Xtrasun DE 1000W HPS vs ECO Farm 1000W HPS Reviews

Gone are the days when fluorescent lightning was the most common light used for plant supplementary lightning. 

Nowadays, besides LEDs, you'll encounter high-intensity discharge (HIDs) in any commercial grow lights. Hobbyist growers also have great results with HPS as well.

Known for their high light intensity and PAR output and a great pairing with Metal Halide lights, it's no wonder that HPS will still have their place in any modern growing systems. 

To help you make a better decision before getting an HPS bulb, we put together a buyer's guide here covering lots of essential factors. This is done with in-depth research and evaluation, and discussions with some seasoned indoor growers.

Invented in 1964, HPS stands for High Pressure Sodium. It’s a light technology that has shaped how we cultivate indoor plants in a huge way. HPS bulbs consist of a narrow arc tube supported by a frame in a bulb. To improve efficiency, the arc tube is kept at an extremely high pressure. Sodium, mercury and xenon are usually used inside the arc tube in order to improve the light spectrum.

The most common way to start the bulbs is with a pulse start. This pulse starts an arc through the xenon gas and the lamp turns sky blue. The arc then heats the mercury which then lights up, giving the bulb a bluish color.

As the bulb heats and the sodium starts to vaporize it strikes an arc over 450° F (240° C). The sodium is then mixed with other impurities to create a more “white” light. Mercury helps add a blue spectrum light to the pure yellow of the sodium.

The intensity of an HPS bulb requires you to pay close attention to your light placement in conjunction with your plants. Placed too close and you can easily burn your vegetation and ruin your chances of a good bloom. They also produce quite a bit of heat, and proper ventilation is a must. Air or water cooled reflectors are popular to use with these as well to provide you with peace of mind, and often come complete with bulbs in certain grow kits.

Xtrasun DE 1000W HPS Grow Light

Xtrasun is a strong industry name and offers a wide variety of housing choices for HID style lighting. This 1000 watt digital dimmable ballast system is available for lower wattage as well. It also provides the option to control your light output by 50%, 75%, and 100% intensity. This is helpful to avoid having to change the height of your setup as your plants grow.

The included wing refractor provides some of the best coverage, and helps keep costs low, but also does not have a built-in cooling system, so good ventilation is a must. A built-in 10-foot heavy duty power cord and hanging ratchets is included. This makes the mounting and moving of this lightweight, 4-pound setup, a breeze.

• Simple and powerful


• Bulbs guaranteed for 1 year (free replacement)


• Supports excellent harvest

• Puts out a lot of heat


• May ship rough (covered by warranty)

ECO Farm 1000W Double Ended HPS HPS Grow Light Enclosed Kit

This is an excellent system created specifically for smaller grows or as a supplemental light where needed. The reflector with built-in ballast includes ventilation and air cooling to help dissipate heat. With a total coverage of 4 square feet, this is plenty to support a few sun-loving flowering plants through the winter months, or influence a small garden crop out of season.

The ECO Farm System Plug and play comes assembled and ready to plug in out of the box. With a white powder coat finish, which repels rust in humid conditions, it’s a durable, long-lasting housing. Hooks are included, but a hanging ratchet system is not and can be purchased separately. A seven foot, 120-volt grounded power cord is also included.

• Very lightweight


• Runs almost silently


• Very low amperage usage

• Non-discreet shipping boxes


• Customer support difficult to get hold of

ECO Farm HPS grow light can be your great choice.

• HPS grow lights are energy efficient. They have a higher PAR efficiency than fluorescent lights


• The cost per output wattage is averagely less than other types of grow lights.


• HPS bulbs are more affordable than LED lights.


• Their color wavelengths are ideal for the flowering and budding stage of plants.

• HPS grow lights lack the blue color spectrum which is important for the plants’ vegetative stages.


• The light can produce damaging heat which can burn plants. So an appropriate distance and cooling methods are needed.


• The bulbs contain mercury and need to be disposed of appropriately. You can’t throw them in the trash can


• HPS bulbs require a ballast to get powered and a reflector to improve focus.

We will be giving you some tips on how to choose the Best HPS Grow Lights for you below:

Cost

Regardless of what you are buying, the cost is very important. In the case of an HPS grow light, you need to consider the price tag on the product before making a buying decision. This is because you do not want to buy products that will put a big hole in your pocket.

However, this is not to say you should go for the cheapest HPS grow light. What you need to do is to compare different products in your price range with the features they offer. With this, you will not only be getting a good HPS light but at a good price too.

PAR

PAR stands for Photosynthetically Active Radiation. Yes, radiation is a scary word but not to plants. This is because the PAR radiation helps in creating photons that produce light to help the plants grow. So, when you see an HPS light with high PAR value, go for it because it means it will help your plants grow faster. So, in conclusion, the higher the PAR value, the more photons the HPS light will produce.

Wattage

You have a choice of choosing among the 150, 250, 400, 600, and 1000watt HPS grow light. The 150watt and 250watt HPS light are capable of covering 4 square feet and 9 square feet of space respectively. If you want to cover a bigger space, then you should be looking at the 400 watts and 600-watt HPS light. The 400-watt HPS bulb is capable of covering up to 16 square feet while the 600-watt bulb can cover up to 36 square feet of space. For large scale use, the 1000 watt HPS light is the ideal choice because they can cover up to 50 square feet.

Finally, note that if you use an HPS light bigger than the area you want to cover, you might end up burning your plants.

Ballast

An HPS grow light needs a ballast to run and there are different types of ballasts to choose from. But, digital ballast remains the best option and this is due to many reasons. First, digital ballast is compatible with almost all types of bulbs. Not only that, they run cooler and they use less electricity. Also, it is advisable to go for dimmable ballast as they also help to protect the plants from burning.

You can’t run an HPS bulb without a fitting ballast. At best you’re going to break the bulb, and in the worst case scenario you’re setting an explosion up.

A ballast is what powers your HPS bulbs. The ballast takes your input voltage and electrical current and regulates it into pulses within specific frequencies to enable your bulb to run efficiently and optimally, regardless of voltage fluctuations outside of the system.

The best digital ballasts should be able to keep your HID bulbs running optimally even if your input voltage suddenly changes.

HPS grow lights are a great addition to your indoor vegetation grows and blooms, and are specific to helping influence plant production. HPS bulb kits are excellent ways to introduce a new system to your existing nurseries, or starting a new one as a beginner, since they include almost everything you need to get rolling.