ECO Farm T5 Fluorecent Fixtures VS DuroLux T5 Fluorescent Grow Light Fixture

A few years ago, growers usually only used fluorescent tube lighting as a supplemental light for plants, or for young seedlings and clones only.

In recent years, we’ve seen the creation of new high-light-output versions of fluorescent grow lights which can actually be used through the entire vegetative stage.

Some growers even use fluorescent grow lights such as the T5 successfully to flower their plants (if the plants are kept short/small enough through growth control methods).

In general, I recommend changing to stronger grow lights like LEDs or HIDs for the flowering stage because they will usually give you double or more yields/watt of electricity. Unless you keep your plants very small, they will need more light to produce buds than a fluorescent light can usually produce. If you’re in a dire situation where your plants have grown too big and you can’t afford to get a different type of light, you can supplement your fluorescent tubes with additional light, for example, you could supplement their light with a few CFL(compact fluorescent light) bulbs wherever you notice any “shadowy” areas. This is only a minor fix — the real fix is to grow very short plants or upgrade to a bigger light for the flowering stage.

How Efficient Are T5 Grow Lights?

Since T5 grow systems are optimized for flexibility, they can be used in all phases of a plant’s life cycle.

If you’re one of the few that enjoys growing plants by seed, then you know that young sprouts need enough light to avoid stretching.

T5’s allow for you to dim the bulbs and reduce the power output by 50–75%. This amount of light is perfect for keeping sprouts short and without inducing any additional stress.

During the vegetative phase, you can increase your power output to make sure your plants are receiving the light they crave to fuel their growth.

T5’s are perfect for keeping close enough to the canopy without the worry of inducing heat stress. In stark contrast, HPS and MH need to be at least 6”-12” or more above the canopy to avoid heat stress.

Your T5 can be placed 1”-6” above the canopy, which also enables your plant to grow short nodes. The reason for having little space between nodes is that your plant will stretch less during flowering and bud sites will remain compact.

During the flowering stage, you can boost your power output to 100%. This allows your buds to grow without hindrance, all the while keeping your T5 4”-6” above the canopy.

All of these aspects enhance the quantity of your eventual harvest and keep your grow room efficient. T5’s give us the ability to control so many important factors in growing plants.

ECO Farm T5 Fluorecent Fixtures

Features:

This ECO Farm grow light has a high light output, meaning it would work well at any stage of growth. It emits high lumens and claims to give 30% more light output against other grow light systems. For extra light coverage, this grow light from ECO Farm also comes with a 95% built-in reflector, which is a luminium reflector with white powder coating, so your plants are guaranteed to absorb more light than if no reflector were included. Despite its high-power output, this grow light is one of the more budget-friendly options available on the market.

DuroLux T5 Fluorescent Grow Light Fixture

Features:

The grow light has 20000 Lumen, Which is a professional grow lighting system, and it also has a 95% reactivity German Hammer-tone reactor. 30% more light output vs comparable systems. Qty4 6500K 4ft Lamps, Hanging hooks and chains, 8 FT Power cord. Power up to 5 fixtures o one wall outlet — less clutter, more convenience. 2 switches on the body allow for step dimming — one for inner 2 bulbs, another for outer 2 bulbs. It is rated for operation in Wet/Damp environments.

Important Qualities to Look for When Buying a T5 Grow Light

There’s nothing worse than your T5 grow light malfunctioning during the last two weeks of your bloom cycle. Instances like these can easily make or break your harvest and lead to underwhelming results.

Not only could an outage or spark ruin your grow, but it could also potentially have life-threatening consequences.

How Many Lamps Should Your T5 Grow Light System Have?

Another essential aspect to look for when buying the best T5 grow light is the amount of lamps. T5’s generally come with 2, 4, or 8 bulbs depending on the size of your grow space. This is a critical aspect to know before you buy.

Whether you grow in a room or a grow tent, the number of plants will be the determining factor in this category. In my experience, as long as your plants receive a full 360° coverage, they’ll happily produce ample buds.

To determine how many bulbs you’ll need in your T5 grow system is to know how many plants will be in your grow room.

Other important aspects of assessing beforehand are: how big or small will your plants be during flowering? Will you utilize the Screen of Green technique (ScrOG) or the Sea of Green method (SOG)?

I’ve seen countless grow operations where a single bush required a full 8-lamp T5 grow system all to itself. On the other hand, you could potentially fit 9 small plants clones under the same 8-lamp T5 system.

Advantages Of Using The Best T5 Grow Lights

This must be the question you’ve been waiting for. There are a plethora of benefits when it comes to growing with T5 systems.

These lights are highly flexible to fit the needs of beginners to green-thumb professionals. Let’s take a look at what the best T5 grow lights offer.

Adaptability is the T5 grow lights best trait. Just as species throughout time have adapted to exist in their given environment, so does the T5. No grow room or grow tent is created equal.

Each and every grower has a unique situation that can’t be replicated, and it’s for this reason that T5 manufactures built in some necessary functions.

The most significant advantage is that T5’s can be hung in a wide variety of ways: overhead, vertically, or horizontally.

Their slim profile allows them to be raised even higher when your plants begin to explode in growth during the first few weeks of flowering.

Traditional HPS (high-pressure sodium) and MH (metal halide) lamps are bulky, and this disadvantage forces you to concede at least a foot in vertical space to accommodate their size.

Another crucial advantage is the ability to dim your lamps. High-quality T5 grow systems have built-in power switches that allow for 25, 50, and 100% power output.

This benefit allows you to dim your power output during the earlier phases of growth since plants don’t respond well to high amounts of light during this period.

It’s also a mechanism to save you money when you don’t need to run your lamps at 100%.

Conclusion

Deciding on a brand new T5 grow light for your grow room or grow tent can be tricky if you don’t know where to start. Fluorescent grow lights like these can be used in any growing situation, from propagating clones to growing full yields.

We know your time, energy, and money are valuable, so we’ve compiled a list of the best T5 grow lights of the year. And with this guide, you’ll have the tools you need to give you the results you’re looking for. That way you don’t need to spend hours and hours doing the research and can instead dedicate that time to preparing your grow room.

Whether you’re looking to go big, add supplemental lighting, or you need something around your budget, the T5’s listed here are all awesome options. All you need to do is decide which T5 light is the best for your growing goals.

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