As some of you know I had to sell my LED's to raise a bit of cash for a new groom when I move :D - see how these go as to if I go back to LED's or not but I do like to try new stuff :D
I ordered 9 of these, they look to have good specs as shown below...
NOW, here is a Philips 930 to compare....
Optilux 930: 580 μmol = 1.9umol per watt
Philips 930 = 1.9umol per watt (no total umol rating)
Now..... Philips + maxibright ( industry standard for home growers imho ) costs about £225 ..... Mine were £140 a unit from Futuregarden so quite a difference!
Heres the info from the site......
BUDGET PRICE; HIGH END RESULTS
A complete CDM fixture that’s got a stunning output for such a low wattage. We want our customers to experience what CMH lighting can bring to their garden without breaking the bank so we’ve put together this budget CDM kit that can go toe to toe with the bigger brand names for a fraction of the price. Each fixture can cover a 1m x 1m footprint for an entire cycle when used as a standalone option or you can supplement HPS rooms to increase quality by stimulating aromatic compound production via the fuller spectrum and enhanced UV these fixture outputs.
All Optilux Omega fixtures are supplied with a Reflector, Ballast and your choice of lamp; Red, Blue or both, all for a much cheaper price than when bought separately.
OPTILUX CMH/CDM/LEC LAMPS
The Red 3k Lamp is perfect for all round growth and producing profuse, abundant flowersets. It produces 580 μmol of Par or 37000 Lumens
The Blue 4k Lamp is suited for vegetative growth and supplementing HPS lights. It produces 540μmol of PAR or 33000 Lumens
Perfect to cover a 1 x 1m footprint, CMH lighting is more efficient while creating a fuller spectrum of light than traditional plant lighting. While the initial cost is a bit more than HID fixtures, the benefits are noticeable in terms of the end yield quality and quantity.
There are two main things to consider when purchasing a light: Intensity and spectrum. If light were Human food, Intensity can be compared with the amount of food whilst the spectrum is like how healthy the food is. Lighting that outputs a narrow spectrum but with a high intensity (like traditional HPS lights) is like eating a load of fast food – It will sustain you but it’s not very healthy. CMH lighting is like a very balanced diet for your plants.
Both types of bulbs are extremely close to sunlight, with a near full spectrum, clear, crisp white light. The red bulb has a CRI of around 93 while the blue bulb has a CRI of 97. This denotes how close they are to sunlight, with full spectrum sunlight having a CRI of 100. Traditional HPS lamps have a CRI of below 30 because they mostly produce reds, oranges and yellows hues from the spectrum.
Ceramic metal halide bulbs use a different mix of metallic salts and halides than normal metal halide lamps which could corrode the arc tube if it was made from quartz or PCA. For this reason, the arc tube in CMH lamps is manufactured from ceramic which can withstand this new, innovative mix of compounds.
The salts and halides are in the perfect ratio to create a much fuller spectrum than traditional HID lighting, and the curve is much more continuous than LEDs, since LED grow lights often only output particular colours, with COB LED’s being an exception as they release white light with a high CRI but can be more of an initial investment.
As well as the much fuller spectrum, CMH lighting has the added benefit of being super-efficient; producing many more photons per watt of electricity consumed than traditional HID fixtures. This means an increased yield for less expenditure on your electric bill.
Since CMH are dedicated horticultural bulbs, they have been designed with plant growth in mind. Not only is there a high output per watt in the PAR spectrum (photosynthetically active radiation) but there’s a significant UV output too, which is particularly useful for fruiting annuals that have evolved at high altitude as they are used to UV light in their natural environment. Expect Increased flavonoid and terpene production in aromatic plant species.
CMH EURO REFLECTOR
The budget CMH fixture uses a Euro reflector that’s specifically manufactured for CMH lamps, so it’s a bit shorter than traditional euro reflectors built for HPS and MH Lamps to accommodate the slightly smaller CMH lamp. The CMH euro reflector comes pre-installed with a PGZ lamp holder, so you don’t need an adapter like other budget options. Euro reflectors offer more versatility than enclosed reflectors as you can bend the reflective, hammertone wings into any shape you choose to alter the spread and intensity of the full spectrum light that’s delivered to your canopy.
Thanks to their open design, Euro Reflectors allow the air that’s heated by the lamp to easily escape to be extracted by your fan and filter – Many closed fixtures often have an issue with an excess amount of Infrared (IR) build up in the enclosed reflector, meaning you can get the fixture closer to plants before negative temperature effects creep in.
OMEGA CDM-PRO DIGITAL BALLAST
Omega Lighting 315w CDM Ceramic-Discharge Metal Halide Ballast delivers a light spectrum that's much closer to natural sunlight than typical, traditional high intensity discharge (HID) systems. These state-of-the art lamps generate a greater level of useable PAR plant light (photosynthetically active radiation) and run with a blinding intensity that's immediately apparent to the naked eye. Comes with a 5-year manufacturers warranty so you can be sure it will keep running in a hydroponic environment.
How to use
Bed the feet of the lamp into the holes on the lamp holder on the reflector making sure the holes line up. Once the feet are in the holes, twist the lamp clockwise until it no longer turns, the fixture is then ready to grow!
Never touch bulbs with your bare hands, use a cloth or gloves to protect the glass from oils and residues which can cause damage to the lamp or reduce its efficiency.
When you first fire-up your fixture, you need to allow it to run continuously for a minimum of 15 minutes to allow the metals and salts to properly fuse. If this is not followed, the lamp may fail and the warranty will become invalid.
CMH lamps take a lot longer before the efficiency starts to degrade when compared with traditional HID lighting. We recommend regularly replacing bulbs to maintain the efficiency of your garden before you start to lose yield.
[/size]I ordered 9 of these, they look to have good specs as shown below...
NOW, here is a Philips 930 to compare....
Optilux 930: 580 μmol = 1.9umol per watt
Philips 930 = 1.9umol per watt (no total umol rating)
Now..... Philips + maxibright ( industry standard for home growers imho ) costs about £225 ..... Mine were £140 a unit from Futuregarden so quite a difference!
Heres the info from the site......
BUDGET PRICE; HIGH END RESULTS
A complete CDM fixture that’s got a stunning output for such a low wattage. We want our customers to experience what CMH lighting can bring to their garden without breaking the bank so we’ve put together this budget CDM kit that can go toe to toe with the bigger brand names for a fraction of the price. Each fixture can cover a 1m x 1m footprint for an entire cycle when used as a standalone option or you can supplement HPS rooms to increase quality by stimulating aromatic compound production via the fuller spectrum and enhanced UV these fixture outputs.
All Optilux Omega fixtures are supplied with a Reflector, Ballast and your choice of lamp; Red, Blue or both, all for a much cheaper price than when bought separately.
OPTILUX CMH/CDM/LEC LAMPS
The Red 3k Lamp is perfect for all round growth and producing profuse, abundant flowersets. It produces 580 μmol of Par or 37000 Lumens
The Blue 4k Lamp is suited for vegetative growth and supplementing HPS lights. It produces 540μmol of PAR or 33000 Lumens
Perfect to cover a 1 x 1m footprint, CMH lighting is more efficient while creating a fuller spectrum of light than traditional plant lighting. While the initial cost is a bit more than HID fixtures, the benefits are noticeable in terms of the end yield quality and quantity.
There are two main things to consider when purchasing a light: Intensity and spectrum. If light were Human food, Intensity can be compared with the amount of food whilst the spectrum is like how healthy the food is. Lighting that outputs a narrow spectrum but with a high intensity (like traditional HPS lights) is like eating a load of fast food – It will sustain you but it’s not very healthy. CMH lighting is like a very balanced diet for your plants.
Both types of bulbs are extremely close to sunlight, with a near full spectrum, clear, crisp white light. The red bulb has a CRI of around 93 while the blue bulb has a CRI of 97. This denotes how close they are to sunlight, with full spectrum sunlight having a CRI of 100. Traditional HPS lamps have a CRI of below 30 because they mostly produce reds, oranges and yellows hues from the spectrum.
Ceramic metal halide bulbs use a different mix of metallic salts and halides than normal metal halide lamps which could corrode the arc tube if it was made from quartz or PCA. For this reason, the arc tube in CMH lamps is manufactured from ceramic which can withstand this new, innovative mix of compounds.
The salts and halides are in the perfect ratio to create a much fuller spectrum than traditional HID lighting, and the curve is much more continuous than LEDs, since LED grow lights often only output particular colours, with COB LED’s being an exception as they release white light with a high CRI but can be more of an initial investment.
As well as the much fuller spectrum, CMH lighting has the added benefit of being super-efficient; producing many more photons per watt of electricity consumed than traditional HID fixtures. This means an increased yield for less expenditure on your electric bill.
Since CMH are dedicated horticultural bulbs, they have been designed with plant growth in mind. Not only is there a high output per watt in the PAR spectrum (photosynthetically active radiation) but there’s a significant UV output too, which is particularly useful for fruiting annuals that have evolved at high altitude as they are used to UV light in their natural environment. Expect Increased flavonoid and terpene production in aromatic plant species.
CMH EURO REFLECTOR
The budget CMH fixture uses a Euro reflector that’s specifically manufactured for CMH lamps, so it’s a bit shorter than traditional euro reflectors built for HPS and MH Lamps to accommodate the slightly smaller CMH lamp. The CMH euro reflector comes pre-installed with a PGZ lamp holder, so you don’t need an adapter like other budget options. Euro reflectors offer more versatility than enclosed reflectors as you can bend the reflective, hammertone wings into any shape you choose to alter the spread and intensity of the full spectrum light that’s delivered to your canopy.
Thanks to their open design, Euro Reflectors allow the air that’s heated by the lamp to easily escape to be extracted by your fan and filter – Many closed fixtures often have an issue with an excess amount of Infrared (IR) build up in the enclosed reflector, meaning you can get the fixture closer to plants before negative temperature effects creep in.
OMEGA CDM-PRO DIGITAL BALLAST
Omega Lighting 315w CDM Ceramic-Discharge Metal Halide Ballast delivers a light spectrum that's much closer to natural sunlight than typical, traditional high intensity discharge (HID) systems. These state-of-the art lamps generate a greater level of useable PAR plant light (photosynthetically active radiation) and run with a blinding intensity that's immediately apparent to the naked eye. Comes with a 5-year manufacturers warranty so you can be sure it will keep running in a hydroponic environment.
How to use
Bed the feet of the lamp into the holes on the lamp holder on the reflector making sure the holes line up. Once the feet are in the holes, twist the lamp clockwise until it no longer turns, the fixture is then ready to grow!
Never touch bulbs with your bare hands, use a cloth or gloves to protect the glass from oils and residues which can cause damage to the lamp or reduce its efficiency.
When you first fire-up your fixture, you need to allow it to run continuously for a minimum of 15 minutes to allow the metals and salts to properly fuse. If this is not followed, the lamp may fail and the warranty will become invalid.
CMH lamps take a lot longer before the efficiency starts to degrade when compared with traditional HID lighting. We recommend regularly replacing bulbs to maintain the efficiency of your garden before you start to lose yield.
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