In the market for a Digital Ballast

ilove2sell

ilove2sell

Active Member
Hey All,

I am looking at buying a digital 600W ballast.... Anyone have an idea of the best one to buy? There are some brand names to choose from however there seem to be alot of no namers out there also. My question is what is the best one to buy? (Best bang for your buck!)

Thanks and happy growing all!
C
 
nickfury510

nickfury510

Well-Known Member
Im rocking the 600w lumatek dialable ballast. no noise, no heat and fires right up. I love it. I hear the quantum is just as good also.
 
dadio161

dadio161

Well-Known Member
I use a 400W/600W switchable ballast by NEXTGEN.
I can run a 400W or a 600W just by flipping a switch.
Runs very quiet , no heat and cost about $20 a month to run .
 
LetricBud

LetricBud

Active Member
Lumatek ballasts are good...But careful which bulb you use...

I have heard/read that the 600w ballasts used with a Hortilux bulb can be problematic.

But, whatever...Id go with Lumatek...

Its good to get a good reliable ballast in the first place.
 
ilove2sell

ilove2sell

Active Member
dadio161 said:
I use a 400W/600W switchable ballast by NEXTGEN.
I can run a 400W or a 600W just by flipping a switch.
Runs very quiet , no heat and cost about $20 a month to run .
Click to expand...
Thanks! I think I just may go this way with all the great replies about lumatek!

Cheers to everyone that answered!!!
C
 
dadio161

dadio161

Well-Known Member
I run this ballast and I am very happy . It only weighs 4 lbs and has never been a problem firing up . It stays cool , I have it mounted in the closet on the wall. Most places will offer a free bulb . Take the 600W HPS . You can by a 400W MH from Home Depot for $28 .
 
ilove2sell

ilove2sell

Active Member
dadio161 said:
I run this ballast and I am very happy . It only weighs 4 lbs and has never been a problem firing up . It stays cool , I have it mounted in the closet on the wall. Most places will offer a free bulb . Take the 600W HPS . You can by a 400W MH from Home Depot for $28 .
Click to expand...
Can you run both MH and HPS? Also I don't wanna grab a super cheap ballast as I wanna keep hydro down. I live in Canada and they just installed a digital meter on my house and I wanna keep my energy as low as I can.
 
tea tree

tea tree

Well-Known Member
i have had tow lumateks that worked perfectly. Also I have a cheap 600 watt silver thing I bought from some retailer on ebay. About 6 months ago. Guess what, it works perfect too. Digital ballasts have come a long way and even the cheaper ballasts work great with no rf interference too. The bulb burned out quick but htg has some cheap ones. However if you got the extra cahs for about 50 more either way with hoods you go you can prob get a dimmable lumatek with a five year warranty. That is my dream. Also i would like to add I am using a 6 bulb t5ho 4 footer for veg of max 4 plants and i notice no difference between a 400 watt mh. That saves me a lot of money.
 
ilove2sell

ilove2sell

Active Member
tea tree said:
i have had tow lumateks that worked perfectly. Also I have a cheap 600 watt silver thing I bought from some retailer on ebay. About 6 months ago. Guess what, it works perfect too. Digital ballasts have come a long way and even the cheaper ballasts work great with no rf interference too. The bulb burned out quick but htg has some cheap ones. However if you got the extra cahs for about 50 more either way with hoods you go you can prob get a dimmable lumatek with a five year warranty. That is my dream. Also i would like to add I am using a 6 bulb t5ho 4 footer for veg of max 4 plants and i notice no difference between a 400 watt mh. That saves me a lot of money.
Click to expand...
Why does it save you money?
 
BudReaky

BudReaky

Well-Known Member
ilove2self.....hes usuing much less electricity with the T5 Floros rather than toe 400w mh.

i just got my new cheapo ballast in the mail and i love it!i have a lumatek alson and see no differnce besides the cheapo is about 2 times the size.heres a compare pic
 
BudReaky

BudReaky

Well-Known Member
^^^^400w lumatek(right) 400w "wellthink"(left)the lumatek runs 132 shipped(cheapest u will find i promise) and the "wellthink" was 81 shipped. www.dchydro.com for the silver 1 for cheap!dont forget to get a power cord but the power cord looks like he pulled it off his computer! so maybe u dont need to waste ur money if u have a PC cord laying around.
 
dadio161

dadio161

Well-Known Member
Yes , I can run either MH or HPS . Its very efficient .
ilove2sell said:
Can you run both MH and HPS? Also I don't wanna grab a super cheap ballast as I wanna keep hydro down. I live in Canada and they just installed a digital meter on my house and I wanna keep my energy as low as I can.
Click to expand...
 
tea tree

tea tree

Well-Known Member
yeah i have the silver one. it is working nicely. i bought the whole setup with the cool tube and bulbs and yo yo. cud not beat the price. does hot starts and no rf interference.
 
Caregivin

Caregivin

Well-Known Member
Go lumatek or if you want to go high end..i did The Galaxy ballasts ae too nasty, so is the cost 400 bills, it runs 400,600, 0r 1000 like the lumatek. With one major exception, the lumatek you buy a 600 and it dims it....the galaxy can run 400 600 or 1000w bulbs themselves OR do what I did and get the 1g bulb and dim it. So you have more options, to go big or shrink down. May cost moe now but if you decide to expand...most of us do, you are only out another bulb at worst. If you want the best reflection from a hood go adjust a wing, my harvests are 20-40% larger and my nug size is consistant! 2 cents deposited!
 
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