Metal Halides: DE vs SE

So I have been reasearching but cant draw a final conclusion as to which one is better than the other and why? I am setting up a 180 72x24x24 which I want to light with 3 x 250w MH and a 4 bulb T5 retro

I have been wanting 3x lumenbright minis, 3 x radiums, and 3x 250w icecap ballast which is going to run a pretty penny, but have the chance to buy a 3 x 250w HQI pfo setup for about $325.. is it worth it? should I hold out for SE bulbs? is there a difference in heat?

 

You should be able to run 400 watt radiums off of the 250 watt hqi ballasts. This is what I would do if I had it to do over again.

 

so 400 watt radium DE bulbs off of a PFO ballast? the used setup would come with 3 XM 10ks (used 2 months) and 3 Pheonix 12ks used 12 months which would proably need to be thrown out.

How is it possible to run a 400 watt bulb on a 250 watt ballast?

 

Comparing DE to SE halides of the same wattage, there is no reason either would be better or worse.

Actually, if anything many folks prefer SE over DE's because some SE bulbs are better than the available De bulbs.

You can get HQI in DE or SE, and some folks don't understand that HQI bulbs can be had in both configurations.

 

there was a thread like this not too long ago. I don't remember the exact sciences of the whole thing but... if the ballast will push the bulb all the way through the light cycle it is fine. Radiums tend to burn pretty easy and will fully fire from a 250 watt hqi ballast.

 

ah, thats me hehe. I am a MH noob, I have used T5s for the past 3 years

so HQI basically means metal halide from what I just read.. I was always under the impression HQI stood for the DE connector

 

i guess I am dumb haha. I dont see how a 250w can make a radium bulb put out 400watts.. I have some looking up to do

 

the bulbs don't put out 400 watts. 400 watts stands for the amount of power that the ballast pushes. When a bulb says "400 watts" that just means it's compatable with that ballast. Most of the guys in my club use 400 watt radiums on 250 watt ballasts just for energy saving.

 

very interesting

 

I would like to see what a PAR and Lux meter shows on that combination. I cannot see how its any advantage, the ballast will only put out 250w so is underdriving the bulbs, not like overdriving VHO or T5 bulbs.

I am a fan of SE bulbs myself. I feel there are more color, PAR and kelvin choices in SE plus DE bulbs are much like T5 in that they require a very good reflector to get optimal performance out of them. SE is more forgiving when it comes to reflector choices.