Favourite shade for a 600w

[sunseeker]

Gday folks will be in the shitty next weekend where there are an abundance of grow shops, just wondering if I should update my shade to a batwing or something that will spread my light better than a cooltube?

[hermananian]

I have tried both, and I find the yeild from a batwing is a lot better. Batwings run  a bit hotter and you need to watch out for heat issues, an oscillating fan is a must. Hope this helps 

[Sir PsychoHashy]

IMO, cool tubes can give some heat reduction benefit with 400w or less, but when I tried running one with a 600w I got more issues with light bleaching under it than my open shade.  I discussed this with a guy at a hydro shop and he agreed.  The problem seems to be the radiated heat goes straight through the glass without any cooling effect by the air movement, and being enclosed it's got nowhere else to go, or that's my assumption.  Whatever it is, I've found both batwing and chinaman hat reflectors to be a much better option with 600w HPS, and I particularly like the Chinaman Hat.  Both of those shades get a much better spread of light than a cool tube as well.

 

However, running 250-400w HPS in the small nursery tent does work very well with the cooltube, but still bleaches buds that get too close at 400w

[hermananian]

IMO, cool tubes can give some heat reduction benefit with 400w or less, but when I tried running one with a 600w I got more issues with light bleaching under it than my open shade.  I discussed this with a guy at a hydro shop and he agreed.  The problem seems to be the radiated heat goes straight through the glass without any cooling effect by the air movement, and being enclosed it's got nowhere else to go, or that's my assumption.  Whatever it is, I've found both batwing and chinaman hat reflectors to be a much better option with 600w HPS, and I particularly like the Chinaman Hat.  Both of those shades get a much better spread of light than a cool tube as well.

 

However, running 250-400w HPS in the small nursery tent does work very well with the cooltube, but still bleaches buds that get too close at 400w

I wonder if the volume of air running through the cooltube would make a difference to heat issues, I only have experience with a 400 watt, though didn't suffer any bleaching, I find some strains are more susceptible to bleaching and even different pheno's of the same strain have a different tolerance to bleaching. I agree with hashy though, better a reflector that spreads the light ,better than a cooltube.

[Ozzy420]

IMO the best shade is a adjust a wing.

 

As said above those shades will do the job as well...

[Faith]

I'm with you on that ozzy.  The one I had was really decent quality and it threw the light sweetly...waaay better that the cooltube but then I think I'd need to really work on temp control.  But yeah that'll be the next reflector I purchase.

 

Faith

[Sir PsychoHashy]

I wonder if the volume of air running through the cooltube would make a difference to heat issues, I only have experience with a 400 watt, though didn't suffer any bleaching, I find some strains are more susceptible to bleaching and even different pheno's of the same strain have a different tolerance to bleaching. I agree with hashy though, better a reflector that spreads the light ,better than a cooltube.

 

You would think extra air flow through the tube would make a difference, at least up to a point, so I suspect it does, but I also suspect that would have no impact on radiated heat, but in all honesty that's all speculation without any factual evidence, so??????  I still use mine in the nursery tent at lower wattage, and I know from feeling the air at the outtake that a fair amount of heat does get removed, so in a small space every little bit counts and it does make a difference compared to an open shade.  Just my experience in the big tent at 600w seemed to be counterproductive.

 

And you are definitely right about some strains/pheno's being susceptible to bleaching, I've got one that's hyper sensitive to HPS even without being too close to the light, but absolutely loves being outdoors.

 

[sunseeker]

Cheers stoners I guess I will see what's available and grab one. Bye bye cool tube

[Sir PsychoHashy]

Don't throw your cool tube out, they are quite effective in smaller spaces with lower wattage, I wouldn't use anything else in my small tent.  Tried a small batwing and got too hot at 400w, and even struggled at 250w.  Also tried a 110w T5 fluro which was fine but lacked the punch of HPS.

[sunseeker]

How small is your small tent Hashy? I'm just trying to get the best out of a 1.2x1.2x2m space