Turning a new leaf...

[xerhoss]

I've been an avid home brew (wine/beer) and tobacco hobbyist for a few years now and i've finally decided to turn a new leaf and grow my own meds.

I've been around home grows all my life, but have never undertaken the endeavor myself, so, as a seasoned hobbyist and forum addict i turned to the net and found a wealth of information to soak up. :anim_44:

My new grow space is going to be 8X11. It was originally going to be a 4X8 flowering room with extra space for veg and clones, but there were issues with installing partitions due to overhead ducts and plumbing, so i'm just going to partition off the whole area and maybe subdivide it by some other means later.

I plan to start with a dual 1000 watt system. I've been doing some pricing and research on equipment and there's a lot out there. There's also vast differences in prices.

Anyway, that's the story. Now for a couple specific questions:

I'm thinking Xtreme ballasts, Cool Sun XL 8" hoods and possibly dual arc lamps. Does anyone have experience with Xtreme products? This looks to be a decent ballast from looking at the info on them and reasonably priced. I'm trying to strike a balance there - i can't go top shelf just yet!

The other item (which i've inquired elsewhere about) is the Ultra Sun brand dual arc bulbs. They would fit my budget, but i'm not sure of the quality of such a bulb and can't help but be a little cautious due to the price gap between them and their MUCH pricier Hortilux companions. Opinions? Experiences?

Any advice would be MUCH appreciated. :damnhippie:

 

[jak]

Honestly, you can go out there and buy the best brands with the newest gadgets and such but its not always worth it. Used is the way to go(just not too used). You can get lots of info about the gear from whoever its from. Just find the tools you want to use and worry about brand later. Even if the Hortilux bulbs are slightly better its probably not enough to make a difference. That's just how I go about finding gear...

 

[devious d]

most if not all my equipment is second hand bar the bulbs and cfl,s,but im upgrading to a digi ballast after every grow, there the only thing i wouldn't recommend buying second hand, bought 2 a lumatek and another make blew the power in my house constantly went back to magnetic no probs,digis buy new, lumatek has good customer service D,D

 

[xerhoss]

Thanks, guys.

I spoke with some of the local shops and got mixed feedback on the Ultra Sun brand. I decided to pick up some MHs locally for veg and then go ahead and check out the dual arcs for the first few weeks of flowering. If the plants are happy and productive, i'll leave them in. Otherwise i'll switch to 1000 watt HPS.

Things are coming along. Spent a lot of time re-wiring today. Some of that stuff needed a good updating anyway. Tomorrow i'll start framing. I went back to the 4X8 flowering room idea just because it'll be tighter space for reflective walls, less space to have to worry about filtering, etc. It also gives me more room to work on cloning and vegging for the next run. :cool0010: