Anyone using Ceramic Metal Halide bulbs yet?

[LabRat]

Originally Posted by pappysway

While I'm not using these lamps myself, I was working for 1 of the largest manufactors of this newest line of CHM lamps, while they were being devoloped, in early 2005. Not being a real techy myself, and simply going on disscussions with the engineers that design these lamps, their comment to me, have been that these are the closet thing to true sun light available! They are in the process of set up a manufactoring line here in the US. The tech info should be readily available from the seimens website.

Life without harmony isn't life!

I'm no engineer myself, but in my thirties I went back to school and three years later scored myself a diploma in Chemical Sciences, Environmental, university level. A full year of physics taught me a little bit about light. Actually, a lot more than I thought I would ever need to know or care about. Well, WTF, twenty years later, I care and I'm glad I know a bit.

My thoughts are that these CMHs are probably the best over-all bulb to use for both veg and flower. All the spectral data I've read put these bulbs head and shoulders above not only HPS and MH standard, but at least heads over most of the horticulture bulbs available at three to four times the price. I haven't seen any PAR watt value data to compare the old standards with yet. Ergo my quest to get more input from growers that are actually seeing results from these bulbs. The only way I can buy them here is if I order a case of six. I wanna do it so bad but $300/6 when I only need two is out of my unemployed league at the moment. Fifty bucks for a bulb that's proven better than the EYE Hortilux and HPS I'm running now is a lot better than $125 for a 400W EYE.

The blue and red spectral outputs look crazy high and seem to have real values better than what I'm running now. Juice isn't cheap around here, so at $0.21 KWH I'd like to get the best bang for my buck.

I'm yanking out the 2x400 watters and moving the tubs apart a bit dropping the 1KW MH in to finish up flowering. The sucker worked great last time and @ $40 for a bulb that puts good medicine in the bowl, who am I to argue?

Still want those CMHs tho.

[LabRat]

Originally Posted by TorturedSoul

That comment leaves me curious about something: Occasionally I will hear/read something like that when a bulb is being discussed and I stop and consider that the sunlight that reach plants in the Spring & early Summer would tend to be weighted more towards the "vegging spectrum" and the Fall/harvest sunlight that reaches plants would be weighted more towards the "flowering spectrum." So which particular bit of "true sun light" did the engineers mean, I wonder?

Or am I missing something? I admit that my thinking cap is currently broken.

It's not broken, it's just stoned. :0)

True sunlight basically mean the full spectrum that the sun pours down on us every day. The early spring or fall spectrums are the same "true sunlight" that is lower in blue and higher in red because as the planet tilts the "true sunlight" has to pass through a lot more of our polluted atmosphere before it hits our girls. All that crud up there is good at knocking out the higher frequencies, eg: blue, while the reds just cruise on through. Mid-summer everything has equal levels of air to pass through before toasting our babies.

Beyond lumens, watts etc is good old CRI. Colour Rendering Index. The higher the CRI, the closer it is considered to be to sunlight. Too many ways for manufacturers to come up with this number but still another guide to our choice of the light that's best for our girls.

Hope that helps.

[Indicana Jones!]

Originally Posted by LabRat

The only way I can buy them here is if I order a case of six. I wanna do it so bad but $300/6 when I only need two is out of my unemployed league at the moment. Fifty bucks for a bulb that's proven better than the EYE Hortilux and HPS I'm running now is a lot better than $125 for a 400W EYE..

Hi,

I live in Canada too, and got a single bulb with no problems from a US site. It's a good site, the only one to pre-burn the bulbs before shipping (CMH bulbs seems to have a high initial failure rate). I can't PM yet but if you shoot me one I'll send you the link.

Cheers!

Indicana

[LabRat]

Originally Posted by Indicana Jones!

Hi,

I live in Canada too, and got a single bulb with no problems from a US site. It's a good site, the only one to pre-burn the bulbs before shipping (CMH bulbs seems to have a high initial failure rate). I can't PM yet but if you shoot me one I'll send you the link.

Cheers!

Indicana

Thanks for the offer but I ain't ordering squat from the states. I don't even order from Canadian sources tho I have a new fishing buddy and I'm going to see if it would be cool to have stuff sent to his PO box.

I don't really need the light at this moment, just trying to get the low down on their effectiveness. If they are as good as they seem I'll just go pay cash and buy the whole case.

They'll get used eventually. :0)

[Indicana Jones!]

Hi,

I did FINALLY get my grow up.. such as it is, and the CMH so far is working great!

First Grow 12/12 No Mercy Style Skunkberry 400W CMH

Indicana.