What is the best ballast to buy??

I was about to buy a 1000 watt hps and was wondering what ballast was the best? While I am asking how about ballast reflector combo? Was thinkin either nextgen or lumetek and a great white reflector or cool tube... Which would yall go for?

I was wondering the same thing ...

lumetek ... they are the duck nuts

electronic ballasts are great, but don't pass up a good deal on a quality magnetic ballast. they actually last longer. can be repaired and in the 1000 watt size are alot cheaper than the e-ballasts. below is a link to a $140 1000 watt HPS ballast. if you are gonna get the great white reflector you would need the $10 adapter listed after the ballast. hydrofarm has a large AC reflector called the Radiant 6 or 8 big not not as big as a great white but cheaper and no need for the adapter
http://www.plantlightinghydroponics.com/xtrasun-1000w-hps-remote-ballast-p-2125.html
http://www.plantlightinghydroponics.com/baasr-adaptorhydrofarmlumatek-ballast-to-sunlight-reflector-p-2113.html

P.S. e-ballasts use a tiny tiny bit less electricity, are slightly cooler, and a smidge brighter. not enough of either to be worth the extra cash ($330 for a lumatek vs. $140 for the Hydrofarm Xtrasun)

I hear horror stories about Digital ballasts all the time. I like old school magnetics. I keep it ouside the room and it is quiet as a mouse. If it fails you can take it apart and fix it, kinda like cars before they put all the damn computers in them. As far as reflectors, pick a good one. I like a nice air cooled reflector.

Believe it or not, the best ballasts are the magnetic ones, not the digi's.
Go to any hydro shop and ask which gets returned more, hands down it's digital ballasts.
Also, ALL brands of digital ballasts have bulb compatibility issues, theirs not one digital brand that has never had bulb issues or caused bulb issues. Not saying every didgital ballast has that problem, but that bulb issues are the common thread between all digi's. Hope I didnt confuse you (why do you think you're suddenly seeing bulbs that are supposedly "made for digital ballasts"?)
Lumateks were the absolute worst offenders for awhile, but I believe the newer generation Lumateks are much better.
Galaxy's seemed to have the least issues, I don't really see many complaints about them.
All that info can be found by doing a little google research.
The best, cheapest, easiest to rebuild, longest lasting and easily obtainable ballasts are magnetic ballasts. Stick with any name brand (I use SunLeaves and SunSystem), they have the best warranty's and use a universal cord set.
As for best reflector, Pico did and amazing comparison thread on icmag and the SunSystem-2 hood came out on top.
I use them myself and will never give them up.
I ran cooltubes for awhile and while their straight thru design makes them a cinch to cool, the light footprint was nothing compared to my SS-2's.
Sorry for the long winded reply.

Everything I typed above comes from research and trial/error. Your results and/or opinions may vary

Thanks to all for your input! Looks like Ill be getting a magnetic. I just assumed the new e ballasts were better, but I have read that if you are not going to have them in the same room then to go with the magnetic. Thanks again!