lighting questions

[loohunter]

i am very confused about lighting; I see people talk about pfo, hqi, magnetic ballasts, de. versus mogul 10k 14k 20k, ushio, radium, hamilton. what does all this stuff mean? i have 3 250 watt hallides. one is a10k ushio, one is a 20k not sure the brand and the other is a 10k not sure the brand they are on ice cap ballasts, i like the color of the 20k, but it isn't as bright. what are the best bulbs, ballasts and so on i dont understand all the lingo yet. i understand asking for everyones opinion could start a war, but i think i will be able to get a general idea. thanks

 

[cheeks69]

Here's a great site that gives you some PAR #'s on some of the most popular SE bulbs and Ballasts.

Testing 250 watt MH lamps and Ballasts

Here's a side by side color comparison

http://metricksystem.com/chris/250wcolour/

And here's some great info on MH Ballasts:

Metal Halide Ballasts, which one is which? Answers here:

 

[loohunter]

thanks for the info. it is amazing the side by side comp. i cant believe the difference in some of the bulbs

 

[cheeks69]

Yes the difference can be considerable, I noticed this firsthand when I went from CV12k to XM10k.