HQI Ballast brand Comparisons
- Thread starter adam13
- Start date
scsinet
Active Member
Most of the electronic 250w HQI ballasts are nearly identical with identical performance characteristics.
If you are running 250w and you really want performance, the ballast you have to find is an ANSI code M80 HQI magnetic. They are rather difficult to find because the one manufacturer that made them in the US (Advance Transformer) discontinued them.
Sunlight supply has an M80.
NOTHING electronic compares to the M80 magnetic. If you look at Sanjay's test results, the difference is dramatic. The M80 Magnetic with a Radium 20K is about the most efficient, powerful system in that wattage in existence.
If you are running 250w and you really want performance, the ballast you have to find is an ANSI code M80 HQI magnetic. They are rather difficult to find because the one manufacturer that made them in the US (Advance Transformer) discontinued them.
Sunlight supply has an M80.
NOTHING electronic compares to the M80 magnetic. If you look at Sanjay's test results, the difference is dramatic. The M80 Magnetic with a Radium 20K is about the most efficient, powerful system in that wattage in existence.
stanlalee
Active Member
Originally Posted by SCSInet
http:///forum/post/3232633
The M80 Magnetic with a Radium 20K is about the most efficient, powerful system in that wattage in existence.
perhaps you are refering to strictly 20k lamps otherwise that is grossly false. for example a single ended aquaconnect 14k 250w on the same M80 ballast put out a PPFD of 109 compared to the Radiums 85 per sanjays testing and a SE XM 10k for example put out 182. I understand many of the SE bulbs arent meant to be run on M80 ballast (SE aquaconnect NOT being one of them, SE XM being one) and life expectancy/color suffer but even a sheilded DE Phoenix on a M80 ballast put out more (insignificant but more) PPFD than the radium (88 vs 85) per sanjay testing and many others easily trump it.
I do agree though a M80 ballast easily out performs any electronic ballast. other sources of HQI ballast are Aquamedic (Reeflex cube) and Hamilton (at least their website says they have them).
http:///forum/post/3232633
The M80 Magnetic with a Radium 20K is about the most efficient, powerful system in that wattage in existence.
perhaps you are refering to strictly 20k lamps otherwise that is grossly false. for example a single ended aquaconnect 14k 250w on the same M80 ballast put out a PPFD of 109 compared to the Radiums 85 per sanjays testing and a SE XM 10k for example put out 182. I understand many of the SE bulbs arent meant to be run on M80 ballast (SE aquaconnect NOT being one of them, SE XM being one) and life expectancy/color suffer but even a sheilded DE Phoenix on a M80 ballast put out more (insignificant but more) PPFD than the radium (88 vs 85) per sanjay testing and many others easily trump it.
I do agree though a M80 ballast easily out performs any electronic ballast. other sources of HQI ballast are Aquamedic (Reeflex cube) and Hamilton (at least their website says they have them).
scsinet
Active Member
Yes, I was referring to 20K lamps, given that it seems to me like they are the most popular. By observation only, it seems like more people run 20K than anything else. Obviously light output goes up as color temperature goes down. You can't really compare the output of a certain color temperature to another unless you are trying to get raw output... otherwise IMO pick a color temperature then select the lamp based on tests, etc.