The 5 Best Digital Ballasts [Ranked]
Many indoor gardeners are moving towards investing in high-quality digital ballasts to save money and increase the quality of their yields.
There are definitely some solid reasons why it makes sense to purchase a top quality digital ballast vs high-performance bulbs or mechanical ballasts.
The reason why you can ditch the expensive, premium quality light bulbs and double down on more affordable, but still reliable, types is due to the super lumens feature of digital ballasts.
Contents
Our Top Pick: The Phantom II
- EFFICIENT: Even with 1000 watts this grow light ballast is completely silent, energy-efficient, reliable, and lightweight for your indoor grow light fixtures
Buyers say that this is an extremely reliable option and a great value for the money. Some of the best things about it- buyers say that it's nearly indestructible.
Video Overview
They rarely fail and the casing is extremely sturdy.
Another important thing- it can cool itself without a fan. Reviewers say this might be part of why these units last so long. Because there's no fan, there are no moving parts, or open casing areas.
Surprisingly, it also runs really cool.
Digital Ballasts Compared
- Support dual voltage input 120V/240V; dimmable options: 50%, 75%, 100%; (8 feet heavy-duty power cord included)
- Dimmable featuret: Adjust level: 400W; 600W; 1000W; Super lumens(1100W), allows you to run different power output grow bulus.Operates on 120/240V, 50/60Hz power supply. 8ft 120V heavy-duty power cord included.
- automatically converts between hps and mh light bulbs by micro-chip programming. fast lamp ignition by lighting up the bulbs within 1-2 mins max. stable voltage output ensures flicker free light
- Operating voltage range: 100V~265V with 120V working voltage; dimmable options: 50%, 75%, 100%. Watt option: 600w / 750w / 1000w / Super lumens (110%)
- Operating voltage range: 100V~265V with 120V working voltage. Dimmable options: 50%, 75%, 100%. Watt option: 250w / 400w / 600w / Super lumens (110%)
Video Reviews
- Apollo (purple Reign)
- Apollo 1000
The Apollo Purple Reign was our top pick, but it seems to frequently go out of stock. So we've come to recommend the Phantom II over and above the Purple Reign. (You can try the link below to check if it's in stock).
Effectiveness
Price
Ease of Use
The Apollo purple Reign digital ballast measures 14 x 7.5 x 4", weighs 13 pounds and has a voltage of 120 V-240 V. It is primarily compatible and suitable for bulbs of 400 W, 600 W and 1000 W, as well as MH and HPS lamps.
Wattage is 12-level adjustable and displayed on screen ranging between 400 W and 1050 W. It is a highly reliable and cool-running digital ballast that is specially silent and powerful, with safety-features built-in to dynamically detect overload issues.
As a piece of hydroponic equipment, many users commend that it effectively helps them to produce better quality yields at lower cost.
The super lumens feature enables you to reduce expenses on bulb replacement mainly because it raises the output on older HPS or MH bulbs, providing you with an extended life-span for your bulb.
Additionally, it may supply a solid enhancement of lumen and PAR output on more inexpensive light bulbs, causing them to be equally as effective as more highly-priced HID grow bulbs available in the market. Let's take a look at 5 of the best selling options and see how they stack up.
Purple Reign Video Review
Pros
- Runs cool in most environments
- Versatile and dependable
- Sturdy construction
- High number of wattage adjustments compared to other digital ballasts
Cons
- Can run a bit hot in tents- Best to keep it out of tents or put a fan on it
Advantages of digital ballasts
- A digital ballast supplies: Silence - quiet operating noise is essential for many growing enthusiasts.
- Increased Grow Bulb Life - Slowing the light start-up is an effective way of starting up your grow bulbs while also reducing risk of premature failure.
- Highly portable - Simple transportation and a fairly slim design means that digital ballasts are easy to setup and store.
- Great Safety Features - Digital ballasts help reduce fire hazards and reduce damage risk to your home’s electrical circuits.
Buyer's Guide
Electronic ballasts with pre-programmed time settings and dimming abilities, combined with LED digital display panels, are increasingly essential for your grow lights to operate at peak performance. They intelligently power grow bulbs and lamps and can often be attached to a reflector or socket using the cord that you screw your grow light into.
Ballasts are essential to shaping and regulating the flow of electricity into a smooth and constant light does not have any distortions or flickers. Digital ballasts make use of a light-weight circuit board to modulate power at higher frequencies then magnetic ballasts do. For this reason, it's advisable to invest in a digital ballast to harness this stream of constant energy to the bulb to gain quality lumen output. You can essentially ponder or overclock your bulbs, sometimes pushing them down from 100% usage to 75% or 50%.
As well you could push them past the maximum capabilities- these are all great ways to increase the yield of your indoor or hydroponic gardening. If you are looking to purchase a digital ballast, read our reviews above and examine the comparison table to ensure that you select a digital ballast that is best for you and your indoor growing operation.
