pro's & con's of SE or DE MH?

[dngonzales]

i am venturing into the purchase of MH and i was wondering what was the pro's & con's of SE or DE if any what is the difference besides the shape and form of the bulb?

[dngonzales]

i am assuming DE (double ended) is HQI

[Entropy]

HQI is brand name which is tacked on to a lot of bulb/ballast from what I have read. I honestly believe SE and DE's are about even. DE's reportedly put out more light, but you have to use a glass shield. I like the SE bulbs myself because they are simpler and more versitle IMO.

[dngonzales]

i am trying to decice between hamilton or PFO AcroLight thanks

[Phoneguy982]

I been doing a lot of looking into MH's before I purchase 2 250's and here is what I've learned:
DE's ....
More of a direct lighting like spot lighting.
Brighter...which to me is a result of the pendant's design. It is more concentrated in one area so it appears brighter.
Cost of the bulbs are usually cheaper but you get less of a variety.
Pendants are costly and bulbs need to be sheilded as the DE bulbs do not have UV sheilding built in to the glass.

SE's
More spread out pattern and can be mounted in a canopy. I beleive they can be mounted closer to the water. Bulbs do cost more than DE. More of a variety to choose from. and they are lighter in weight for mounting purposes.

[dngonzales]

pfo has some nice hoods with built in fans but are in the upwards of 800 - 1200 whats a good solution around 5-600 $