ballasts. I jumped on the digital bandwagon as well. I now use the digital ballasts for veg and old school magnetic ballasts for flower. I do this mainly so that I can keep using the Hortilux Eye Super HPS bulbs and because Powerbox Flipboxes are only compatable with Quantum digital ballasts and I already invested in Lumatek.
Click to expand...
My hortilux and my lumatek work together great no problem, I did the research and found they were fine for each other.
 
B

BYLROY

Member
I think the Hortilux Super HPS is the gold standard for flowering bulbs. Sure, I've read scattered reports of people liking other bulbs better, but until testimonials come pouring in, like they have been for years with the Hortilux, I'm just gonna stick to the tried and true bulb.
 
Banditt

Banditt

Well-Known Member
jdizzle22 said:
My hortilux and my lumatek work together great no problem, I did the research and found they were fine for each other.
Click to expand...
They aren't fine for each other. These issues are well documented and I myself have experienced them. You just happen to be one of the few lucky people who have a ballast that is not blowing the bulbs. The hortilux bulbs are meant to be run at a much lower frequency than the digital ballasts produce. I was blowing em left and right. And at close to a 100 dollars a pop that is some bullshit. I switched over to Digilux and haven't had any blowouts yet, although its only been a few months. But that is still a good sign because I had some hortilux super hps bulbs that literally only lasted weeks. The digilux have a pretty similar output to the hortilux so it's a good alternative if you want to run digital ballasts.
 
Bonzi Lighthouse

Bonzi Lighthouse

Well-Known Member
xivex said:
(glass blocks UV).
Click to expand...
No it does not, the coatings on or in embedded in glass, block UV light.

For example... Museum glass for picture frames has a UV coating to protect .... whatever ... from the harmful rays.


Oh and i have been looking at the CMH for quite a while, will be my next major purchase..... 400w CMH, DWC, DR60, I wonder if I can get by with the 80CFM fan in there now.
 
L

lampworker

Well-Known Member
I LOVE my Hortilux Super HPS bulbs and run them in my magnet/coil lights. I think the combination of the two is the bullet proof hands down winner in my book. I purchased a digital ballast to try the Sunpulse brand bulbs out. I wanted to test the seperate spectrum technology and use it to supplement my garden. The sunpilse bulbs let me down and now run Digilux bulbs in that ballast.
 
bellcore

bellcore

Well-Known Member
The MH Blue for veg, Super HPS for bloom and a reflector with no glass for no spectral (especially UVB) loss for the win! :blsmoke:
 
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