Would you buy a PAR Meter?
 

Hello,

I work at one of the big online aquarium stores. I wanted to know if an online store carried a meter/monitor to measure PAR(photosynthetially active radiation) for about $225, would people actualy buy it. As an aquarist, I definitely would find a use for one. I will be able to tell when to change my bulbs out, a way to see which ballast works better. A great way to see if the XM Metal Hallide bulbs you bought works better than the Giesemann bulbs you paid an arm and a leg for. You can even tell if the luminarc reflector you just bought works better than a regular reflector. There are so many meters out there but most are over the 1K barrier which most of us rather spend on our corals. I personally am curious if people feel the same way I do. Thanks in advance for your answers!

I bought 1 based on this: With a purchase price of ~$250, I could resell it when I quit the hobby for $~150, so it costs me $100 but that way I don't replace bulbs every 12 months just because. I'll have #s to show when a bulb has degraded too much. Maybe it's just me, but I like PAR #s over eyesight.

Premium Aquatics carries the Quantum meter from Apogee already ... and yes, I know, because I bought one from them.

Spleen

What was the price Spleen?

I would definetly like to purchase a Par meter.

I think people should rent them out:)

Let's see if I can link to the product listing

[url=http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=PFO-74019&Category_Code=]This[/url] should be the link.

Spleen

I bought a lux meter because it was a lot more affordable than a PAR meter- it's not perfect but it's a load better than nothing. At 225 I suspect a lot of people would start at least thinking about buying one.

Apogee Instruments' Model QMSW-SS