alllright guys so im in a bit of a stump here. ive decided to make the investment of an air cooled lighting system.. i went to my local grow store just to check em out and i came up to two decisions. http://infiniteseason.com/store/images/supersun2.jpg an air cooled hood for 120.00 ^^ OR just a simple cool TUBE. i was leaning towards the actual hood but what would you reccommend and why?? my guy at the grow store says that the TUBES work better for cooling, since you can get a better seal, but the hood is better for light reflection.. thanks guys for any help
I have never used a Cool Tube but have heard good things. I have a Euro coolable reflector and it works well. No more heat issues in my grow room. I will say that I have to get the height adjustment just right since it has fixed sides. I used to use a "Wing" reflector and you could adjust the sides to spread out the light or make it more focused. The Cool Tube looks like you can adjust it a little bit because of the little side flaps
Alright well im still undecided, i think i am still leaning towards the hood, but for double the price..
i was gonna go hood but my box is only 17" deep so im going cool tube with a wing reflector. ive never heard anythig bad about tubes. im sure you will be happy either way
I have a cool tube, and it works, and looks, awesome. I was ecstatic over the quality since it came from eBay, was very happy, I expected it to be a sub par item but again, I was proved wrong.
If height is of a concern, the hooded enclosure will take up almost 10" more then a Cool tube.. Plus they weigh a lot more.
Anyone have a picture of the cool TUBE with wing relfector?? i wanna see what im geetting myself into
here is a link to a pic of one: Cool Tube With Reflector :: Lighting :: Glandore Hydroponics - Hydroponics Online Store Australia-wide here is how it comes: http://bg-support.com/products/en/Lighting/Reflector/Cooltube-with-reflector-155-400-mm.html pretty simple but it works.
Do they all come with a reflector? What If my hydro store only has the tubes without the reflectors? Is there anyway to make a reflector for it?
the top of the tube is a rflector. but you can buy a reflector to add to the sides without having to make one ur self. most come with an attachment for it anyway.
Awesome!! I'm running to my hydro store after work and picking up a cooltube =) Along with ordering a fan speed controller to quiet my fans down while I sleep =D stay tuned in my grow journal guys thanks alot for the help in making my desicion
...I'm goin to agree with the "grow store guy". IMO, if you plan to positioned your bulb horizontally, you'll get a larger even spread of light with the rectangle/square aircooled hood w/ reflector......however, if your positioning your bulb vertically, the cooltube will give you a better side coverage.
have both a tube and hood in my grow tents. hands down the cool tube with wings. Cool tube cools better and weighs less. if i could do it over would bought another cool tube. Trust me go with a cool tube.
If heat or space is an issue go with the cool tube hands down, if neither of those are an issue your probably in large enough space you want hoods for better light coverage. then again if you had to cool a ton of lights inline, even in a large area you might still go with cool tubes for there ducting efficiency. I have hoods my self and overkill all my ventilation needs, have alot of friends who swear by cool tubes, most are in tough situations for ventilation given there location or the fact that there renters, so there always battling heat.
I've got a tube and I love it. No heat issues ever (and I don't even use it to its full potential ) mine came with a side reflector but it didn't seem to do much so I don't use it.
I too think if you have the money and space, as well as plan on positioning your lights horizontally, there is no better way to efficiently utilize ur lumens than a horizontal, sealed air cooled hood and reflector. Just my 2 cents