I was reading up on hoods, and i found a thread which showed the super sun 2 being very efficient compared to the others. Would this hood be good for a 4x4 though? I did notice its only 13 1/2" wide so I was concerned with spread. Anyone have experience with one of these in a 4x4? The blockbuster is more of a square design yet is it as efficient in reflecting the light? I always like to have maximum efficiency, Im sure we all do.
I have a 1000W light that I bought online and it had the same size hood, and I had the same concerns. I'm getting this next week. Amazon.com: XXXL 6" Air-Cooled Reflector Hood: Appliances It seems really good, and it's one of the biggest hoods on the market. It's going to cost me $200, but worth every penny IMO. Depends what your budget is, but you may want to consider getting something like that and then a ballast separately. It will cost more than just buying a 1000W, but the hood will be almost double. The setup would cost you around $400 though after you get the hood, ballast, and bulbs. You could get up to 1000W with those hoods. Otherwise the hoods that come with the kit are the normal size, which you thought (and so do I) are too small. Otherwise just look for one of the setups on Amazon or whereever, but it will have the regular size hood. I haven't seen a full setup with the XXXL hood for some reason. You would think they'd sell it though, but IMO getting the new different hood is worth the money.
hmm. I was all set on a 600 watt ballast since its only 300watts a day to run it but now you have me really thinking about just going with a 1000 watt.
I only grow for myself, so I don't need the 1000W either, but when I weighed out all the prices/ pros/cons, it was a no brainer for me. If you decide to get that setup though I'd go with the bigger hood. I would have saved a little money had I just bought that originally. I got the setup with the regular hood first before I even realized that you could get the bigger one. I needed the extra spread for the light though otherwise it wastes some of the light with the smaller hood. Honestly, if you have the money to do it I'd definitely just buy your own XXXL hood, ballast, and bulbs and you'll have an awesome setup. Plus you'll never have to worry about "upgrading" like many people end up doing. I just thought it would save money in the long run. Then if you figure in that people that I've talked to that have gotten these swear that they vastly increase yield because there's just more light around, and you can keep the light a little closer to the plants because there are less hot spots. I can let you know in a couple weeks when I get mine though.
i think I am going to stick with a 600. Easier to deal with the heat and ive read they are more efficient.