best lights

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cooley10

New Member
Hey all I am starting my plants soon inside my house then moving them outside. What type of lighting is the best for starting them indoors?
 
cooley10 said:
Ya i can get cfl
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Home Depot sells Cree LED "lightbulbs" (including PAR38 spots and floods). They produce 40% more light per watt. 10 year warranty.

CFLs don't seem like a good choice anymore unless you're really on a budget and can't afford the extra $5(?) per bulb. Or, if you're in a cold climate and need the heat from CFLs.
 
I dunno man the Cree bulbs are more expensive and produce the same amount of lumens as the CFLs, its not really worth the extra money.

100w CFL and 100w cree both 1600 lumens just an example i dont remember the actual but you get the point.
 
az2000 said:
Those are the "equiv" watts to compare to an incandescent. Look at the actual watts.
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yep i fully understand that, i guess im not explaining it to well. So if u grab a 100 equiv watt cfl and a 100 equiv watt cree and check their stats they will both produce the same amount of lumens, i thought the same thing one day until i actually went to buy some cree and realized it was a huge waste of money.
 
ebcrew said:
yep i fully understand that, i guess im not explaining it to well. So if u grab a 100 equiv watt cfl and a 100 equiv watt cree and check their stats they will both produce the same amount of lumens, i thought the same thing one day until i actually went to buy some cree and realized it was a huge waste of money.
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Even if an LED produces the same amount of lumens as a CFL bulb, it's still going to cost less if you plan on using that bulb long-term, as LEDs produce the highest lumens per watt and last the longest. That's why they're more expensive.
 
ebcrew said:
yep i fully understand that,
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It sounds like you're comparing 100w equivalency, not the watts used to produce that equivalency. CFLs have 50-70 lumens per watt when new. XBD diodes are ~100 lumens per watt. Inside the diffusion globe they may be ~90. (The Crees come with a rubbery protective coating. Removing that increases the lumens by 10%.).

They may not be worth it if you need the added heat of CFLs in a cold climate. Or, not looking at long-term operating cost (nor for a 10-year warranty). But, technically, they are significantly more efficient. Especially compared to a CFL that's been used awhile.
 
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Feliz CFL. They use a mogul base. Great CFL lamp that can be used in a reflector. This is what I use for germinating and some vegging until they go under MH
 
T5 HO's are in my opinion the best to veg under. Relatively cheap (Home Depot has 'em cheap with bulbs and free shipping). Go with at least a 4 bulb....more is always better.
 
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