what ballast to buy, best for the money.

marquezmurder

marquezmurder

Well-Known Member
I have recently had a ballast go out on me, its under warranty but im looking at other companies seeing as this one only lasted 3 months. So whats a good investment for 1000w ?
 
BAMS

BAMS

Well-Known Member
I'm about to make the move to digital from core 'n coil and from my research I am leaning towards Gavita 600w, if that gives you something to look into.
 
M

major burns

Member
I just switched to the hortilux e ballast I got a gold series for veg and platinum series for flower and noticed a huge difference
 
chuck estevez

chuck estevez

Well-Known Member
yeah, hortilux are good and very expensive. the new galaxy seem to be on point with price and quality, if you want a whole set up, gavita's are pretty much on top right now.
 
M

mrblu

Well-Known Member
Been running appollo for 3 years 8 ballasts 1 was defective they sent me another within the week.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Rollitup mobile app
 
M

major burns

Member
If you look online at some of the reviews of the Apollo ballast they will work but cause the worst rf interference ever and if someone in your reach has satellite it will cut the reception down. I don't know if you ever heard of the guy who got busted growing with those cause a neighbor of his did amateur radio and all of a sudden he was getting a lot of interference and some how they tracked it down to him. True story look it up on the net. They will get the job done there just inferior quality and par reading suck. Just my opinion though cause I know how high strung some people can get on here so one more time ITS JUST A OPINION!
 
Cowboy Kahlil

Cowboy Kahlil

Well-Known Member
Yeah, as a noob, the ballast question still has me stumped. Do I want magnetic or electronic (or is the latter digital?) Do I want dimmable? What else should be built in? Timer? When people say 'best' are they talking about buying a Rolls for a commercial warehouse? Is there a Ford F250 that'll haul light well and endure at a little less cost? (Myself, I like 'lasts a long time' and 'energy-efficient' and 'performs' but with moderate prices (when such beasts exist).

And now there's DE which seems to be the golden child for PAR and durability. But the ventilation has to be different. And you have to rewire from 120V to 240V.

So maybe just knowing a handful of brands/models for DE ballasts and a handful for the single-ended lights would help. (it WOULD help me). It'd also help to know what sits in what price range, and where's a recommended place to buy them. I mean, I understand how to go after a Chinese mfr via Alibaba and that eBay has some good deals, but if you've saved up your cookie jar money and are ready to buy and set-up w/o further delay, where's a good source for PrettyQuickShipping?
 
jijiandfarmgang

jijiandfarmgang

Well-Known Member
IMHO Gavitas are the best, and they back it up with research. Sure its their own, but they ask for others to do similar tests. I don't see anyone disputing their claims.

They're not for everyone. They can't be air cooled. The 1000's can be used on 8 ft ceilings but this limits the crop height. The 750 was made to solve that issue. Also there lighting footprint can be a little tricky on them.

- Jiji
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top