Compact Flouresents
 

I am looking for some input from any one using 150 watt to 200 watt CFL. :D
What type of luck are you having with them?
Where is the best place to get one?
I am looking to possible suppliment my 600 watt HPS. :hmm

Jayme

I have used these for a couple years as a main-stay to supplement natural lighting 105 Watt Compact Fluorescent Here's a pic of the setup http://www.orchidboard.com/community...bs/DSC2705.jpg You can use what is called High Bays Fluorescent High Bays by LaMar Lighting as fixtures. I just hang the bare bulbs. The first source has larger wattage CFs.

I used to have 130W Dual Daylight 6700K/10000K (10K) White, Power Compact Bulb - Square Pin, Current USA SunPaq bulbs. I only stopped after one broke and they became too expensive to replace for me right now, they are about $50. However they are specifically meant to use for plant photosynthesis (in aquariums, lol, but I already had them.)

I haven't tried the 150 - 200 W CFL's but I had a couple 105W full spectrum 5000K (400watt equivalent) CFL's from 1000bulbs.com. I cracked one of them and only have one left that I have not needed to use anymore, after switching to T5 fixtures.

My 105W alone is VERY bright so I can only imagine what a 200W will put out. I used them for about a year and I think they work great for supplementing a window. I've seen some high wattage CFL's at Menard's in the Twin Cities too but nothing as high as what you can get online.

Hi,

I very recently (last weekend) bought a 150 (equivalent) watt compact bulb at Lowe's and a 125 watt at Home Depot. I'm using them with clamp lamps to give my higher light plants some extra light for dark winter days. The bulbs were about 8 dollars each. They also had either 200 or 300 watt bulbs (I think 15 dollars), but they were so gigantic I decided to just go with the lower wattage. So far so good!

Sara

Thanks Sara - It's good to know what others are using and where to get them.

Don

So are the hardware store variety of CFLs the same as the garden store ones (all specs being equal)?

Thanks,
Rob

I have been happy with these at Hydrofarm: Hydrofarm - Hydrofarm FLC125D 125 W Compact Fluorescent Bulb - Daylight
and
Hydrofarm - Hydrofarm FLC200D 200 W Compact Fluorescent Bulb - Daylight

If you decide to go that way, let me know as I can get you a discount.

Decided to purchase a 200w sunblaster bulb 2700k for flowering , and have a 125w cfl for Veg , Good results so far , on my Orchids

"Equivalent" is meaningless. What they're saying is that the brightness of the bulb "looks equivalent (to the incandescent one of that wattage) to the human eye".

If the CFL is 30 watts, you get 30 watts of light out of it - less actually.