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#11
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The only reason I mention ATI at all is for comparison because they are presently at the pinnacle of the North American T5 market with respect to price and performance. The FM fixture certainly sounds better than the ATI with respect to features but the logical next question is will the consumer find the reported improvements justify the price? - not just in comparison to ATI but simply as a price point in excess of $1000 for a 6 lamp 24" T5 fixture. You could manufacture the FM fixture with ballasts made by aliens on Mars and reflectors made from top-secret NASA materials thereby justifying an astronomical increase in the price, but if the performance improvement is negligible in comparison to your nearest competitor then the consumer has to perform a little cost-benefit analysis. For comparison, there are several "high end" LED fixtures being produced and sold now that have outputs comparable to MH (in comparison to the low intensity LEDs used in some of the earlier models). At $1300 plus for a 24" fixture these aren't exactly flying off the shelf. Consumers hit a point where they ask "Will the light provide any significant benefit to my livestock or does it provide an aesthetic that justifies that price?" I'm not actually much of a fan of the ATI fixture but, as I said, it's your nearest competitor so you have to expect FM's fixture will be compared to ATI's.
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