Curiosity about low watt HPS setups...

I have already constructed a sucessful stealth grow using CFL's out of an old dresser that measures 30in x 30 in x 18 in deep. I have ventilation covered, temps are perfect(77-79 during the daytime photoperiod) but I keep reading about these small watt HPS setups. I have secured the materials(ballast, ignitor, socket, cord) But before i put the effort into wiring this HPS in, I wanna know, is it worth it? I know it produces more lumens, better buds, and they say you can run it on your crop from seed to harvest, but has anyone actually done a complete grow with a 70 watt or a 100 watt HPS? What kinda of temps do they throw? I imagine you would need some supplemental lighting with a couple CFL's. Any advice for this begginer would be great and thanks in advance. I posted some pics of my CFL stealth grow. Not real good pics, but you can only do soo much with a phone. BTW all seeds came from the same strain of bagseed, the bigger ones are about a month old.

i personally wouldnt bother unless it was a 250 hps.

I run 4 150W HPS in a 12 square foot SCROG cabinet, temps are a bit high, 80-85 during the day, but not enough to really hurt things and I need to spring for a bigger exhaust fan or some cool tubes. After that I should be in good shape. The nice thing about going small wattage is that you get a very even distribution of light, which is perfect if you're rocking a SCROG. Also you get multi-directional light that lowers the chance of a shady spot that won't develop.

While bigger wattages offer more lumens / watt, I believe you get more efficiency / watt with a well thought out multidirectional light setup that makes up for it.

Either way, get your ballasts and bulbs at http://www.1000bulbs.com for the best deals.

smallclosetgrowr-Thought about that, but dont have the moolah for the 250. My stealth dresser is only 9 cu feet total, and I really dont wanna make TOO many mods. I was told a 100 watt would be alot easier to cool down than a 250 watt. I already have ordered a ballast kit for the 100 watt complete with bulb, and just have to make time to work on my setup. Thanks though

Eagle-Thanks for the advice man. I would love to SCROG my cab, but I'm still feeling the ropes out. Its my very first grow after dooing HOURS and HOURS of reading on here I'm pretty happy its going as good as it is. As far as multidirectional light, I have my CFL's setup for top lighting with a couple on each side of the cab for side lighting. I'm pretty happy with what I have, but I'm always looking for a better route. My cab is only 3.75 square ft, so i dont wanna overdo it. After doing lots of homework, I think maybe the most I might have to do is add another exhaust when I put the HPS in. And yeah, bigger watts do produce more lumens per watt, but I'm looking at the energy usage comparing 1 100 watt HPS with a couple CFLS, or 10 42 watt CFLS. If I'm not wrong, a 100 watt hps with some CFLS for sidelighting seems the way to go as far as saving some $. But then again, it probably wont make THAT much of a diff except inside box. HOPEFULLY FOR THE BETTER!

There's no shame in CFLs. You can get great results for a lot less money if you have a good setup, and while they may not be the tightest biggest buds possible, they'll certainly fill your pipe Good luck man!