Solis Tek vs Lumatek - THD levels

[think difrent]

hello im looking to buy my girls a new ballast i own now a dimale 400_600w sl lumatek 2 year old and have this old one for reserve and was loking some revives wich is the best one all the older ones say lumatek all the new say solis tek and then i learnd abaut THD because solis tek constantly talkng abaut it that theire ballast have the lovest 11_14% and lumatek 255_270% haha my lumatek the label says 10%thd
then i wrote an e mail to solis tek abaut it and thay anwsered :
Most companies only measure INPUT THD, which is not as important as nearly important as OUPUT THD. OUPUT THD is the chemistry/connection between the lamp and ballast, INPUT THD is the measurement of the THD from your power source to the ballast. Our company actually measures output THD, Lumatek and many other companies display only their INPUT THD, that's why many people are fooled into believing that their ballast is low THD when it is indeed far from the truth. We own an operate our own factory unlike other ballast companies and have US engineers/technicians stationed there 24/7. In the states we are known as a top tier ballast with an lamp line up that is providing growers with the proper spectrum for their medicine. Lumatek used to be a big power house here but unfortunately but has lost traction due to their quality, customer support, and lack of innovation. Their output THD (not input) is incredibly high at 270%, this causes inconsistent lamp ignition, premature lamp failure, low performance, and reeks havoc on the ballast and lamp. Just remember there are two different types of THD when a ballast is measured, INPUT and OUTPUT. Lumatek does not even have the proper meter to measure their OUTPUT THD

i think this is bull shit how can they measure input thd what from the socket or what and if in europe it would be difrent then in usa...
is here somebody who knows more abaut that and would help a bit tnx

 

[KingJohnC]

I own 5x Lumatek Dimmable Digital Electronic ballasts and have no complaints about their performance.

Here is a chart with bulb tests

Here is a chart with 1000 watt ballast test information

 

[garylee]

I can see this is an old post even though it showed up on new post where I always go to.
I'm sure you know by now that Lumatek is out of business. But what you might not no is that the grow world is revolving and grow lights are a big part of that. LED's, LEC's, LEP's just what is a grower to do. Well until the LED market pulls their heads out of their asses and learn that they are pricing themselves out of even getting a good start companies like Gavita and others are taking advantage. The double ended bulbs are getting a good foothold on the market. Just wanted to put it out there that if you think you might one day upgrade then with Lumatek your upgrade is more expensive. Lumatek won't work with the new technology. If you have a SolisTek you can plug a double ended bulb and fixture right into the ballast and start growing. Simple as that. Just a little food for thought.

 

[LEDBud]

Lumatek also had a pro line of ballasts that run @ 400v for use with DE bulbs of different wattage with the same ballast.


I have not heard the news that Lumatek has gone out of business until you mentioned it.
The 3 year old Lumatek AC 1000w fan cooled ballast for $150 with dial watt to run either 1000w 600w or 400w bulbs.

Which allows a person to swap bulbs as the garden / plants grow without the reduction in life or lumen output
caused by the dimming of bulbs.
That feature saves electricity and money from not having to buy multiple ballasts to run smaller lamps
Three ballasts in one really.

The AC 1000w is a discontinued model and only available used or old stock with the Pro dial watt models made for the DE 400V bulbs still being sold / is available at this date. Its their newest model.


The new Solis Tek dims in the conventional way , not sure if that has a detrimental effect to a DE bulbs lifespan ? I read DE bulbs normally hold their lumens till end of life.