well, i have seen at least half a dozen, maybe we should network, so that you can know my people and i can know yours
with the depth of his tank he is going to have some serious shadows at the bottom of the tank if he goes with NO bulbs. i ran 4 NO bulbs on my last tank for about a year (it was FOWLR) and just before i moved i babysat a halide pendant for a friend for about a month, and i'll tell you, it looked like an entirely different tank. some of it had to do with spectrum i am sure, but the entire tank was well lit and "eye pleasing".
note i also recommend that if he wasnt trying to stay on a lower bidget, that is, if the setup and maintenance costs were not an issue.
as someone who has used shop lights, i can say confidently, they are good for shops... but i would never use them again over a tank unless i was in a real pinch.
i wish i had a decent camera and i could have taken some photos of the difference in color between the fish at my lfs tanks. in his halide tanks the brighter fish like the tangs and the anthias screamed at you with their colors, while fish from the same lot in the lower light non-reef holding tanks rarely sold... they just looked drab compared to their brothers in the tanks above them. it would have been an excellent thing in a magazine or something for folks who are interested in how a light can change the look of a fish.
i guess it is a you had to see it to believe it difference kind of thing.
perhapse steve weast will happen upon this thread and describe better the difference... he visits the same store i believe.