Ceramic Metal Halide vs HPS

OldMedUser

OldMedUser

Formerly Known as LabRat
I've been looking into Ceramic Metal Halide bulbs by Philips for a while now and am seeing all sorts of great stuff about them. They look to be a great choice for folks with 250 - 400W HPS magnetic ballasts. They will only work in digital ballasts that are marked compatible with CMH!

The price is right at 50-$70 for a light that outperforms the EYE Hortilux at around $100. I know I can get a case of six for $300 here in Canada so it would likely be cheaper in the US. They are not marketed as horticultural bulbs and can be bought at local electrical suppliers for even more savings.

Here's a little graph of the difference between CMH and HPS.

CMHvsHPS.gif


I don't know about you but I like what I see!

Hit up Google with "Ceramic Metal Halide" for lots of links for more info.

L8r.


:peace:
 
C5Rftw said:
damn, that is one full ass light spectrum... never seen one that full...

when are you gonna start this comparison? plant to plant
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I'm gonna need the bulbs first! LOL I'm making it a priority tho. Right after new nutes. I don't know that I will be doing a side by side comparison I just want to get a better bulb for way less money. I'll be growing some of the same Kush plants I've got going now so I'll be able to see the difference. I'll have lots of photos from this grow to compare them with.

If I can get my auto-flower seeds soon I'll need to devote my grow space to a fast breeding program to get a bunch of seeds for outdoor planting by the first week of June.

:peace:
 
LabRat said:
I'm gonna need the bulbs first! LOL I'm making it a priority tho. Right after new nutes. I don't know that I will be doing a side by side comparison I just want to get a better bulb for way less money. I'll be growing some of the same Kush plants I've got going now so I'll be able to see the difference. I'll have lots of photos from this grow to compare them with.

If I can get my auto-flower seeds soon I'll need to devote my grow space to a fast breeding program to get a bunch of seeds for outdoor planting by the first week of June.

:peace:
Click to expand...

i would just compare them with 3 plants under each light... so 6 plants total... get the exact same pots and soil... I wouldn't make the medium mix too complex so just like a premium soil.. no perlite, etc, etc. results wont vary that much... Im sure you already got planned out what you wanna do.. just throwing some suggestions out there
 
I started one grow with a 250 CMH, and it was going very well, but I had to switch to HPS because of all the UV.

CMH is really pretty close to having a little sun in your grow room. My skin after tending my plants would get tingly and sunburned, and I was worried about my eyes also.

I could have worn protective clothing and sunglasses, but I guess I wasn't that committed ;).

I think you're gonna like it, but the UV radiation is a double-edged sword.
 
HybridVigorF1 said:
I am getting a 250 CMH should be here soon i'll let you know where it goes
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Sorry it took so long to get back to you. I was cleaning out 400 old messages and found this one. I would sure like to hear any thoughts you have about using that light as I'm thinking of getting a case of 6 if that's what I have to do to get some.

+rep

:peace:
 
Setting Sun said:
I started one grow with a 250 CMH, and it was going very well, but I had to switch to HPS because of all the UV.

CMH is really pretty close to having a little sun in your grow room. My skin after tending my plants would get tingly and sunburned, and I was worried about my eyes also.

I could have worn protective clothing and sunglasses, but I guess I wasn't that committed ;).

I think you're gonna like it, but the UV radiation is a double-edged sword.
Click to expand...

I used to work as a welder in a machine shop and still have all my gear so I can deal with the UV. lol I'm a fair skinned freckly feller so I'm used to hiding from the sun. I'm the guy sitting on the beer cooler under the beach umbrella or a shady tree.

I prolly should have been committed but they didn't catch me yet! :rofl:

c'ya.

:peace:
 
Setting Sun said:
Are you planning on using CMH through the whole grow?
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If I can get some I certainly will. Unless of course the plants show poor performance from the start. That shouldn't be the case tho. I first started looking into these lights a couple of years ago but couldn't find much more than technical data. Now a quick Google finds tons of positive reviews. It is said that they out-perform anything on the market.

I'm hoping they come out with a 1000W that works with a MH ballast. I've got a big umbrella hood I'd like to use but it only holds one light so I want that 1000W in there for a grow.

L8r.

:peace:
 
C5Rftw said:
where is the best place to get the CMH bulbs... and can you us MH ballast with no problem?
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Setting Sun is right, no MH as of yet. Philips makes them so you could check out the web-site for specs, model #, etc. They are designed as a replacement bulb for the millions of street, stadium etc lights that use HPS magnetic ballasts so they should be available at your local electrical suppliers. A lot less markup there I bet.

Here's another web store that sells them.

Ceramic Metal Halide Bulbs

That's all I got at the moment.

:peace:
 
LabRat said:
Setting Sun is right, no MH as of yet. Philips makes them so you could check out the web-site for specs, model #, etc. They are designed as a replacement bulb for the millions of street, stadium etc lights that use HPS magnetic ballasts so they should be available at your local electrical suppliers. A lot less markup there I bet.

Here's another web store that sells them.

Ceramic Metal Halide Bulbs

That's all I got at the moment.

:peace:
Click to expand...

I know MH run hotter than HPS bulbs... how hot, in comparison, does the CMH bulb get
 
Setting Sun said:
CMH bulbs run a little cooler than HPS, but they also throw less heat down than either MH or HPS.

Your grow space may run a bit cooler ambient with CMH, but the best thing is that you can lower your hood closer without risking burn.

The heat radiates differently somehow.
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man, that is a huge plus... I just set up a veg room for my soil plants and I think this bulb would be perfect for that... or I could flower em in that room too...

SS, would you say this bulb is a veg bulb or bloom bulb?
 
There is lots of controversy over that, but if you look at the spectrum, it should be good from veg to harvest. It's not missing much that I can see.

The spectrum for this bulb is very close to sunlight but it's not marketed as a "horticultural" bulb, so it's not expensive.

It was designed as a retro-fit to replace all the yellow light HPS bulbs already in service in big factories, warehouses, etc., and it produces very natural light.

There have been a few reports of certain magnetic ballasts having trouble firing the bulb, and it has something to do with the length of the cord from the ballast to the bulb. I guess if the cord is long, some ballasts have problems starting the bulb. I used mine with two different magnetic ballasts and had no problems.

It's a photographer's dream for journal pics because it's so close to daylight.

there are rumors that they may come out with some that will work with digital ballasts in the near future.
 
Setting Sun said:
There is lots of controversy over that, but if you look at the spectrum, it should be good from veg to harvest. It's not missing much that I can see.

The spectrum for this bulb is very close to sunlight but it's not marketed as a "horticultural" bulb, so it's not expensive.

It was designed as a retro-fit to replace all the yellow light HPS bulbs already in service in big factories, warehouses, etc., and it produces very natural light.

There have been a few reports of certain magnetic ballasts having trouble firing the bulb, and it has something to do with the length of the cord from the ballast to the bulb. I guess if the cord is long, some ballasts have problems starting the bulb. I used mine with two different magnetic ballasts and had no problems.

It's a photographer's dream for journal pics because it's so close to daylight.

there are rumors that they may come out with some that will work with digital ballasts in the near future.
Click to expand...


well I do some electrician work, Im a contractor, and yes, length of heavy gauge wire can loose a lot of current over just 10ft.. so thats why, I figure, it would have difficulty with longer cords... I think is the same ole story about crapy ballast vs quality ballast as far as problems goes with ballast for CMH bulbs... btw, natural light makes pictures so easy as you said...

I cant wait til the comparison is complete
 
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