HeadGrow
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That might be true if most of these ballasts didn't roll off the same factory lines.
Don't doubt they can't reverse engineer something as well as just label the same
item a different name.
For some buying the name brand is definitely the way to go.
You walk into your grow store buy the ballasts and if something goes wrong it's pretty
much return and replace locally. Which is worth its weight in gold for that convenience.
With the chinese ones good luck trying to warranty it (if you even can), but on the other hand buy 2 for the price and you have a backup.
Mostly I was just razzing the OP over the lack of the "generic" option haha :P
lol they dont have to reverse engineer anything - in most cases these chinese manufacturers have the contracts - its not like these things are top secret or even patented
like I said they make the ballast - you buy them in quanity and they put whatever name on it youd like
I'd like to see some evidence that Lumatek, Quantum, and Phantom are coming from the same manufacturing plant as any other brand. I'm pretty sure the circuitry design is "top secret" or for better words, illegal to use by a competing company. If these ballast manufactuers went into as much R&D as they claim, to have the top of the line digital ballast, I'm pretty sure they'd put a legal hold on the design. I'm an electrical engineer and out of curiosity i wanted to see how an e-ballast works. I could not find one schematic from any of the leading brands. The only thing I could find was generic details where most components and mico-processors where shown as a "black box". The most important part is the processor inside these devices and I can almost guarantee that you will not find the code behind the processor for any brand.
I'd love to see a real e-ballast schematic if anyone can find one, not a functional diagram but a schematic. Not that I want to reverse engineer it or anything ;)
cheap chinese knockoffs for 1/3rd of the price.
me too!
i've had no issues with the lumatek knock-offs... & i am on my thrid run with the same ballasts (1 year).
since they are cheap, i do keep an extra as back-up.
imo, and like so many things from batteries to antifreeze, the cheapies look EXACTLY the same as the brand name units.
i bet $100 they're made in the same factory using the same technology.
that's the thing though. i think the lumatek and quantums are made in the us, and not overseas. i could be wrong though. do you have a link to the lumatek knock offs?
Are you sure quantum's are made in America?
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