hood info, light meters

[Donnie]

I have a 600 watt hps/mh with a small hood with inline cooling, has anyone switched to a xxl hood if so is their a big difference? I found one on line crunch I think was the name for $65. Next, what is the deal with light measurement, I buy a lux meter, and then read that lux is no good you need to measure par? Im new and quickly getting tire of meters

[HappyDaze]

I've been growing for close to two decades, but I've only owned five lights in that whole time. Some floros, a 150W HPS, a 400 HPS, a 1000W convertible and a 275W LED. I've run all the HIDs in batwing reflectors, cheap cool tubes and with a decent, but inexpensive XXL hood. The hood really helps provide a larger, more balanced light footprint. If you're going to run both HPS and MH bulbs, you want to be sure the fixture allows for easy exchange of bulbs. My hood isn't the enclosed type, it's a cool tube under a reflector. To change bulbs and to clean the tube, I have to pull apart my vent line on the fan side, which is a colossal PITA mid grow.

I never felt the need to measure my lighting. You picked a decent sized lamp to start with, so it's not going to be the weakest link in your setup. Save your money and buy the G/F or wife dinner instead. (Or some really amazing seeds)

[Toker1]

Par is not the correct way to measure light. It’s like an opinion, everyone has a few and none will be the exact same. Lux and lumens are a much more direct comparison.
Xxxl hood will spread the light out further but penetrate les deeply. Do you want that?