light question

[p 1]

this seems like an anoying question, but i really am pretty new to this, and i don't see any real broad sweeping light advice posted, so i'm just going to go ahead and ask:

does this look like a decent light set-up to you?

Features:

* Full Spectrum
* 125 Watt Consumption
* 12,000 Lumen Output
* 1 Year Warranty on bulb through Manufacturer
* 1 Year Warranty on reflector though Manufacturer
* Cool Burning
* Place directly above plant tops
* No heat signature
* Long life 10,000 hrs
* Built in ballast
* Ultra-Quiet no ballast hum
* Highly Reflective
* Mogul socket assembly
* Fully assembled
* Lighted ON/OFF Switch


Also great for seedlings and cuttings!

Light output coloration similar to MH.

the no advertising rules seem pretty strict, so i am trying to provide as much information as i can, without steping over any lines. the price is a little over 150$, which seems relavant, and i can't imagine it being advertising, since i didn't name the site selling it...

please reply with advice, or PM, or let me know if/how i somehow broke a rule. thanks!

[orchid-man]

they should be able to give a longer warrenty on the reflector as there is nothing that can happen to it.The lamp willgenerate heat,just not as much.As for the life expectancey of the lamp,I have seen these fail well within there advertised lifespan.
These lamps are just a glorified floro.

The above is what I have found being an electrician.

[Tindomul1of9]

I'm trying to find a good set of lights as well for my vivariums where I like to Grow my orchids in. Right now I have something called compact flourescents(Power compact). They are definetly far brighter than anything I have ever had, but also produce alot of heat. I have to keep a fan blowing on the ballast all day to keep it cool which is important in a vivarium, other wise you get a deadly green house effect. Anyhow, Im sure these would do very well hung over an open growing area. Mine give off 130 watts (2 65 watt bulbs), and 6500K (you can choose from a variety of K values). IM not sure how to measure lumens, but as far as footcandles, from a rough estimate, that light is strong enough to get my little frogs to cast shadows on the moss . They weren't cheap, but not as expensive as the ones you mentioned either.

[p 1]

hmm, yeah, the bulbs are pretty expensive to fail in less than 10k hours...spreading the cost out over 2 years makes it hurt alot less, but if its anual or something, that would be insaine. thanks for the warning!

thanks for the sugestiong about the compact flourescents, i'm reading more about that right now.

i am pretty new to orchids, but my current set-up is just too dim, but i will be moving within a year or two, and moving again, in a bigger way, hopefully within 5 years, so i don't want to invest in a huge, eleborate set-up, until i am settled in somewhere a bit more firmly. i would really like something small enough to keep in my bedroom (we have a folding blind to keep the light from being a bother) and grow some happy orchids on a table.

any general advice about this light or other lights would help alot, and any PMs about specific things you can recomend would be welcome! thanks!

[p 1]

Ok, well, apparently the thing i found *is* a "compact flourescent." but orchid-man made it sound like a pretty bad idea, so i guess i'm pretty much where i started.

MH/HPS systems seem to run really hot and be pretty expensive, for the system and the lights. T-5 flouresents are the best ones, right? the systems aren't cheap, but the bulbs are, so that kind of evens out. but it would be 4' long, and i would have to hang it high (i think?), so it seems like it would pretty much always be visable in the room...

i guess i'm not really good at figuring this stuff out!

[Tindomul1of9]

P1, no one is good at figuring these things out. I've also heard that t-5 are the best. Heard it today actually, in terms that they put out the most lumens per watt, with the least amount of heat. I've never worked with them. Let us know how it works out if you do get them.

Plus here is what my Power COmpacts do for my vivarium:


When I took this picture, no flash was required even though it was night time and those were the only lights that were on at the time.

[p 1]

wow, that looks great!

and what i was looking at is a comp. flou. too, which makes me think it would work out as well as i was hoping...but orchid-man up there has me nervous, if he is an electritian, and he recomends against it...

could you please explain the problems a little more? i know it will generate at least some heat, and infact i am counting on it, because my growing area is a little cooler than i would like it to be. other than that, for my needs and space, it seems like a good thing...unless its going to die on me right away....

[Tindomul1of9]

Yes, Im scared too. I didn't think that those bulbs would burn out so fast.

[Diane]

I have another suggested compact fixture... I will PM you if you are interested... As to the life span, if you consider the cost per day, and the lamp (bulb) lasts 300 days - at 16 hours a day - it's not that much. I am seriously considering adding a couple of these to supplement my T5s

[p 1]

16 hours a day X 300 days is less than half of 10K hours/bulb...but it is still only about 30 cents a day, thats really not too bad at all..

oh, and thanks for the link, diane