VIVOSUN HPS/MH Grow Light Air Cooled Reflector Kit VS Eye Hortilux SE 600 Watt Grow Light System with Ceramic HPS Bulb
Indoor grow rooms are a great way to maintain a garden without worrying about outside factors like weather and pests. To grow plants indoors, though, you’ll need grow lights.
The purpose of grow lights is to mimic the sun and give your plants all the light they need to grow strong and healthy. HPS grow lights are a great option, but unlike the sun, the energy that these grow lights need isn’t free. Indoor gardening can use a good amount of electricity that will be reflected in your bill each month.
Benefits of Using HPS Grow Lights
So why should you use an HPS grow light as opposed to all the other types of grow lights on the market? There are a number of benefits to these lights that make them the best choice:
They Mimic Natural Light: Plants thrive when they have the wavelengths and strength closest to their natural amount. HPS grow lights are the best at doing just that, and their light contains a spectrum almost identical to the sun. Combined with the strength of a given ballast, a plant will receive optimal amounts of light to grow- sometimes better than it would in nature.
They’re Powerful and Effective: One of the biggest benefits of HPS grow lights is their high potential for light output. A 1000w HPS bulb, for example, gives off 130,000 lumens of light at 1150 PPFD, compared to other forms of lighting that offer far less lumen output. That means you can grow a wider variety of plants than you would with other grow lights.
They’re Affordable: For starters, HPS bulbs are as affordable as grow lights come, and you’re not sacrificing any quality for the price! Plus, if one part of your HPS light system fails, it’s easy and cost-efficient to replace as opposed to having to buy a whole new system.
They’re Adjustable: Most HPS lights have dimmable ballasts. This makes it easy to control the intensity of light your plants are getting to ensure optimal intensity.
Flexibility: There are a lot of different types of reflectors to give you the light that your plant and spatial need. No matter if you need tons of light for lots of plants or a little bit for a few, there’s an HPS grow light to suit any indoor garden and gardener.
VIVOSUN HPS/MH Grow Light Air Cooled Reflector Kit
Features:
This VIVOSUN grow light has a high PAR value (Photosynthetically Active Radiation), Superior quality & optimized spectrum to promote growth. Optimized crimson & orange spectrum and excessive par (photosynthetic energetic radiation) to stimulate flower progress and improve fruiting. 600w vivosun hps bulb suitable with digital and magnetic ballasts, 90000 lumens, e39 base. Additional-low lumen depreciation: sustaining over 90% of preliminary lumen output after operating for five,000 hours. UL Listed 600W Dimmable Ballast: Runs on 120~240V power supply comes with 8ft 120V power cord, 250w/400w/600w/super lumens optional. 6" Air-Cooled Reflector: Over 90% high reflectivity aluminium ensures the soonest flourish of your plants. Buyers must peel off the inner blue protective film before using it.
Eye Hortilux SE 600 Watt Grow Light System with Ceramic HPS Bulb
Features:
The EYE Hortilux Grow Light System is designed to maximize the performance of 600 Watt Eye Hortilux grow lamps. This system focuses 20% more of the light to the target area than our nearest competitor to enhance the performance of the lamp and maximize plant quality and yield. The SE 600 reflector was designed around 600 Watt lamps to create a consistent and uniform distribution of light. Reflector design can dramatically impact the amount of light reaching your plants. Most grow fixtures are sized for 1000 watt lamps leading to an inefficient focus of light. The SE 600 Grow Light System utilizes a reflector design sized specifically for 600 Watt grow lamps. This compact reflector design optimizes performance focusing more light on the plant canopy with superior uniform light distribution. Growers concerned about extra heat can remove the SE 600 ballast from the fixture and operate it from a remote location. The ballast can then be run up to 15 feet away from the lamp.
Things to Consider When Buying HPS Grow Lights
1. Wattage
I believe that, for serious indoor gardening, anything below 400 watts is pretty inefficient. I have mentioned that with the 600-watt HPS grow light you get the most proportion of light per watt of electricity.
However, it depends on the size of your garden, as well. For example, 600w grow light covers 16 square feet.
Moreover, many would agree that it is better to cover your grow space with more 600w grow lights than with less than 1000w.
Anyway, it is up to you to make that choice.
2. Type
Most kits include these two types of light bulbs- HPS and MH (metal halide in case you have never heard of it).
I would recommend you to use both because the plants would need both. How? Well, HPS bulbs give you a lot of orange and red light, and it is great for the flowering stage.
However, for plant growth, you need cooler light (light with a lot of blue colour in it). Therefore, that is why you need MH bulbs. Of course, you will not need HPS bulbs if you are growing plants that do not flower.
To conclude, vegging stage demands for the MHs, the flowering demands HPS’.
3. Double-ended and single-ended types of bulbs
This is another thing you should know before buying a bulb or kit in general. Firstly, let me pinpoint that for beginners I strongly recommend buying a kit.
It includes everything you need and you will understand how for example 600w HPS grow lights function.
Generally, the main difference between double-ended and single-ended bulbs is that double-ended last more.
Moreover, they give you a stronger output. However, at the same time double-ended are more expensive and they generate more heat.
Therefore, if you are a starter, go with the single-ended. Later, you can make a choice based on your own experience and not only on the recommendation.
Top Tips:
To get the best from your 600 Watt HPS grow lights, follow these tips:
Use A Grow Light Timer And Contactor For HPS Grow Lights
Use a timer to automate light on/off times — most people run their HPS grow lights for 18 hours in vegetative growth, and 12 hours in flowering.
If using a grow light timer, you must use a contractor to protect your timer — you can get 2-in-1 grow light timer contractors — like the Heavy Duty Lighting Timer and Contactor (for single light setups) we use in the video.
Never Try To Dim Your Grow Light Ballast When It’s On
It’s not good for your grow lamps. Some ballasts won’t actually dim unless you switch them off to do it. Instead, switch your HPS grow light systems off, then dim your ballasts. When you turn your lights back on again, soft start technology gradually brings your grow lamps to the selected power setting.
Use Gloves When Handling Grow Lamps
Otherwise, the oils on your naked hands can cause lamp degradation.
Position Ballasts Outside Your Tent
Ballasts emit heat which can warm the air in your grow tent.
Pick A Digital Ballast Over A Magnetic One
Digital ballasts cost less to run and give off less heat.
Run HPS Grow Lights At Night
Energy tariffs tend to be lower at night, which keeps your running costs down.
Get Your HPS Grow Light Hanging Height Right
The exact hanging height of your 600W grow light depends on lots of factors:
Your reflector footprint
The number of lights
Your tent size & shape
The plants you’re growing
But as a rule of thumb, you want to hang your 600W HPS grow light systems at a height where you leave a safe enough gap between your lights and canopy. For a 600W HPS Grow Light Kit, the gap should be:
150cm (small plants)
120cm (medium plants)
70cm (large plants)
Position Your HPS Grow Lights Correctly
When using one HPS grow light, most people place it in the centre of their tent.
Using multiple HPS grow lights, you need to split your tent into sections, then place each light in the centre of each section.
If adding supplemental lights, you slot one supplemental between 2 main 600W HPS grow lights, or place 2 supplemental grow lights on either side of your main 600W HPS grow light.
Choose The Right Reflector Shape
When choosing your reflector or reflectors, make sure their footprint matches the shape of your tent.
Replace Grow Lamps And Reflectors Regularly
Over time, grow lamps and reflectors naturally degrade. For every 1% of light lost to walls, you lose around 1% of your yield. Premium grow lamps and reflectors last longer, but as a rule, you should:
Replace reflectors every 12 months
Replace HPS grow lamps every 4,000hrs — 5,000hrs of run time
Conclusion
There are a lot of factors that can influence your decision. You choose the best HPS grow light according to the size of your garden and your own needs.
Like l mentioned, I advise you to start with an HPS grow light kit. I hope that these reviews will help you to make the best conditions for your plants.