Does anyone have any experience using the eye hortilux ceramic HPS bulbs? It looks like it’s only available in 600w at the moment. look at all that red spectrum! what do you guys think?
Advantages
The Ceramic HPS produces a white light and has a much broader spectrum with an abundance of red spectral energy. The spectral energy of Ceramic HPS is unmatched in the Horticulture market and is only possible through the exclusive EYE HORTILUX chemistry.
Benefits
Ceramic HPS enhances essential oil production and produces plants with minimal stretching. Ceramic HPS produces vibrant colorful plants which stay strong and healthy throughout the flowering stage. The Ceramic HPS is a strong Start-to-Finish grow light as well and produces healthy vegetative plants ready for transition to stronger light sources.
600W
Initial Lumens
Color Temperature
CRI
Operating Position Horizontal +/=15 degrees
Fixture Requirement Enclosed Rated
ANSI Code N/A
E-Ballast Compatible Yes
Warm-Up Time 30 Minutes
Hot Re-Strike Time 15 Minutes
The kits w/ ballast and hood are not supposed to be out until Monday.The first 1000 units get a free hotiulux blue to go with the red bulb I have been itching for this for awhile and now i want to watch somebody else try before I buy. Looks nice!
I just picked up a used 1000W MH/HPS magnetic for $70 and a couple Hortilux knock-offs for $40 each when what I would have liked is two 600s back to back on my light rail for better coverage in a 4x8 space. 50% more and better light for 20% more power cost. These puppies are gonna be pricey tho I bet but I’m getting all itchy for them now.
do you think this spectrum will work good for flowering or would need supplementation? that is a lot of red!! also, what is the difference between a ceramic and non ceramic bulb?
From Hortilux website…Ceramic HPS should only be operated on EYE HORTILUX Gold Series eBallast…Do not use on Magnetic Core & Coil ballasts…During start up, Ceramic HPS take 20 minutes to produce white light and get to full power
Should be the only bulb you need from start to finish. If the plant doesn’t need the extra red it just won’t use it and there’s more than enough blue to get great growth during vegging. If I had the coin I’d be ordering two of those right now!
Philips made CMH bulbs to run off the 400W magnetic ballasts that I have 3 of and I wish I’d stocked up while they still made them. As they were made to retrofit the HPS lights and give true colour in retail, warehouses and stadiums they were a very low price compared to bulbs specifically for plants which for some reason demand premium prices tho no more expensive to make. I would have had to order a case of 6 and didn’t have the $300 at the time and now they are gone. All stocked up with good grow lights so won’t need any bulbs for a few years tho other makers put out bulbs that would do the same thing.
Another missed opportunity and subject for regret. lol
It looks perfect for flowering but how much does it cost? Specs say it need replacement every 8-9 months. If it’s over $100 like the blue bulb it’s more cost effective to buy a high-end LED fixture.
i’d be interested in knowing cost and efficacy numbers but i thought HPS bulbs as is need replacing every 6 months or 2 crops to stay optimal so 8-9 months seems like an improvement no?
I think it’s the same lifetime as the regular Hortilux bulbs, they are better quality than the cheaper ones for sure. But at 600w and 1000w you can buy the commercial HPS fixtures like Gavita and P.L. Light where the bulb runs at 400v internal voltage, with Philips bulbs lasting 2.5 years and more efficient than the fixtures that run at 200v like Eye Hortilux.
The 600w Gavita fixture I had used the 1190 umol Philips bulb that lasts 2.5 years, it’s $400:
The P.L. Light 600w HSE fixture is better quality, also uses the Philips 1190 umol bulb and costs around $400, you need a 240v circuit to run it though. You can buy this from pro greenhouse suppliers like Hummert or Griffins. here are the specs for the 400v Philips bulb:
If you gotta have just the top performance and a little less isn’t good enough and have deep pockets then throw out good bulbs after the 6 or 9 months if you want but what a waste.
Even 5 years down the road it will still do decent flowering. I bet 90% of the smaller growers wouldn’t even find a difference in their quality or yields enough to warrant coughing up for new bulbs all the time.
I’m right now vegging big plants under a Hortilux conversion bulb that gives me MH light off a magnetic HPS ballast. It has been used at least 75% of the last 16 years at 18hrs/day and the plants grow fine. I got a brand new 7200K MH 400 that doesn’t seem to veg near as good so put the old one back in service and it’s definitely better than the cheapo PlantMax bulb.
For my 1000w MH ballast I bought a $170 EYE Hortilux Ultra ACE EN 940W conversion bulb. They are now $225 at the same store in Kelowna I got mine a year ago. Now that I have the 1000W MH/HPS magnetic ballast I got two knock-off Super HPS bulbs made by Light EnerG for $80. The spectral chart on the box for those is almost identical to the one on the higher priced EYE but about 20% higher in the blue range. Got plenty of backup now in case the EYE dies on me as I only need one 1000W for my current growing.
I would have preferred to get a pair of 600W lights for the flowering chamber but needed a new carbon filter, CO2 controller etc and had just a grand to play with.
i’ve never used HID lighting so i was just repeating what i’ve heard. i believe it was grateful grower who said he replaces his every 2 crops. or maybe it was his carbon filter he replaces every 2 crops and bulbs was once a year. not sure now. i’ll probably always use LED for various reasons.
i still don’t understand how ceramic differs from non ceramic, i guess i could do research instead of asking to be spoon fed
I don’t mind spoon feeding the mentally deficient but I’m pretty sure you don’t fall into that category.
Pretty sure.
I’d have to look it up too to explain it fully. Just basically refers to the construction of the gas tube inside and the gasses used to emit the wide spectrum it has.
