lol! I promise not to be offended

I first chose CFLs (years ago) because I was growing in small contained spaces, and did not need to deal with the heat issues. They were/are cheap, easy to setup, no ballasts etc. and as I'm such a lazy bugger, this appealed to me. Until recently I was using less than half that many bulbs, so when I actually added up the new wattage, was surprised to see it reached the big 1K!!! As for heat, I can't compare to an HID as I've never used one. I control it with two fans, which also blow on the plants - two birds/one stone sort of thing.
Temps stick near the 25-28C range - not bad for no real cooling system!

In the back of what mind I have left, I have thought of going the HID route (to the other CFL guys here, please excuse my blasphemy!), but for the time being I'll stick with these. The set up was a breeze.....hmm...I have had an idea for a thread for a while now, this just reminded me of it... anyway, the idea of replacing the above with a thousand watter, duct work, and more fans, just doesnt appeal to me atm. What I grow is only for myself, (although a few members here have sampled my harvests); the quality is not bad if I do say to myself.

So, for the time being at least, I'll stick with fluoros.

Thanks for reading, and the kind words guys

when you decide to go the HID route Doobie you just have to remember that it's more efficient to cool HID (assuming you get an air-cooled/sealed) than any other light system and there is no watt like a HID watt buddy

finally!!! nice set up bro yeah took a second to adjust my neck to the proper picture placement u know right side up has got me all messed up i never sampled..

Ive seen some pretty dank buds in your pics, I would not be changing things myself unless there was a need.

I think your knowledgable enough to know when it would benifet you.

So keep it up my friend! Were all waitin up here for you in the BIG LEAGUE!

sorry,sorry,sorry...just kidding

I just wanted to say if you do decide to go hid at some point, I'd recommend that you not go with a single 1000w bulb, I'd go with 2 400s, sun pulse 3k halides to be exact..lol.

One other advantage that you get with hids over cfls, aside from the sealed ducted cooling setup (that I don't use, since I don't want to block that UV) is you have an actual reflector behind them...vs 2x4s, wood, and white paint. Also, with the open style reflectors I use, you can bend them to reflect the light how you want, which I always do.

Thanks for the friendly advice - persuasion guys, but I don't plan on changing to HIDs just yet. If it ain't broke....

Harvey, I agree that a couple 400s or 600s would be the way to go. Once I get my new car paid off, then maybe I'll start considering the 'major leagues'...

Hey DB, that looks great. That is how my clone/mother area is lit up. only w/ 20 lights at 32w each {i am not jealous}. We alternated the light spectrum on ours. It was what was available at the time for our situation.Started with six bulbs and added lights per plants growth.Ventilation when it was inside the house this February-April was a must. Didn't need to heat the master bdrm,which was a plus.Do you bloom under your set-up as well?

The HIDs might help you pay that car off more quickly! Hahaha..ohhh, I shouldn't say that, none of us are in it for the money, right? Lol

Glad to see where the magic happens. Looks amazing my friend.