Customer Reviews

Hydrofarm FLC0125D Fluorescent Grow Light System

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I was not sure what to do with all my trees over the winter. I made a mistake and forgot to water my 40 year old ficus which has an amazing 10 inch trunk. I also have been babying my serissa for about 8 years and have had many sections die off. I knew my main problem was that they were not getting the right amount of light over the winter in the north east parts of Massachusetts. This year I decided I would build a bonsai hospital. First I had to sort out an area that my darn plant eating cat could not get into. Then I ordered this light. I went a few steps further and went to my local home hardware store and bought a set of 2" PVC pipes and fittings making a jig to hold the light up about 5 feet off the ground. Then I put the light on a timer and ended up not only reviving my 40 year old ficus, but my serissa looks better than it does after a warm bright wet summer! I even put my herbs and my orchids under it and all in all this saved my entire plant collection for the winter. I do recommend making a stand of sorts. I used 2 "T" fittings for the legs and the risers, then 2 elbows for the pipe that spans between the feet and drilled two holes in them inserting hooks through them so I could suspend the light. It all breaks down for summer storage and I am sooooo happy with the results. Also, this thing throws out so much light you can't even look into it, yet it uses so little energy! Its like having a 125 watt bulb on, so yes it uses some, but you will (more importantly your plants) will love love love it!!


UPDATE: This summer my plants are doing better than ever. My orchid I mentioned above even flowered!!! First time ever since I got it. This winter they will all be pampered again under this light.

This was my first purchase of an item like this, so I was unsure what to expect.
What I found was a high quality unit, ready to install.
I have just one of these going, but I can say that with the compact flourescent bulb the increase in my utility cost is negligable.

Great beginner unit!

This is the second of these I have ordered. When I installed the first one my indor pond plants responded nicely. The second one will allow me more plants by increaseing the lighted area. Great product for plants.

I had an old 400Watt Metal halide Hydrofarm light that the ballast finally gave up the ghost on. It has been in my living room over a water garden with plants around it for years. I call it my Florida corner, where I can forget it's winter when it's cold out. :-)

I had been thinking about getting a CFL light to replace it, to use less electricity, but hung on to the old one because it seemed like a waste to not use it while it was still working. When it died, I figured it was time.

I didn't have the finances to buy a 250Watt CFL, so settled on this 125Watt version. The price was right, and I took a chance on it being shipped well since others had problems with breakage. I had the UPS guy open the package before accepting it - the bulb was fine but they could have packaged it a bit better. It was in a Hydrofarm box, so I am wondering if it was Hydrofarm that packaged it that way.

Anyway, we removed the old metal halide light, and put this up. It is much lighter and smaller, and much, much, quieter. I can't hear anything at all - the old metal halide ballast was so noisy I had to put it in another room and run the cord through a window. That is a big improvement. The ballast is on the bulb itself too, so I was able to plug the power cord into a socket in the living room, which is nice. No more running it out the window into the greenhouse. The cord was quite long, probably over 6 feet.

It doesn't have quite as bright a light as the metal halide, but it's obviously a broader spectrum as the colors look more natural. I really like it better, and I'm thinking my plants will too. I hope to get more flowers from my African Violets, and all the vines should grow better.

I notice that in the literature that came with it that it will accept a 200Watt bulb. I'm seriously thinking about purchasing one, and putting the 125Watt one in storage for later use as as spare.

All in all I am happy with this light, and recommend it so far.

Well I bought this for my green house, was not quite ready for it ,and my friend borrowed it. He loves it, has great plants and starts under it, and will not return it. so it must be great! don't lend your light.

My plants are really liking this bright light. I live in Minnesota and my plants don't get enough light in the winter months, and this really helps. It was easy to set up and use, and seems well-made. I would recommend it to gardening enthusiasts.

Was skeptical of this light from reading other reviews about the lamp being broken when box was opened. Went ahead and ordered anyway without listening to other reviewers and what did I get? A broken light! Could not believe how the manufacturer packages their product. I happen to design and sell packaging for a living and was completely shocked someone would use so little care when packing something so fragile. I would be surprised if they had any lights reach a customer without damage. Now I am starting to question Amazon a bit, I dont see why they would continue to sell a product that has multiple complaints of damage from shipping. I know they are not making the light or packing it in the original carton, but they do have a responsibility to support all products they sell? Either need to confront the manufacturer about crappy packaging or stop shipping their products. The current package is not suitable for shipment. Please let this be a warning to anyone considering this light.

Our plants really seem to be responding well to this light. The strongest illumination space under the light seems to be about as advertised (2' x 2') so you should consider that when making a purchase. Some reviews have reported packaging problems with this light, but that was not the case here...inserts around the bulb kept it stable and secure when it was delivered to us. Since we got this light at a sale price, we feel it was a great value.

This light does everything it claims to do. It is simple to setup, efficient energy user, and gives plenty of light for growing plants. My orchids love it because of the bright light it gives without extra heat.

Highly recommended!

I had to return this item 3 times before I finally gave up. So this is more of a review of the overall amazon experience on this item. Each and every time I received this, the ballast was broken. The problem is in the way this item is shipped. The bulb, which is very heavy is screwed into the ballast when shipping and has no other support. What that means is that there is a 3 inch space between the bulb and the shade so the normal jarring of shipping wear and tear breaks the ballast because of the lack of support. It was a very frustrating affair to say the least. Amazon handled the returns very well at no cost to me but it was still a hassle to pack and ship this 3 times. You may be better off finding a retail outlet for this item. I saw one at Alsip nursery here in Indiana but it was WAY more expensive that the amazon price. So buyer beware. If you order it, check the ballast real good!