HI-PAR 630w CMH Dynamic DE Control kit VS Nanolux CMH 630W Double Lamp Fixture

 Indoor plant growers take on a lot of responsibility. Starting from deciding what kind of crop to grow to decide where and how to grow it.

The improvement in technology, nowadays, has facilitated this process greatly. The lights used to grow the plants have evolved to become more efficient and more productive than ever.

The varieties available on the market include metal halide (MH), high-pressure sodium (HPS), light-emitting diode (LED), and finally the ceramic metal halide (CMH).

We’ll be discussing the latter in more detail below, along with its benefits and drawbacks.

What is a Ceramic Metal Halide Grow Light?

A ceramic metal halide, also known as a CMT, is a high-intensity light that can be used for a variety of applications. It offers some benefits over other types of lighting and can be a cost-effective option.

Ceramic metal halide lamps are very similar to high-intensity discharge (HID) lights. They are long, cylindrical lamps that feature two elements — a tungsten filament and a ceramic arc tube.

Like HID lights, they do not emit light from an atomic level like incandescents or LEDs. Instead, the tungsten filament emits electrons, which are then converted to photons on the arc tube. The two elements together give out light at a high temperature and do so for a longer period than the traditional light bulb.

Because of their high efficiency, they are popular in industrial lighting. Many large warehouses and factories rely on them to get their work done. Beginning in the late 20th century, gardeners became interested in CMHs. Now, you can find them in a wide variety of landscaping applications.

One of the key elements of ceramic metal halide lights is their ability to be dimmed. These lights are very consistent in their emission of light. You can use them to provide the right amount of light for a specific task.

How do CMH Grow Lights Work? 

CMH, Light Emitting Ceramic (LEC), or Ceramic Discharge Metal Halide (CDM) are all names for the same technology of grow lights. It’s considered among the top available on the market right now.

It has properties of both MH and HPS, as it operates using an arc tube made of ceramic. This is similar to that found in HPS grow lights instead of the quartz tube of the regular MH grow lights.

Compared to quartz glass, the pressure of the ceramic material of the arc tube in the CMH grow lights is much higher. This means that manufacturers are able to produce more accurate alterations on the spectrum.

HI-PAR 630w CMH Dynamic DE Control kit

Features:

HI-PAR grow light is our latest addition to HI-PAR CMH performance! Using 630w of CMH lighting outputs a phenomenal amount of PAR light! CMH fixtures output a higher quality light, resulting in bigger fruit and healthier, odor-filled flowers! The 630w Control Kit includes our new CONTROL 630w ballast, Dynamic Reflector & 630w DE CMH Horticultural lamp. These fixtures output a similar light spectrum & quality compared to natural sunshine; which results in enhanced plant profile development and essential oil production! The CMH Dynamic DE Controllable kit is the most advanced 630w complete fixture! Controllable, dimmable, and compatible with the new DE CMH bulb!

Nanolux CMH 630W Double Lamp Fixture

Features:

CMH lamps have a very broad light spectrum which is more similar to the sun itself than any other form of HID lamp. Nanolux has taken CMH technology and increased its operational efficiency, making the most comprehensive spectrum of light output for an HID fixture even better. The CMH lamps also have increased efficiency in PAR/Watt compared to other forms of HID lighting. The CMH fixture can be used as a primary veg light or a supplemental full spectrum light. Get the best spectrum available for maximum potency of your plants using Ceramic Metal Halide lamps with enhanced UV. The CMH 630W Double Lamp Fixture hood is optically designed to give a balanced footprint and is perfect in larger grow environments such as commercial installations where lighting overlap can be accomplished.

Benefits of CMH Grow Lights

When it comes to their lifespan, their photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) spectrum, and their efficiency, CMH grow lights beat their competition easily.

Balanced Spectrum
As mentioned above, CMH lights are a hybrid of MH and HPS, as it combines the red-saturated spectrum of the former with the blue-saturated spectrum of the latter. That’s how it provides the light that’s optimum for all stages of plant growth.

It’s a more PAR-efficient option, as the usable light spectrum falls between 400 and 700 nanometers. That’s why the more balanced light spectrum of CMH lights provides plants with the perfect photosynthesis rates, required for healthy growth.

On the other hand, MH and HPS lights consume a lot more power to produce light that can be converted into the nutrients required for plant growth.

Thus, their lifespan is much shorter than CMH lights, their PAR levels are much lower and they’re less efficient by at least 10%.

Color Rendering Index (CRI)
In our daily lives, we use different color lights that change the way our eyes see the objects around us. This isn’t of much importance when it comes to regular living, however it makes all the difference when it comes to growing plants.

That’s because you won’t be able to tell if there’s any problem with your plants if there are slight changes in color shades. Things will look more realistic with a higher CRI.

CRI is also known as how the quality of a light compares to the light quality that the sun produces. The sun is rated at 100 CRI with the CMH lights falling closely behind, between the range of 80 and 96 CRI.

The consistent color rendering of the CMH lights that extends throughout its lifespan allows you to see the actual color of your plants and how well they’re performing indoors.

Ultraviolet and Infrared Radiations
Because UV-C rays are harmful to the human eye, most high-end manufacturers add a glass filter to the bulb to block these rays, whilst allowing the two other types through.

If this filter is broken, don’t look at or work with the bulb, as the radiation has a cumulative effect and can burn.

Longer Lifespan
As CMH grow lights have ceramic arc tubes, they’re less likely to break and degrade at a lesser pace than other lights with quartz glass tubes like MH or HPS.

CMH lights preserve 80% of their original intensity up to 20,000 hours and they can last for 4,000 hours longer than that.

This is much higher than the 10,000-hour lifespan of the MH and HPS grow lights, which will have to be replaced frequently and add up to the overall cost.

No Electromagnetic Interference
A major turn-off for in-home growers is the interference of some grow lights and electronic ballasts with electronics, such as mobile phones and TV signals.

That’s not considered an issue with CMH grow lights as they cause no electromagnetic interference.

The Disadvantages of CMH Grow Lights

CMH lights have a number of disadvantages which you should be aware of before you make an investment in the lights.

The Low-down:

You waste money by investing in grow lights you don’t really need.

Longer flowering periods can cause problems with light burn, especially in the flowering room.

If the plants are in the same room during both the vegetative and flowering stages, the increased amount of light in the room is likely to overstimulate the plants.

You need to get a bigger battery to support all the lights you have.

Although CMHs are a top choice among many growers for their biggest yields, most growers feel that their yields fall off after the first season. When compared to HPS grow lights, CMHs do offer plenty of advantages. Knowing the disadvantages can help you decide if these lights are the right choice for your garden.

Conclusion

Growing plants indoors is an activity that should be enjoyable, however, it all depends on whether you’re using the right equipment or not.

The wrong equipment can make your yield smaller and your crops less healthy and dead-looking, which we don’t really want.

That’s why using any of our topics and understanding the way CMH grow lights operate and the differences among the types of lights will help you make a more informed decision.