I did a DIY 8 bulb T5 fixture using those in a 48". They are fairly difficult to wire together neatly as the daisy chains are large and bulky and I had to make my own to fit them neatly. They are also kind of a odd size bulb, when I put URI bulbs in it to swap out the 65ks they didnt fit well so I had to make spacers so the bulb would stay centered. Also the reflectors they sell that is made for them just slips over they whole light so you have to modify it to work with the switch, and its around 2.5" wide, so youll have a 20"+ wide light fixture if you use 8 of them. As for output they are the same as my friends TEK fixture.
If your able to figure them out and make it work there the cheapest way to do T5s, my word of advice if you plan on going to MH, dont bother making a full blown fixture with them and make a hood with a MH pendant and 2-4 of them as additionall lighting... Thats what I ended up doing...
Hope that helps...
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