Grow Tent Lighting Recommendations?

Hey all,

So, I’m on my way to a new grow in my 2'(deep)X4'(wide)X5'(tall) tent but I’m pondering what would be the best lighting to go with. I've previously used CFLs with great results, but I'd like to 'graduate' to something that offers wider coverage for more plants and will last longer. (I find that my CFLs don't make it much past 4 months of use before diminished returns.)

I plan on using this tent only for Autos.

I was thinking 4x 2’ 6500° K Daylight T5s for seedling/veg, then a Spectra LED 180 watt for flowering.

That would run me about $700, but would potentially last quite a while and use a lot less electricity/heat.

The low heat is a primary concern for me, hence this specific setup. If heat were not a concern I'd go with HID. Anyway, I figure I can easily pull 2-3 plants per cycle off this setup.

Ideas? Suggestions? Alternatives? I’m all ears!

Thanks for your time.

I would think about getting 2or3 blackstars compared to the 180 spectra as there exspensive...They have proven results for cheap...Whats ur ambient temp bro??Cuz a 400w will only have a difference of 8 degrees...JMO..GL

The dwelling is old and the temps are difficult to regulate. I can't do much with the living space, so I'm relying mostly on the tent. 8 degrees would be nasty impact, especially during the summer when the room can hit 28 easily.

I am looking at Spectra over the Blackstar due, in part, to the fact that the Spectra 180 watt draws 180 while the Blackstar 240 draws only around 133 watts.

This grow journal also helped nudge me toward the Spectra:
http://forum.bubbleponics.com/forum/showthread.php?2690-My-first-LED-grow!-Lighthouse-Blackstar-240W-side-by-side-with-Grow-LED-Hydro-240W/page45

The results of the above journal (dry weight):
Pineapple Express:
Grown under Blackstar - 34.4 grams
Grown under GLH 240W - 49.7 grams

StarTrek:
Grown under Blackstar - 15.6 grams
Grown under GLH - 24.1 grams

Granted, neither was especially impressive, but the grow did suffer some non-light related issues. Still, even with the problems it seems the Spectra out-preformed the Blackstar by 34%. Not the first such test I've seen, but one of the better documented.

Now do that some grow under a 400W HID....bet it would have been a bit more explosive.

400 or 600 switchable HID

Room temp 28-29*C, in dr100 tent with cooltube 400wt = abt 30-32*C

Switchable shit!