Probably a dumb question but I want to make sure this bulb is OK before I purchase it. They cost $9.99 apiece at Lowe's. I guess it's not a CFL because it's not exactly "compact". But at 65 watts, two of these will be more than sufficient to grow a single plant in the veg stage, right? I pulled the bulb out of the box and at the base it says 6500K which would be "Daylight". I didn't buy them yet because I wanted to check with the pro's on GC first. Thanks in advance!
those will work. i was planning on using the same ones [different brand] but they were just a little too long for my cabinet so i went with standard CFLs. 2 of those will be great for a single plant, just make sure you mount them sideways, they emit most of the light from the side, not the end.
That depends on weather the 65W label is actual wattage or equivalent wattage. I somehow doubt that's actually a 65W-actual bulb.. I may be wrong, and I hope I am. If it is actually 65W real wattage, what is the equivalent wattage on that? I'd imagine it to be really high, like 250W or something.. cool. Also, it appears to NOT be self-ballasted, meaning while it has a mogul base, it probably requires the fixture to have a ballast. I am not certain you have found a viable bulb man.. sorry. ~Experimentalist
Those are certainly valid questions. It does look like the base is rather small compared to a typical CFL so I am now wondering if in fact there is a ballast in there. I would assume the 65W claim is actual wattage based on the size of the bulb. It's almost as long as my forearm! Can anyone else chime in with any advice? I'm planning on buying some bulbs within the next few days. I pretty much have everything else I need to start.
If I remember right, after checking on some of them in Lowe's/Home Depot, those are not self-ballasted and require a mogul base. Largest CFLs I could find in those stores are the 26w (100w) Daylights.
Yup, now that I think about it, you are right. It did say it required a Mogul base. And you are also right about Home Depot and Lowe's only carrying 26w CFL's in the Daylight spectrum. I found these 65w bulbs a few aisles over where the industrial lighting is sold. Guess I will stick with the 26w CFL's unless I can find some 46w CFL's that other people have talked about. I'll check Wal-Mart later and see if I can get lucky.
yeah if you look at the plastic base of that bulb, it's too small. Normal CFL's got a big plastic base which contains a small ballast system. That one doesnt. Better buy several 26w CFL's and tie them to electric wires with a lot of electric tape ;-)
good lookin out guys, i didnt notice the base was soo small. my local lowes has a very similar bulb. self contained CFL, same size/shape. i think it was 60watts though. ill have to see if i can find it on the site