Why CFLs over small HPS? (an honest question)

[Segue]

(PREFACE: Before you hate me for posting this thread, I want to notify everyone that Lowe's now carries "200w equivalent" CFLs, with a real wattage of 65w I think. They are about $8.00 each in my area. I scope out the bulb section every time I go there, and these are NEW! I don't remember if they're "soft" or "cool", but they're there in a green package. Check it out if you're into CFLs. Anyway...)

Why would you choose CFLs over a small HPS light for a cabinet grow?

I am NOT trying to start an argument, I am seriously curious. If you've used both, please weigh in.

Let's say you use four 42w CFLs for a very small cabinet grow. That's not a whole lot of light, is it? You'd probably want more lights at some point in flowering. But that's a total of 168 watts being used. Wattage is directly responsible for your electric usage... in fact, it IS your usage in "kilowatt hours". A watt is a watt.

Wouldn't a 150w HPS be more productive? For less money, both in start-up costs (~$40 online, shipping included) and in electric usage?

I'm honestly curious why CFLs are so popular. They're not THAT cheap if you have to buy a bunch of them, plus all the parts involved with mounting them. I'm not trying to convince anyone one way or the other here, because I'd consider switching back to cool white CFLs for vegging if it's proven to work better. If I'm off-base here, please teach me why.

The reason I'm asking:

I built a fully-functioning CFL tiny cabinet with four 42w CFLs, after reading SmknVTEC's thread in particular (along with all the other great info about CFLs on this forum). CFLs are a lot more people-friendly, sure, because we've all plugged in light bulbs before. I had those plug-converters in carefully-rigged power strips, and it worked okay. The little plants grew.

Then I got bored one day and bought a 70w HPS security light, and put that in the cabinet instead of the fluorescents. The plants seemed to grow A LOT better under the HPS. The flower in my avatar was a product of the 70w. I've since upgraded to a 150w HPS (results pending, but lookin' great so far).

The heat generated by four 42w CFLs is comparable to a single 70w HPS light. I'm saying this because I monitored the temps when I swapped lighting in my box. The heat from a 150w HPS is definitely higher than a 70w HPS, but not THAT much higher. Good ventilation makes it a non-issue.... It's 72 degrees in there right now.

What's the advantage to CFLs? Heat? Money? Product? Versatility? Ease of use?

[HappySmoker420]

i wanted to buy one of those cheapo 70w HPS security lights from Lowes for $40...but I kept seeing online that you need to open it all up and remove features like the photocell that determines the auto cut off and stuff. It can be dangerous and I didn't feel like the hassel.

Did you do anything to yours or is it just stock? I use 10 medium watt CFL's for 2 small plants and it seems alright. I wanna see if anyone has grown with those 70w HPS lights "unmoddified".

[Rekisito]

The HPS probably will have a higher lumen output than a number of CFL's, but that's something you'll have to check. I would look up how many lumens per plant you'll need to grow a healthy plant. The only thing you should worry about wattage for is how much you want showing up on the electric bill.

Also, keep in mind the price difference. You'll need a balast and reflector for an HPS setup, plus better ventilation.

I personally would lean toward CFL's for a cabinet style grow, since things like heat issues and light placement and whatnot can be fixed with minimal effort. With an HPS it's either get better fans or build a bigger box.

edit: my bad, you already bought the HPS setup, I overlooked that part.

[dcwizards]

newbie learning. this thread make me glad i didnt buy that 400watt hps i seen the other day for my cab grow. maybe i need to research the other option

[blackmore]

i am using both. CFLs and a 400W mh.

growth under CFLs is not comparable to mh.
mh is definately more efficient. (and worth it)

[doob3r]

i think the people who choose cfl over hid are more limited on space, and cant have the heat of a hid system.

[omgitsryan]

i like my cfl's .....because of the size of my cabinet, they take up less room





Also i can put them on the sides and under my plant for optimal growth from all sides.

i know that an hps would be the best for lumens and all that jazz, but i am not too electrically savvy and wouldnt want to light my house on fire because of a stupid wiring mistake.

[Maccgyver]

I useda 250mh/hps light on 2 plants in bigger pots and got better results on my dialed in run in my 18 gallon rubbermaid setup with 6 cfls. I have 195 watts of cfls in a 2sqft area which provided me with enough lumens and having multiple light sources IMO is more beneficial than having once source as well as the fact that I run mixed spectrum through the whole grow and highly believe in using both at the same time. I love HID systems but when yo uare working in a smaller space it is much more efficient to use cfls but if you got a huge closet to work with then run a HID but don't count out the performance of cfls I have only partially harvested one of my 2 kali mist and it has yielded me about 28 grams give or take a couple out of a 1 gallon pot and the undergrowth that has been allowed to continue to grow should give another few grams at least cause there is alot of it. Partial harvesting for the win.

[indicalover]

ttp//forum.grasscity.com/general-indoor-growing/237195-so-question-about-light-expenses.html

[kangasaurus]

Bulb type. CFLs can but used with any socket. HPS and MH bulbs need special ballasts that push the total cost of one to 100 bucks or more. Plus, CFLs give off less heat, so you can put them closer, and have more variation of set-ups, i.e. you can put CFLs above, to the side, and even below your plants. HPS and MH bulbs don't have that option, so only the top gets the light.

However, I would use MH and HPS if I have the funds and space. I just happen not to right now, so I'm using CFLs instead.

[halfmac]

Has anyone ever used an HPS and then a couple of CFL for undergrowth?

I was thinking about trying this for flowering.

Any responses?

[richirich_99]

I bought a 400 watt hps, and i love it except for the heat issues. I m glad i got mine, but i may not be able to use it after this grow, so I think i might try a cfl grow next time in a small cabinet/box. Can anyone post a few pics of thier light setups with cfl's. Thanks!