is $100 good for MH?

[Mantid]

I went to a garage sale today and found metal halide fixture/ballast/bulb for $100. They are brand new and never been used and are 250W. I want to know if you think this is a good deal before I purchase it. He said the bulbs are 65k spectrum. I have never dealt in metal halide before so just wasn't sure. Only problem I see is that it does not have a "splash guard" and a thin sheet metal reflector.

similar to this:

 

[AlexStinson]

probably a good deal.... but a 250 in a garage sale in 6500... who knows what he was growin with that

 

[aquafrags]

it will grow household plants nicely

 

[06Rubicon]

Yeah im with alex prob not a whole lot of water splashing for what they were using them for. Dont forget to add in the cost of a new bulb in a diff spectrum. And check to see what the ballast is to make sure you can fire the bulbs you want to use down the road..

 

[Mantid]

Thanks guys, I think the guy intended to grow pot with it but he kept changing his story saying that he was going to use it for corals... who knows. Anyway, thanks for your help.

 

[AlexStinson]

That's what I was getting at You never know if something like that has any kind of residue or is hot or something of that nature.

Thanks guys, I think the guy intended to grow pot with it but he kept changing his story saying that he was going to use it for corals... who knows. Anyway, thanks for your help.

 

[kateater]

Who cares what his intent was. Obviously it didn't go well for him. Talk him down off that thing probably get it cheaper than that.

 

[Reef Pets]

Many things come into factor when purchasing such a light. You have to take into consideration that you will have to change the bulb. But, the biggest factor is what kind of ballast comes with it. Is it the huge ballast that will cost a fortune to run or is a a decent ballast, magnetic or electronic.. By the time you purchase the bulb and if its not a known ballast then I would pass myself. As you probaly already know, in this hobby you are better off purchasing the correct equipment the first time or it only cost twice as much money in the end.

If the ballast is decent tell him to keep the bulb and you might get a good price..

 

[AZDesertRat]

6500 is going to be extremely yellow and would require actinic supplementation for sure.
The value also depends on the ballasts, are they electronic or magnetic, if magnetic are they M58 probe start or pulse start? Different bulbs take different ballasts but the newer electronic ballasts will run just about any bulb.

 

[Mantid]

Hey all were a great help in making my decision. I decided against it and realized I should really look into all the components of MH lights before I just in and purchase.

 

[Yellowtang]

May not be a good deal if its magnetic ballast, specially if its a generic comercial ballast, there not that exspensive and have higher operating costs,

JR,