Differences/Benefits of...

Trying to find the best light set up for a medium sized grow cabinet, primarily for personal use. So crazy quick turnaround isn't a big concern. I've been looking for a switchable setup that uses one hood and one ballast, but can switch between HPS and MH for flowering/veg purposes in one cabinet (one at a time of course). I see ones that can just flip a switch on the ballast and swap out bulbs, and I've also seen the dual arc bulbs that a single bulb does both functions. Question is-what's the difference in the single bulb vs the two separate bulbs, and is there a difference in quality in the ballasts? Thanks!

A switchable ballast basicly just switches between using and bypassing the starter, and should also change the circuit of one of the capacitor wires. Dual-arc bulbs are not quite as efficient and have a slightly higher risk of failure than singles. A bit more and/or better light can be had when the whole bulb is designed for maximum efficiency with one type of arc. Plus, when one arc stops working, you have to replace both, instead of just one when using two separate bulbs.

Right on...thanks man!