I see quite a few ballasts on ebay that are pretty cheap. They do no specify the brand, but a lot of them are coming from sites I hear good things about like HTG Supply. Can anyone speak to the quality of these setups that are being sold in mass quantity on Ebay?
they maybe cheap but if you can find one at your local hydro store it would be better for when you need to warranty it
Ok... First of all this thread should have probably been setup in the grow room design/setup section of the forum but... I bought the 400w digital greenhouse ballast from HTG Supply in Melbourne, and have not had any problems with it at all (so far... owned for about 6 months). HTG seemed to have a great selection at decent prices... just my .02 I would try to buy from somewhere that offers a warranty though as I did just have a bulb blow, but they warranty them for a year. My ballast was warranted for 2 years and their inline fan for 3.
i bought the exact same light as him, through HTG and on ebay. I have used it 24/7 for mothers and have had no problems. Even the ballast stays about as cool as my Lumateks
I got the one that comes up if you search 400w mh hps. About 150 with bulbs and reflector. Running strong after almost two years. Gyo supplies is the seller I think.
The "inxepensive" HTG digital ballast is NOT worth it. I had 2 burn out in 2 years! Look for a "Nextgen" ballast, they run really cool and are auto switchable from 110v to 240v. In my opinion Nextgen is ss good as or better than Lumatek. Good luck with your grow!