cfls do not save you money in the long run. the hps lights are much more effecient, nearly twice as much. 10 of my 40w 2700k cfls use a combined wattage of 400w and they put out 28,000 lumens altogether. my 400w hps w/high output spectrally enhanced bulb(not much more $ than a standard hps bulb. worth the extra cost for sure imo, i use them for all of the plants life myself) puts out 55,000 lumens. my 600w high output spectrally enhanced hps puts out 95,000 lumens. if you are going to do a small personal grow of a few hundred watts it makes sense to use cfls at times but imo(keep in mind ive done large cfl grows quite a few times myself, using up to 920w of cfls) hps is for sure the way to go if you want to do more than a few plants. Another problem of large cfl grows is its actually harder to keep cool as the bulbs are spread all over the grow area while the hps bulbs heat can be sucked out right away through a cool tubed hood or w/o one with a fan blowing on the tops and between the bulb. another point on cost. ok, a good 600w setup with cool tube, carbon filter, high output hps bulb, fan for cooltube, exhaust fan to suck air out through carbon filter and a few clip on oscilating fans should be under $300-$400 and with a 600w setup you should have no problem pulling 6-8 oz first harvest. 2 or 3 if you really fuck it up(it happens,lol). since you are going to kill any males you should end up with very high quality seedless bud. stuff that would go for 50-75 an 1/8th or so. if we look at the math if you get 2 oz you'll get 16 eights. worth around $800 if sold by the eigth for $50. So you would double your investment and still have all that growing equipment for the next grow. If it all goes good and you get 8 oz you would have 64 1/8ths. worth around $3200.
