Mag ballast verses digital

[mradjective]

while shopping for hoods the guys at the shop were trying to sell me on magnetic ballast
There reasons were basic that mags are work horses and are proven.
That digitals are over priced and over rated.

Any thoughts?

 

[chrometrichs]

magnetic ballasts are cheaper and slightly more reliable, but are much heavier, louder and hotter than digitals.

 

[hiboy]

i run both at diff locations. Digies run cooler ive noticed. Havent had any problems with neither yet.
h

 

[deep buddy]

two things with digi's price and bulbs. i can get at least 3 mag1k's for the price of one decent digi and i really think unless your running a high volt bulb its kinda a waste of equipment if that makes sense. they work but are still over priced IMHO. my fav combo for quality is mag and coil and 1K MH sunmasters or comp.

 

[hiboy]

two things with digi's price and bulbs. i can get at least 3 mag1k's for the price of one decent digi and i really think unless your running a high volt bulb its kinda a waste of equipment if that makes sense. they work but are still over priced IMHO. my fav combo for quality is mag and coil and 1K MH sunmasters or comp.

i must be baked.. well i am so
I run same lamp thru digies or mags. always have,, you must be meaning ballasts??
thats a big price diff. 3 to 1 for quality
h

 

[deep buddy]

i must be baked.. well i am so
I run same lamp thru digies or mags. always have,, you must be meaning ballasts??
thats a big price diff. 3 to 1 for quality
h

yeah imho and shared with others running standard or low voltage( comp. to the 400v) in digital ballasts is a WASTE of the digital ballasts potential and were designed to use them to more easily enter the HOBBY hydroponic market. a reinforced or "digital" bulb is still just a 200v. thats all.

 

[mradjective]

Chrometrichs , Thats part of the query. The price they were giving me on the xstrasun ballast was hard to pass up. If I bought the day star ac hood they would give the 1000w sodium for $100.
But just cause it a good deal doesnt mean that its a good for me.
Plants 36" centers with ceiling ht of 70"
So when I went to shopping they talked me off the Raptor hood and any from Digis to mags.
I felt that possibly it was the old shift the shoppers to a house brand that they make more profit on.
My purchase will me more than just one or two 10-12, thats the balance pf my m&m's

 

[Vanilla Smasher]

Where do you think you will be in 5yrs? 10yrs? Still running a small op or quit altogether? Go for the cheap investment, you can always add more.
If you are a pro grower with special demands and know exactly what you want from your equipment then that may very well be a digital ballast(or not..)

Never let the sellers tell you what you need ;)

 

[chazbolin]

I've been going through lamps since I switched over from my magnetic to the lumatek 1000 watt digi ballast. Is there a better HPS lamp out there built specifically rated for the higher digital frequencies? Anyone else experiencing this?

 

[purpleberry]

It takes more power to run a magnetic ballast, The parts in the magnetic ballast go down hill over time and put out less light, they run hotter, they are heavier.

 

[kes5480]

well i figure they started making digital ballast because they are better or atleast more efficient......idk
all i need is my 1000watt adjustable digital ballast.
i like to be able to adjust between wattage with my 1000w ballast i can run it 500,750,1000, and super lumens.
i dont think they make an adjustable magnetic ballast.
umm ok peace...

 

[Resin]

i have heard that a 600w digital is comparable to a 1000w mag. u do get 30% more lumen output from the digitals...

 

[BCrocker]

Have used both. All my digital rooms always do better... :s No side by sides.. but always worked out better with dig.

 

[ttystikk]

Decisions, decisions...

I have, and run both. Ups and downs to both... Yes, the digitals do run cooler, more efficient and put out more lumens- all by small margins, however- especially considering the price difference. On the downside, if you blow a digi ballast, you get to wait for it to go back to the manufacturer, where if you break a mag. ballast, a good hydro store generally has the parts in stock to fix it that same day. Cheap. Also, no issues with magnetic ballasts on flip box setups, since there's no 'error sensing' technology to screw things up.

Magnetic ballasts are an old school, tried n true tech- and most bulbs out there are designed to work with them as opposed to digitals. You need to pay careful attention to the brand, quality and price of digital ballasts, as they are most emphatically NOT all the same. For example, I keep hearing bad things about Lumatek, though mine is currently running fine.

I would consider starting with magnetic ballast tech, then once everything is dialed in on your grow and you've mastered the basics, consider the upgrade for the uptick in efficiency. That way, you get to learn with cheaper gear- and when you upgrade you'll still want to keep the old lump around as a backup 'just in case.'

Spend the extra few bux and get the 1000W magnetic ballast that can be switched between MH and HPS, and from 120V to 240V. This way, it's a backup or a switchout for any situation you'll encounter.

Not true re. the 600W on a digital ballast being equivalent to a 1000W on magnetic. The efficiency differences are on the order of 10% or less. The mag. ballast is a chevy- it may not be as fast as a Porsche, but it's not as finicky and it sure beats walkin'!

 

[chazbolin]

All good info but for me it seems like the 1000watt lamps that I used to use on my HPF mag ballasts are not up to handling the higher frequencies of these digital ballasts.

Does anyone recommend an HPS lamp that is built for the digital ballast 50K frequencies where they've used them and not had a problem?

 

[hogan400]

I have used both, and for me after 2-3 yrs the fans in my digis began to fail, it really cost me! The price was way higher and yes it seemed to me my bulbs "maybe" appeared brighter, or cleaner color, and maybe lasted a little better. Maybe...

I never noticed ANY savings, especially since the price is so high when bought initially and when they burned out it cost me bad!! I get my new magnetic sglite100c hydrofarm ballast for a 100 straight up. If they break they dont totally die and can be fixed easily by anyone without shipping em away. I can get 2-3 for the price of one digi. I have used all the high priced mag ballasts too and honestly I never noticed a difference.

 

[Wheezy]

Mag uses more power = FALSE
Digi produces more light = TRUE
Digi is quieter = FALSE if it's a quantum

FACT, "they" know you have a digi ballast in your house. Go mag. Or, I'll sell you a TWO DAY old Quantum after two guys came knocking on my door yesterday asking to come in and "troubleshoot" my house.

 

[baba G]

I know coil/mag ballasts are cheaper but Quantums are 230bucks on VMInnovations.com

 

[baba G]

Go look up how much a Hydrofarm Powerhouse ballast is...compare the too prices.
I know you can get mag ballys for 100bucks or so, but I personally haven't experienced any ill effects from owning digis.
For one, if I take a digi in because something is wrong with it and it's under warranty, they will hand me a new one right after plugging mine in. That is quicker than taking apart a magnetic and fiddling around for 20-30mins. The shop shouldn't make you wait for your bally to be mailed off, it's obvious if a digi ballast isn't working properly and they can check that for themselves instantly and shouldn't inconvenience you.

And, it's true a coil/mag ballast will suck a varied amount of power and has it ages will convert less of the input power into output power=fact.

baba G

 

[DazedNconfussed]

my first ballast i ever bought was a hydofarm mag ballast (1k) I bought used from a friend....he bought it in 2000 and used it in a flower room consistantly until i bought it in 2008....and its been in my flower room every since....
It has never gave me any problems. that almost 11 years of service.....I hear about to many problems with digitals.....ill stick to mags....they last forever.