250W HPS, what kind of ballast, timer, contactor?

I plan on buying a 250W HPS which will provide all the light for my little grow tent. Should I use a digital or magnetic ballast? I've read that digital ones can be unreliable and only work with some bulbs, but they run cooler, which would be good.

And do I need a digital timer and contactor?

I would recommend digital, they last longer and are better, but then again it depends. a 50$ ballast not as good as 100$ ballast. You get what you pay for Most digital ballast works with two types of bulbs MH and HPS, thats all you need, MH for vegitation, and HPS for flowering. You need a timer for the 18hrs on 6hrs off /day. I dont think you need a contractor, well i'm not using one, not even sure what it even is.

Hope that helps

A bit of extra info; Check your light bulb. If it has a triangle with a E on it it means you need a ballast with a ignitor build in to it or a separate ignitor to run with the ballast. If it has a triangle with an I in it it means you only need the ballast. Digital ballast are better as they pull a more stable current and run cooler but magnetic ones work just as well. You can find magnetic ballast that run both HID (Metal Halide) & HPS as well.