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T5 Bulb Brands?

seedjar

Let's positive thinking!
So, I'm curious to know - how much does brand matter when it comes to T5 bulbs? With T12s, they're cheap enough to swap out frequently, but I was shocked by the cost of T5s now that I'm trying to switch over. I found some good-looking deals at 1000bulbs.com, but I've never heard of several of these companies before so I'm a little skeptical. The best deals I've been able to find locally roughly compare to the average prices I'm finding online, but that's like $9-$15 per bulb, and that's the case price!
$95 for a case of 25 bulbs is tempting. But who the hell is Halco? And $125 for 50 is even better, but I've never heard of Plusrite either. Considering this is less than half the price I'm seeing elsewhere - even with shipping - I'm thinking it might not be a bad gamble to find out. It sure would be nice if I could get some tips from someone who's been down this road already.
Thanks guys,
~Joe
 
personally i use German 5000k 85cri Narva, but that is because I got a 25 count case of them on ebay for a dollar (I was the only bidder LOL).... shipping was 20 though
one big advantage to T5 is their bulbs retain over 95% of their power over the life of the bulb. Unlike most other formats you dont have to replace them till they die. Which is typically several years

It is commonly accepted that on this side of the pond, the GE T5's are the best "standard" bulb for plant growth... on the other side of the pond they have a much greater selection to choose from including Gro-Lux

In time it will be that way here, so I dont know if I would buy a case unless I got a good deal or could put them to use within the next year or two

did you get your fixture from contractorlighting?.... if you havent ordered yet, they will fill it with bulbs for ya if you ask (no name generics)

otherwise... i would just look for something in the 4100k to 6500k range with a cri of 85 or better

to be honest there can be a significant difference between bulbs.... but when you are fed a diet of hamburger, you wont notice the diff between a ribeye and a filet mignon

HTH's
Av
 
Oh wow, really? I would've expected they'd be like other fluorescents, where tossing them every six months or so was best.
I'm going to go with contractorlighting, but wanted to use a mix of 3000k and 6500k because the stuff I've read says those temps give a better PAR rating. I'd like to convert at least four shelves to T5s, so a case of 25 is within reason at my scale. 50 is a little iffy, but it still costs dramatically less than a case of 30 GEs. What do you think is at stake in terms of quality? Failure rate? Actual output? Color?
~Joe
 
Joe,

Any response would just be a wild guess at best. Ive used GE, Narva, No name etc... they all do decent to good.

The Lifespan of T5 is approx 3 years with extremely high efficiency retention (95%+), they dont weaken with age. The contractorlighting fixtures are also "intelligent" and will shut that bulb down when the time comes.

But keep an eye on ebay, you can find some really good deals occasionally, I think there is currently a GE deal like 9 or 10 bulbs for 40 bucks IIRC

contractorlighting will fill the fixtures up with 5000k or 6500k for a few bucks each, so even if was going to use a 3000k/6500k mix, the deal is still too sweet to pass up. Especially with no additional shipping

But please verify that with the salesperson when you call...

I cant really comment about brand x or y compared to GE, Narva or Sylvania... I just dont know mate, but given the option I would always choose a name brand over a generic.
Just better mojo to me

Av
 
Joe,
Whatever way you go, share your results back here. I'm also likely to start to dabble with T-5's in the coming months.

While T-8, electronic-ballast shoplights are bombproof, they have mediocre light output. My AH Supply power compact fluorescent's with mirror reflectors provide great high-cri light at a good intensity but have had an issue with lamp life (& concomitant outage issues). Even though the power compact tubes are basically T-5's bent in a U, they have all died because the cathode (iirc) touches the cylinder wall. This would also seem to be an issue with normal T-5's. However, I've yet to hear from T-5 users with premature lamp death .... ???
 
I thought that contractorlighting only had 4100k and 5000k - I'll have to check again later. Any links to that eBay listing? I've been looking for days but they're really hard to find amongst all the other bulbs and fixtures. I can't seem to find a reliable search keyword for them.
Also, can anyone recommend a method for making a semi-scientific comparison between my old lights and new ones? I'm going to ask around the labs at school but I've been given some hilariously bad advice from those folks in the past.
Thanks again.
~Joe
 
i use two sunblaster t5ho 39 watt(i believe they are 6500k), and they are ok, but i don't get any coloration in my pings, the dews got nicely colored up when i brought the lights closer, but they are just not intense enough for the pings to color up. They did say that they were intended for seedlings... :p
 
I use four Spectralux T5 2' (2x 6500k and 2x 3000k). These are High-Output 24 watt.
 
  • #10
Hi, I am wanting to start my first grow rack. How long are most T5's, and how many do you use per shelf and how many per lamp? I am hoping to get T5 since they last longer then T8s. How much do fixtures and bulbs cost?
 
  • #11
Hi, I am wanting to start my first grow rack. How long are most T5's, and how many do you use per shelf and how many per lamp? I am hoping to get T5 since they last longer then T8s. How much do fixtures and bulbs cost?

2 Feet or 4 Feet

Price varies widely.
 
  • #12
I thought that contractorlighting only had 4100k and 5000k - I'll have to check again later. Any links to that eBay listing? I've been looking for days but they're really hard to find amongst all the other bulbs and fixtures. I can't seem to find a reliable search keyword for them.
Also, can anyone recommend a method for making a semi-scientific comparison between my old lights and new ones? I'm going to ask around the labs at school but I've been given some hilariously bad advice from those folks in the past.
Thanks again.
~Joe

Joe, you may be right... actually I prefer the 5000k. My favorite research sources indicate that 5000k bulbs come in highest as far as PAR values are concerned

But anything in the range of 4100k to 6500k would be good IMHO, During the day, natural sun light goes through this range with 5000k being "noon"

Some research suggest that a mix of 3000k and 6500k basically equals 4100k

All depends on the source of the data, what you to watch out for is broad claims, different bulbs with different phosphors, different CRI's, tri or halo phosphor etc etc etc will have different characteristics

statements like "Get 6500k, or get 5000k"... is like saying get a chevy or ford, but without the model or year... you really dont know exactly what you are getting... but it will probably get ya home. :)

I like to use spectrometers, here are my bulbs

narva5000k85cri.jpg

narva5000k85cri_2.jpg


sorry for the crappy image quality, shot those freehand just now...so meh ;)

As you can see these are classic tri-phosphors (the 85cri also gives that away)
Im getting primary spikes at
435nm, 545nm and 610nm with secondary wavelengths primarily in the reds and blues

across the pond you can get the triphosphor sylvania gro-lux in 54w T5, now that would be the bomb!!!!!! they have a beautiful spectra :)

(Ive emailed sylvania more then once..... waiting patiently LOL)

Spectrometers are cool and you can roll youre own using a cdrom and cereal box
http://scitoys.com/scitoys/scitoys/light/cd_spectroscope/spectroscope.html

I usually search for "t5 54w" and include descriptions in the search params

oh and here is the one i was thinking of

http://cgi.ebay.com/Lot-of-9-GE-54W-T5-841-ECO-46761-fluorescent-Light-Bulb_W0QQitemZ280417032277QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item414a285855

Hi, I am wanting to start my first grow rack. How long are most T5's, and how many do you use per shelf and how many per lamp? I am hoping to get T5 since they last longer then T8s. How much do fixtures and bulbs cost?

Ant, I like contractorlighting.com... they have good fixtures at a good price and have served me well... there are many options, but watch out... some "deals" are pure junk

HTH's
Av
 
  • #13
RL7836: they are 3 foot long or 36 inches.
 
  • #14
Ant, I like contractorlighting.com... they have good fixtures at a good price and have served me well... there are many options, but watch out... some "deals" are pure junk.

Thank you for the site, what fixture on the site do you use? Also do the fixtures come with or without lights good for growing cps?
 
  • #15
Thank you for the site, what fixture on the site do you use? Also do the fixtures come with or without lights good for growing cps?

Ant,

I have both the 4 bulb and 6 bulb fixtures

http://www.contractorlighting.com/high-bay-fluorescent-4lmp-t5ho-120277-p-152.html

http://www.contractorlighting.com/high-bay-fluorescent-6lmp-t5ho-120277-p-153.html

The 4 bulb isnt in use at the moment :)

as far as bulbs go, that is what this whole thread has been about...the majority of research has been done by the freshwater planted aquarium hobbyist.

It is commonly accepted that the GE starcoat is the best "standard" bulb availabe to the USA market. There are specialty bulbs out there, ranging from good to bad...
Usually if you will google the bulb name and the word photosynthesis in the same search you will get some hits

Not really a black and white answer but.... stay with a major brand, stay with 4100k-6500k and you will be ok

In the future look for more options to become available as the T5 becomes more widely accepted.

It is a great format that will be king till they eventually get replaced by economical wide spectrum white LED's (guessing 5-10 yrs away)

Av
 
  • #16
It is a great format that will be king till they eventually get replaced by economical wide spectrum white LED's (guessing 5-10 yrs away)
Any idea how the 'good'** white LED's play out with your spectrometer?

** - I'm assuming 'good' to be something comparable to premium Cree chips or comparable - not the normal run-of-the-mill garbage...
 
  • #17
I have found everything I want. Would 4 T5 HO 54W bulds with a CIR of 85 and a rating of 6500k and producing 5000 lumens be sufficient for h/l neps and helis? Or do I need to aim for the 6 bulbs? What distance would you advise the plants be from the lights?
 
  • #18
I have found everything I want. Would 4 T5 HO 54W bulds with a CIR of 85 and a rating of 6500k and producing 5000 lumens be sufficient for h/l neps and helis? Or do I need to aim for the 6 bulbs? What distance would you advise the plants be from the lights?
Ant,
I would advise perusing the last month or 2 of T-5 threads (or longer). One of the issues with T-5's (not yet mentioned in this thread) is their heat generation. Depending on your enclosure design, multi-lamp T-5 fixtures & highland Neps may not play well together ... :0o:

Otoh - for a petiolaris tank ... :boogie: :hail:
 
  • #19
Any idea how the 'good'** white LED's play out with your spectrometer?

** - I'm assuming 'good' to be something comparable to premium Cree chips or comparable - not the normal run-of-the-mill garbage...

Ron, I havent looked at any of the most recent models.... but up till about 6 months ago white leds were for the most part almost "red-less" (not desirable LOL)

we would be talking "top shelf" with proper optics... so we are a ways off yet
 
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