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Originally Posted by LostMind
my pfo 400w mh ballast (tar style, $240) is not going to run my $150, 10k ushio bulbs as effectively as the pfo 400w mh ballast (hqi style, $380) will?
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Different story here though. The "HQI" ballast that Steve refers to is only available in 250W. There is no "HQI" equivalent for 400W, what we have here is another place the term is used but not really correctly. The "HQI" in the 400W ballasts is a "Son Agro" ballast for sodium lamps that happens to work for halides. It is actually 430W not 400W so it overdrives your lamps ever so slightly. So .. they'll burn brighter, yes, but "more effective" or "less effective" is a subjective, qualitative call ... if by "more effective" you mean "brighter" then yes it's more effective but there has to be a downside somewhere, shorter bulb lifespan perhaps (also open to debate? .. not sure).
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Also, I remember reading that the 250w DE pendants will put out more light for less wattage (ie, more light for less hydro bucks) then my tar style ballast and SE mogul bulbs. I was honestly considerging dropping my SE bulb setup for the 250w DE pendants (I am also having problems getting the bulbs in my current setup to fire every morning. I think the socket sucks)
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I think this is also open to some debate. It probably depends a great deal on the reflector you use. Personally, I think that average 250W DE's with an average reflector are probably as useful as an average 400W SE with an average reflector (except it takes 150W less to run). That's my unqualified, unquantified guess as an opinion... Meaning, probably if you look at different reflectors in different situations you may well get different results. But to me, given the choice, between running a bunch of 400's versus 250's .. I look at my powerbill and that's when I say I want to switch to DE's one day too .. just a matter of saving up some $$$ in the meantime.