Digital or Not?, Ballast help needed

[stickywicked]

I'v3 been buying equipment as I need it and I now need to purchase lighting for my flowering stage. I want 600w HPS but should I spend the bucks and go with the digital ballast? Is it worth it? Will I be happy I Did?

 

[Locked]

I prefer digi...the mag ballasts are work horses and might last longer but digi ballasts offer more options. The good ones will work with either MH or HPS and are dimable. I think the 600's hve 3 settings. 600, 400 and 250. Jmo

 

[BackWoodsDrifter]

Or yual go old school like this old bushman and do yurself a scratch ballast
Anyways maybe not stick store baught might be better fur most.

BWD

 

[juniorgrower]

I bought one of the digital ballasts and I am very happy with it. I got a 1000W dimmable, and it has a super lumens switch. Anybody ever use this option? Does it actually give off enough extra lumens to be worth using?

 

[7greeneyes]

long term mag balllast user here, so... Hammy's right as far as the versatility of the digi's tho but I love my old school "workhorses"...lol...good luck bud...

 

[slim82]

not to hijack the post. but what mag ballast do you use greeneyes

 

[7greeneyes]

I believe they are called Sun Systems, I'll check'em tonight but pretty sure that's what they're called...

 

[Old_SSSC_Guy]

I've got maybe 4-5 magnetic ballasts that are at least 15 yrs old and still work without a burp. 7GreenEyes is right on the money about them being workhorses.

That said, I am replacing everything with digi ballasts. For me its all about the flexibility of 110/220 power switching, only having to swap bulbs to change light type, and the biggest reason -> noise. Mag ballasts can be louder than a washing machine, are a pain to convert from one voltage to another, and you (usually) need 2 of them to do the grow/flower job of switching light types.

 

[dman1234]

Digi is the way now a days, Mags were great, but its time we move on, but i will say when looking for a digi, the cheapest is not always the best way to go. like many things now a days, ya get what ya pay for.

 

[Wetdog]

long term mag balllast user here, so... Hammy's right as far as the versatility of the digi's tho but I love my old school "workhorses"...lol...good luck bud...

:yeahthat:

IDK, digi's just don't impress me all that much, for the most part. Not the majority of them anyway. The top of the line, top $$$$ units are a different story, but is the cost difference (magnetic vs digi), really worth it? Cheap digi's are no value at all.

Personal preference I guess, but I also love my *workhorses*.

Wet

 

[pcduck]

Love my 2 Lumatek 600's.

Knock on wood, but I have not had one problem with them in over 3 years.