Lumenarc?

[obarrera]

I am planning on getting an LA3 mini(175w set up) or a 150w HQI set up but I want to know if the diffrence would be much, I mean would the LA3 mini be alot brighter then the HQI?
The LA3 mini(comeplete set up) would cost alot more then an HQI set up so I want to know if it's really worth paying all the money, I don't want to spend alot of $$$ on the LA3 mini and then find out that the 150w HQI would be almost the same as for brightness.
Please reply if you have experience with both.
Thanks

 

[mudplayerx]

Is the LA3 double ended? If the LA3 isn't double ended, then it will have to include additional florescent bulbs to be anywhere even near as bright as an HQI.

 

[obarrera]

Originally Posted by mudplayerx
Is the LA3 double ended? If the LA3 isn't double ended, then it will have to include additional florescent bulbs to be anywhere even near as bright as an HQI.
Sorry but you don't have experience with the LA3's right?
I want to hear an anwer from someone that has had(or still has) both, the LA3 mini 175w SE and an HQI 150w set up, I simply want to know if the LA3 mini is alot brighter then the HQI set up.

 

[mudplayerx]

I'm stating fact, a single ended bulb is half as bright as a double ended bulb. But I guess you prefer no response to my response
ps- you can also just visit both manufacturer's websites and compare the PAR and LUMENS ratings of the lights.

 

[obarrera]

lol I didn't mean to sound like an a $ $ hole.
But I've heard diffrent opinions on this, most people say that a SE(175w) in a LA3 mini would be brighter then an HQI(150w) set up.
I know DE's are brighter then SE's but I don't know if that also applies when A SE is in a Lumenarc A3.
So far I think you have been the only one that says the HQI set up would be brighter. :thinking:

 

[robchuck]

It all depends on what pendant/reflector is being used for the 150W HQI to make an adequate comparison. Plus, a similar colored bulb needs to be compared as well (a 20,000K bulb isn't going to be near as bright as a 10,000K bulb; we need to compare apples to apples).
HQI bulbs aren't any brighter than their mogul-based bretheren of similar wattage; but they appear to be brighter when used with a high-quality pendant/reflector due to their compact size and the reflector's ability to reflect light around the bulb and into the tank, rather than back into the bulb as SE bulbs and reflectors have a tendency to do.
The LA3 mini has the same design as the larger LA3 which throws a massive amount of light around the bulb and back into the tank. I would think that the mini would function the same, and because a 175W puts out more raw light than a 150W HQI (without a reflector), that a 175W MH bulb in a LA3 mini would put out AT LEAST an equal amount of light to a comparable 150W HQI in a decent pendant/reflector.

 

[obarrera]

Let's say the 150w(with a 14k bulb) HQI is in a spider reflector, and the 175w(not sure which is the closest to a 14k bulb) is in a LA3 mini, would the diffrence be much?
If so which one would be better, brighter?