magnetic, digital or dimable ballasts?

magnetic ballasts have been around the longest, i have a 15 year old ballast that still works..i also have a digital and a dimable..i have never used the dimming feature as ive heard it shortens the bulbs life.also the dimable ballast has a 110% setting which again ive never used as again ive heard it shortens bulb life..magnetic ballast is air cooled, my digitla ballasts are air cooled wile the dimable ballasts are fan cooled...
the only difference ive noticed is 1 of the dimables fan went out after only 3 months of use but was replaced by the manufacturer..

so whats the big difference? what is the preffered choice of you guys and why?? they all grow plants equally well, the only drawback to the magnetic is its made for hps only but there are switchable magnetics available..the digital and dimable ballasts light both hps and mh w/out a switch. just turn off, switch bulbs and turn on again..

anyways id just like to hear what you guys may think, is one really better than the other? which do u use and why? if all my ballasts are 600 watters and ive grown under all,all produce the same yields with very little difference in my electric bill... which ones should i use and why??

I use a dimable but only use the feature when the plants are first introduced to the HPS room. (I veg with CFL)

I have also heard dimming can shorten the bulb life span, so I use an old bulb for that week or so that I'm running at 50% or 75%

kind of senseless to use a brand new bulb then dim it, might as well use up that old bulb which outputs plenty of light for young plants

I believe that magnetic ballasts are louder and output more heat...but I have never owned one so I can't confirm this as fact.

I also like that I can use a MH bulb if so desired

ISK said:

I use a dimable but only use the feature when the plants are first introduced to the HPS room. (I veg with CFL)

I have also heard dimming can shorten the bulb life span, so I use an old bulb for that week or so that I'm running at 50% or 75%

kind of senseless to use a brand new bulb then dim it, might as well use up that old bulb which outputs plenty of light for young plants

I believe that magnetic ballasts are louder and output more heat...but I have never owned one so I can't confirm this as fact.

I also like that I can use a MH bulb if so desired

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please refer others to this blog, im sure this topic has been covered already but would just like to hear from other growers, there choice and why.. my magnetic ballast does produce some heat, but no more than my air cooled digitals, it has really no sound so not loud at all. its amazing that it still works, i used it for almost 10 years, then it was in my shed and garage for many years, it has gotten wet, and really pushed around alot..i had even forgot i had it for awile..anyways when my dimmable fan went out and it would be 3 weeks before the replacement arived i thought i was screwed, dug it out of the shed and thought it wouldnt work but to my amazment it fired wright up and i used it till my new dim ballast arrived.. as of now im using 2 600 watt fan cooled dimmable ballasts in my flowering room, and the air cooled 400 watt digital ballasts in my veg room, and once again the magnetic ballast is in storage as a back up..

i have 3 400 watt virtual sun air cooled ballasts, 2 400 watt fan cooled dimmable ballasts by bc nothern lights,
2 600 watt i power fan cooled dimmables, 2 maxlume 600 watt dimmable ballasts,
and 1 400 watt magnetic ballast by sunlight supply thats probably 20 years old..

i did a search online and they say the air cooled ballasts are better than fan cooled i dont know why..

is it true dimming bulbs or using the 110% setting shortens bulb life?? if so what is the benifit to dimmables over digital or magnetics??

I have run digital ballasts side by side with magnetic ballasts for many years and I never noticed any difference in yield or taste or heat. I really think the digitals are all hype....and they screw up my radios.

70's natureboy said:

I have run digital ballasts side by side with magnetic ballasts for many years and I never noticed any difference in yield or taste or heat. I really think the digitals are all hype....and they screw up my radios.

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screw up your radio's??

They also can knock out cable, and when police drive down the street can detect the interference with their radios. WQas going to get digital/electronic, but when I saw that don't wanna go thru the hassle so about to get a magnetic ballast, plus a lot of digital/electronic isnt fcc approved

Magnetic ballasts are pretty straightforward. They just do what they do, and they do it well.

Digital ballasts tend to have more "Features;" Some may have dim-able features and built in timers, and they may produce less heat. Also some magnetic ballasts don't tend to run metal halides quite as well.

IMO digital is best if you have the wallet size and want a few conveniences. If your strapped for cash don't feel bad at all using a magnetic ballast, they are honestly "just as good" ; I use one!

GemuGrows said:

Magnetic ballasts are pretty straightforward. They just do what they do, and they do it well.

Digital ballasts tend to have more "Features;" Some may have dim-able features and built in timers, and they may produce less heat. Also some magnetic ballasts don't tend to run metal halides quite as well.

IMO digital is best if you have the wallet size and want a few conveniences. If your strapped for cash don't feel bad at all using a magnetic ballast, they are honestly "just as good" ; I use one!

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so far,, my 20 year old magnetic is my trusted companion probably my favorite because of that reliability..i also love the digital ballasts that are air cooled, the fan cooled to me is just somthing else that can break..dig,dim my least favorite as i have no use for the dimming feature,,,why waste a bulbs life using it?? seems like the dim feature is useless to me...

I got a revolt fan cooled, 2 years still good, before that I had cfl. LOL. But I run Vertical bare bulb. Veg is Awesome with the parabolic! 250 mh revolt. Lots of light there! Love the conversation guys!

Insider thingy if you check Gotham's ebay sometimes they list that top dollar shit for nothin to start, if no one's watching, your's, pay the shipping man. All their used stuff is tested and still in use a year later!!!!!!Value!

I prefer magnetic. I have cable through Comcast and the digitals screw with the connection. I was running a digital and i had Comcast show up to my door and they had pinpointed the exact room that the interference was coming from. It was causing problems in everyones cable around me. For this reason i prefer magnetic. Magnetics are overall more stealthy. Sure they produce a fair amount of more heat, but just keep the ballast outside of your grow room and the problem is solved.
Magnetic is the way to go.

TheChemist77 said:

screw up your radio's??

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one of the main selling point for me, on digital ballasts as they are better on withstanding power surges...
I used to live on a property that when a gnat farted in the next county our power would go out...
that happens with magnetic ballasts and it can be bad. The very least shorten the life of both the lamp and the ballast

greasemonkeymann said:

one of the main selling point for me, on digital ballasts as they are better on withstanding power surges...
I used to live on a property that when a gnat farted in the next county our power would go out...
that happens with magnetic ballasts and it can be bad. The very least shorten the life of both the lamp and the ballast

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fan or air cooled?

TheChemist77 said:

fan or air cooled?

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air cooled.
Don't get me wrong, I have three magnetic ballasts, just at the time I preferred digital because if it's ability to restart after power outages. I literally got outages like two or three times a month regardless of season, and sometimes outages for days at a time....

greasemonkeymann said:

air cooled.
Don't get me wrong, I have three magnetic ballasts, just at the time I preferred digital because if it's ability to restart after power outages. I literally got outages like two or three times a month regardless of season, and sometimes outages for days at a time....

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that sucks!! power outages for to long can cause problems in growth

TheChemist77 said:

that sucks!! power outages for to long can cause problems in growth

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damn right they do, not to mention mold, that was the problem I had, no power no ventilation, and it usually happened in rainy-ass weather to begin with... so powder mold happened like overnight, luckily that was it, no botritus or anything worse