HID Reflectors

[AJ Grottke]

What HID reflectors do you use and why? 

 

I know there are other good options, but if you only need 4" or no air-cooling, i keep coming back to the Super Sun original.  I have tried Maybe 7or 8 others.  The super sun original (there is a super sun 2 which i dont like as much, but it does have 6" air-cooled fittings)  is extremely small and lightweight, while sending out a fairly even footprint for all size bulbs.  I have used 400, 600, and 1000W in this reflector.  This reflector would be good for supplemental light in a GH since it is so small it would creating little shading of natural light during the day.  The only downside is it only has 4" air-cooled fittings. I ahev tried 6" and 8" air-cooled reflectors such as Cool Sun XL 8" and the Yield Master 6" and have noticed a poor light footprint (uneven) and a lot of light being lost through the holes for the ducting. The Super Sun OG has reflective covers over the air-cooled ports so that no light is lost down the air cooled ducting.  I will search for an extremely in-depth post from another forum that has people taking a light meter every square inch w/ different reflectors and data logging it.  If i remember correctly i think the Super Sun OG was one of the better ones (least hot spots, most even footprint). I look for that info.

[Burton]

Going plantmax LU600's I think haven't ordered them yet though ... keep him mind these are not "primary" bulbs as they will only be on for a max of 1 hour each 3 hours during my lighting period :)
Ok read all 57 pages.

XXXL, SS2, and BlockBuster seem like the top picks, pico is still doing testing so I am bookmarking this LOL

SS2 seems like the best option given the size however.

[Josh Fagan]

What is the deal with the Ballasts integrated into the reflector?

Advantages...disadvantages?

 

Anyone have experience with these?

[LogicalHydro]

I have a 250 watt with a ballast in the reflector. I like it because you don't have to deal with finding a place to put the ballast or extra cord length. But it is extremely heavy. And only on one side. Which makes it difficult to hang. Once it's up it works well though

[Burton]

Weight and heat :)

 

Depends on the light however, 250w probably wont produce a ton of heat versus a ballast + 600 / 1000w ... Also a ballast + T5 array probably wouldn't produce a ton of heat either.

[Burton]

Ordering a pair of SS block busters today, non-air-cooled ... buggers are expensive >.< about $150ish shipped each.
But SS said they are designed for 4x4 plots vs the SS SS1/2 which was designed for 3x3 plots ...

[Josh Fagan]

Will the Super Sun original cover a 4x4 space? Are there charts anywhere online...I will check

[Burton]

The Super Sun Original is what I was going to order, till I started to look at the Block Buster ... The BB is made for 4x4 plots according to people who have emailed SS to inquire about the SS2/1 vs the BB ...The SS1/2 is made for 3x3 plots ... but people praise the SS1/2 for their 4x4 plots too but if you look at the coverage it would be better to use a BB based on the distribution alone ...

 

The BB is square, the SS1/2 is a rectangle ... the internal angles are obviously different but if you email SS they can tell you more info. I prefer the lumen spread of the BB over the SS series lights with lower watt bulbs. If you use a 1000w in a SS series light sure you could cover 4x4 but it will be very hot vs a 400w bulb (3x3 coverage)

Then again there are people on other forums who purchased two SS2's and have since replaced them with a single BB :)

SS2 http://www.flickr.com/photos/progrowhydroponics/5062489498/in/photo...

XXXL http://www.flickr.com/photos/progrowhydroponics/5062486864/in/photo...

BB http://www.flickr.com/photos/progrowhydroponics/5061862547/in/photo...

[AJ Grottke]

Nice buy Burton.  That aint too pricey IMO for HID reflectors.  All the good ones are over $100. I agree that the BB would probably be better for a 4'x4' area, bit the super suns also work great for a 4'x4' area.  SS works better in a 4x4 area than some other reflectors as well (like the cool sun, which i did not like very much).  I would love to try a BB out, let us know how it goes.

[Burton]

A lot of people from the forum I linked earlier swear by the SuperSuns in a 4x4 area ... some however have since switched to the BB and are just as impressed ...

 

One even said "The light changed so much I thought something was wrong with my ballast" 0_0