Is Anyone Using Phillips 315 Watt Ceramic Metal Halide?

Subject line says it all: Is anyone growing with Phillips' 315-watt CMH bulbs? I've read that they blow away 400-watt HPS, but IDK. I also don't know if they are available for mounting in a horizontal orientation or vertical only. Looking for reports/reviews from people who have experience with them (preferably the ones designed specifically for growing plants). Thanks!
 
Very familiar with the 400 Watt CMH. Highly recommend! Have used the last year. Yes much improved results than HPS 400 I used before. Seems to get further below canopy. Happy plants too. Buds explode with thichs. $171.00 for ballast, hood, bulb and cords. HTG .com. I could not pass it up. ( but I have been bitten by the LED bug thanks to Mars Hydro and Sara's great work and never ending, tireless posting). Will purchase one very soon.
 
CMH trumps LED anyday of the week, unless you're talking about $1200 LEDs

I veg with LED + Philips MasterColor CMH, flower with HPS
 
That setup is using an HPS ballast. From what I've heard (it's all anecdotal from unknown sources), using a CMH in a HPS ballast doesn't even get the full benefit of the CMH bulb, but $171 compared to the $500 that a proper CMH setup goes for is hard to argue with right now.

From what I've heard, not only is the LEC315 CMH superior to a HPS400W, but it's also superior to a 600W HPS.

I've been seriously looking at upgrading my lights. I'm using 336W of CFLs in a 3' x 2' cabinet, but have been considering a $170 600W HPS running at 50% (for heat issues and for the $$$ I may as well get the 600W in case I upgrade later, but my box won't handle the full heat of a 600W), the $170 Mars Reflector 96 and the $500 Sun Systems 315W CMH. I really do want the 315W CMH, but the one thing holding me back right now is lack of vertical height in my cabinet. I may not have enough to prevent the top of the canopy from getting bleached/light burn. I'm going to play with some COB LED's and see how difficult a DIY is to set up, but if I'm not happy with it, I'm very serious about the LEC315 CMH for my Fall grow.
 
That setup is using an HPS ballast. From what I've heard (it's all anecdotal from unknown sources), using a CMH in a HPS ballast doesn't even get the full benefit of the CMH bulb, but $171 compared to the $500 that a proper CMH setup goes for is hard to argue with right now.

e-ballast for HPS fires my CMH just fine :bongrip:
I have 1000 hours on it and still just as bright as new.
 
you are so kind to me.we will try our best:thanks:
Very familiar with the 400 Watt CMH. Highly recommend! Have used the last year. Yes much improved results than HPS 400 I used before. Seems to get further below canopy. Happy plants too. Buds explode with thichs. $171.00 for ballast, hood, bulb and cords. HTG .com. I could not pass it up. ( but I have been bitten by the LED bug thanks to Mars Hydro and Sara's great work and never ending, tireless posting). Will purchase one very soon.
 
So TorturedSoul still thinking about going CMH? You been spending a lot of time in the LED threads?
Say you had no budget. Are you going HID or LED?
Love reading your posts!
 
Until TorturedSoul returns, I would say with out a doubt LED specifically cob led is the future and the future is now.
If heat isnt a concern, CMH with a proper square wave ballast and UV spectrum's should do nicely, however I see many folks running led cob setups. Not so many CMH. I had a Phillips 315CMH in my cart and didn't pull the trigger. No regrets here.
Check YT and look at all the LED COB growers, DIY'ers included.



So TorturedSoul still thinking about going CMH? You been spending a lot of time in the LED threads?
Say you had no budget. Are you going HID or LED?
Love reading your posts!
 
So TorturedSoul still thinking about going CMH?

To be honest, I created this thread more out of the pursuit of knowledge than to help me with any immediate shopping decisions. Before I got paranoid and crawled under my rock for three years, I had seen a journal or two which utilized CMH lighting and the growers seemed to be happy with their choice of lighting. But I haven't seen much about them recently other than VladimirPutin's grow journal. He likes his quite a bit - and appears to be doing well with it:
Vladimir's - Coco - Acapulco Gold - Flux - CMH 150W
But that is a 150-watt CMH, and I read somewhere that the 315-watt ones were supposed to be even better than their wattage figure would suggest. I also read that at least one (but I think more than one) company is manufacturing bulbs in that size which are specifically intended for growing plants with.

I get curious about things "occasionally" (lol), but simply do not have the budget that would be required to purchase things in order to satisfy my curiosity firsthand.

You been spending a lot of time in the LED threads?

That is something else that I have been curious about. Before I left, there were a few people that were using LEDs and getting decent results. But there were also some people who did not seem to be getting great performance from them. Some of them seemed to find lots of positives to note - but in terms of grams per watt, things looked... somewhat uncertain. Not completely, understand, but enough to make me wonder if some people were over-stressing the positives in order to justify (to themselves?) the high cost of their purchases.

Now... There are a LOT of people here growing with LEDs, and most of them appear to be having a good deal of success. Sometimes the grams/watt figure is still not spectacular - but that can be attributable to a number of things (as someone who has always favored sativas and sativa-dominant ones, I know that the choice of strain can play a major part in this). I have seen a few reports of 1 g/w and higher - which was considered to be an accomplishment even when one was growing under HID lighting.

Say you had no budget.

Literally zero at this point. As in, if I was not gifted some high-quality genetics, I would be digging through random ashtrays all over town looking for a cannabis seed or two ;) . <SHRUGS> I have never been particularly upset with my financial situation - neither of my parents ever made the mistake of telling me that life was supposed to be easy when I was a child, so I never had to overcome false expectations as an adult - but it can be somewhat frustrating from time to time. Having fine seeds from two top breeders (and being impatient, lol) and no light was one such example of this. Err... having those seeds plus an awesome LED panel but no grow space (yet) is another. But every new day is another possibility, another chance to improve things.

Are you going HID or LED?

LED, it turns out. Thanks to Victor, Brother Fern, and their company (Amare Technologies) and their willingness to take a chance on this old(ish) fart and loan me one of their products to try out (and to learn about - and, if I am lucky, possibly to be able to use that knowledge in the future to help others).

Love reading your posts!

Thank you for the kind words. I know I ramble occasionally ;) . And some people these days seem unable - or unwilling - to read something if it is much lengthier than one of those Twit things. So getting to read a comment like that is better than a steak dinner.

Until TorturedSoul returns, I would say with out a doubt LED specifically cob led is the future and the future is now.

I'm here! I just took a walk through the section of town that puts its trash out on the curb on Wednesday evenings in case one of them happened to throw away something that I could use to help me construct a grow room. No luck this time, but it's nice to just get out and walk once in a while, so it's all good.

The panel I'll be using has COBs - six of them. And also 60 of the little monocolor(?) LEDs, a ring of ten around each COB. Oh, and a fluorescent UV-B bulb in the middle of the panel.

I don't know about the future, lol. But, as I commented in someone's journal earlier, I can honestly say that I have at last stepped into the 21st century.

If heat isnt a concern, CMH with a proper square wave ballast and UV spectrum's should do nicely

Heat is ALWAYS a concern, lol. I cannot afford to buy an air conditioner. Or the cost of the electricity it would take to run one. Or, for that matter, to upgrade my home's electrical service (allowing for the generally recommended buffer, my whole house has a capacity of around 2,880 watts :rolleyes3 ).

Just read this:
Amare Technologies SE350+UVB LED panel. I haven't even taken it out of the box yet.
Congrats excellent choice!

Thanks. When I saw their sponsor introduction thread, I was impressed by several things - among them, the fact that these are "canna-specific" products, designed by someone who is, himself, a cannabis grower. I also appreciated the inclusion of a supplemental UV-B bulb in some products, because I have supplemented with it (with a separate light fixture) in the past with good results. I got a wild hair, as they say, and contacted the company to ask if they might let me try out one of their products. I was rather surprised when Victor responded in a positive way - like I told him, I do not have a single completed grow journal to point to in order to demonstrate that I would do well. He must just be a nice person, and one who is willing to take a chance on someone.
 
I used 250 and 400 watt cmh retrofits for years and they did very well with the 400 being much more efficient. Resin and terpines increased along with leaves. Yield was less than hps but herb was superior.

The 315w is designed for plants with more red which increases weight. Very few negatives reported on this light.
 
Howdy torturedsoul,

I am currently running a phillips 315 watt cmh, its called a "master colour" bulb, I believe it is the same one that is found in the "dpapillon" reflector. I am using it in a 1.2m x 1.2m x 2.0m tent for the second time. my first indoor grow and grow with the light I got a bit over 200 grams, I think with some better plant training I can do much better then that. You can see my progress this time round in my current journal and first one here at 420 mag, I am one day into 12/12 so see how we go.

I am in Australia and bought a ballast, globe and adapter plug kit that can be run in any standard reflector as shown here HI-PAR 315W L.E.C BALLAST | Stealth Garden | Australian wholesaler of exclusive premium products kit comes with the bulb also :) heat has been no concern, cooltube for the summer heat here and open adjust a wing this time now its cooler. I am pretty happy with the light, low running cost and if I can pull a bigger gpw ratio I will be even happier.

:tokin:
 
Finished my last grow thread with 2 315 watt sun system lights.., two waterfarm plants... 26 ozs total from the two.... They're the 110 volt lights which draw about 20-25 more watts than the 220 volt lights.... I can't afford an led light that will do as well... I'll buy another led when they match the price per watt of a 315 lec...... My advanced 185 watt led cost more than a ss315 watt lec... The yield with it was 6 oz, in around 100 days, clone to finish..... No way led can compete on both price and yield.......
 
Subject line says it all: Is anyone growing with Phillips' 315-watt CMH bulbs? I've read that they blow away 400-watt HPS, but IDK. I also don't know if they are available for mounting in a horizontal orientation or vertical only. Looking for reports/reviews from people who have experience with them (preferably the ones designed specifically for growing plants). Thanks!
TS,
I just bought a Nanalux 630w lec cmh, so it's been in 12/12 service for two days now. And all I can say is they were 1 wk. into 12/12 when I changed lights, so we'll see !! I bought it because friend got one and almost doubled his harvest compared to the 400w eye hortilux, that he previously used. I think these lights will need a little higher tents. Recommended 3 feet from canopy doesn't leave much room to work with in the standard 78 inch tent. Excited to have it !!
 
Finished my last grow thread with 2 315 watt sun system lights.., two waterfarm plants... 26 ozs total from the two.... They're the 110 volt lights which draw about 20-25 more watts than the 220 volt lights.... I can't afford an led light that will do as well... I'll buy another led when they match the price per watt of a 315 lec...... My advanced 185 watt led cost more than a ss315 watt lec... The yield with it was 6 oz, in around 100 days, clone to finish..... No way led can compete on both price and yield.......
Dr. fish, You're absolutely right . Everytime I try to say anything negative about leds, I get folks upset, so I'm glad you said it !! $$ talks, and BS walks !!
 
I actually just picked up a sun system lec 315 yesterday after seeing it in person and talking to a friend I trust who swapped to these last year over a 600w in a 3x3 space.
I will soon find out how well these work.
Let us know how you intend to run it, and what bulb etc. I bought both variations of the Phillips bulbs.

Sent from my SM-N910V using 420
 
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