MH ballast.....electric vs. magnetic?

[segraves1]

trying to decide if I should buy an electric or magnetic ballast.....

the magnetic ballast would be the standard M58 ballast.....

the electric ballast I am looking at is:

Electronic ARO Ballast Specifications
* Item Code: 61-61003
* Will fire all 250W metal halide bulbs, regardless if they are "probe start", "pulse start", HQI or Standard mogul in design. No worries with this ballast! (however, this retrofit kit is for mogul based bulbs)
* Energy Saving - up to 25% over magnetic ballasts.
* Extended Lamp Life - up to 25%
* Consistent Lamp Color.
* Uniform Lumen Output.
* Reduced Lamp Flicker.
* Cool, Silent Operation.
* Long Ballast Life.
* 3 year warranty



it says it will work with all kinds of bulbs and they (http://www.hellolights.com) has an option to buy Iwaski 6500K bulb with it.......

so? is the electric better?

[davejnz]

E-ballasts do have some of those advantages over magnetic ballasts.However,remember that those claims are from the manufacturer/retailer who are tring to sell you their product.When it comes to efficiency,e-ballasts are better than mags.My M58(250w) Advance mag ballast says 2.5amps at 120v.This equates to 300w to fire a 250w bulb.The e-ballasts i've researched average about 2.2amps at 120v.If the 25% greater efficiency is true,my mag ballast should be drawing 2.75amps.As for flickering,lamp life,silent operation,long ballast life,and the rest of their claims,mag ballasts do the same IME..I have an old H37Advance mag ballast that i salvaged from an old condo i worked on.The thing must be 8yrs old at least,it still works great.IME with Advance mag ballasts,I have never had bulb flickering,they are silent,and they produce a "uniform lumen,color output".
One more thing that is a fact,mag ballasts almost always produce more PAR than a e-ballast does with the same bulb.Another thing,the "consistent lamp color" that they claim is misleading.Most MH bulbs will have slightly different colors on different ballasts.Who's to say that their e-ballast produces the "correct lamp color"
The only benefit that i see with the e-ballasts are their ability to fire DE bulbs.However,I feel that moguls can be just as effective as the DE bulbs.

[segraves1]

thanks man.....thats what I needed to know... :)

[dakar]

I have to agree with David, one thing that was not mentioned was the costs, that ARO ballasts you are looking at run an average of $150 or more each, while a magnetic ballast can be had for $25 or so on eBay and other sources. It'll take years to make up the inital cost difference vs. the electricity savings especially when you are firing multiple bulbs.

If you are considering using the Iwasaki bulbs, look for ballasts rated with the ANSI code H37 (Mercury vapor), the saki's were designed specifically for these ballasts and will give you a bit better performance from the bulb, yielding slightly higher color temps and a more PAR. The only difference is the capacitor has a higher rating. But the M58 ballast will fire them nicely, as well as giving you the option of running other bulbs later if you want to change.

[butterfly_babe4200]

Wow great info thanks guys.