Small Cheap Metal Halides for the home and Garden

[Ocelaris]

I wanted to share with everyone the benefits of smaller Metal halides. Compact Flourescents and T-5s are all the rage, and they are indeed a great thing, but say you want a stronger light, and what I would argue is a cheaper, more efficient, and nicer light. I use fluorescents also, but when you have big plants, you have big distances, and you can't keep big cattleyas or cymbidiums over the winter under fluorescents, they're just too big, and the lights would be too close. So how about a small 100-150w metal halide? Here are some pics, if any one is interested, I'll show you how you can make your own (basic electrical wiring, very easy if you are motivated), and how to find good bargains on ebay.

Most people think "Metal Halide" oooohhhh tons of heat! but they're actually equal or more efficient than fluorescents, but they don't usually make metal halides in the small 70-150w range available to hobbyists, but they're very very common in commercial uses. watt for watt, they are very cool, but you have to pick the right size or they become unwieldly and succumb to the bad stereotypes associated with "grow lights".

These are both 100w Metal halides putting out ~8000 lumens initially, having a 92 Color Rendering Index which is Excellent, and last 20,000 hours before they need to be replaced (that's 7 years at 8 hours a day!) They are 4000k color temperature with 5000k being a cool "plant light" type color, and 3000k being kind of a warm incandescent bulb color; I find the 4000k bulbs to be very pleasing, while the 5000k are a bit weary on the eyes and 3000k to me is a tad reddish... You can see the same bulb I use for my plants, I use for myself...

One I retrofitted into an ikea lamp and lights our kitchen/living room, and the other lights my orchids in a small tank.

Hope you all enjoy them.









I know the wiring part looks scary, but it's really not, I bought the lights that way, just add a power cord, and a socket, and you're done! I paid about 100$ for both of these lights combined!