Anyone try this retro kit yet?

celano · 01/26/2008, 12:54 PM

I was wondering if anyone has seen this yet? And if so what is your impression of it?? T-5 retro kit I know its one of them cheap ebay things but this didn't look so bad to me so I wanted to get some more advice before I buy.

celano · 01/27/2008, 10:54 AM

^^^^^
Nobody has anything good or bad to say about this???

boca rat · 01/29/2008, 08:50 AM

Interested also - I'm looking at these as well and posted yesterday for feedback, should have checked first of course. I contacted some of the buyers and they seemed happy although a couple of folks who bought the non-retrofit kit didn't get the supporting legs.

celano · 01/31/2008, 09:27 AM

Ya I saw that to. Not to big of a deal though. It seems like most people got the legs, it just took a little longer. I contacted the seller because I wanted to know what kinda ballast they use and what brand of reflector.
He said they use workhorse ballasts and a Tek style reflector. I think the reflector is just a generic knock off though and I'm surprised they actually use workhorse ballasts. I know they arnt the best but they arent that bad either. Kinda middle of the road.
I think I'm gonna use some tax return money and go for it. For the price it looks promising.

coralnut99 · 01/31/2008, 11:16 AM

In the picture I see 8 sets of t5 endcaps. Where are the moonlight led's? The claim is a top of the line german reflector. They look identical to the cheap 3-sided reflectors that Current sells with their retro kits. I wouldn't buy a t5 retro or fixture without parabolics. The fixture itself is pretty cool though, and seems decently made. Lastly, there aren't a gazillion ballasts out there for this application. I would be leery of a name somebody won't identify and nobody's heard of.

boca rat · 01/31/2008, 11:34 AM

So the Current retros are no good?

coralnut99 · 01/31/2008, 11:46 AM

Unless the new ones come with parabolics, they are a waste of time. I bought a 4 bulb retro about 6 months ago, and the end caps mount to the reflectors. That makes the reflectors alamost an inch and a half from the bulbs. I bought a pair of parabloics, and the fit between the bulb and the reflector with plenty of room to spare. Parabolics make them exponentially more efficient. The Currents did have neat wiring harnesses.

boca rat · 01/31/2008, 01:21 PM

Good info coral, thanks. I am now looking harder at Reefgeek.

coralnut99 · 01/31/2008, 01:26 PM

No problem. It looks like a guy trying to build a business with some metal fabrication knowledge behind him and some sources for cheap T5 componants. But then again, lots of stuff that turns up on ebay is pretty questionable.

TheOtherReefer · 01/31/2008, 01:42 PM

The gap in price is for a few reasons. First off, as mentioned earlier the reflectors are not the same as the ATI or Icecap parabolic reflectors. One of the main emphasis of the power of T5 lighting is because of the amount of light than can be reflected back into the aquarium. Next, the unit claims to come with bulbs but these are not the bulbs you see on all the tanks on ReefCentral. The bulbs are not your typical giesemann or ATI bulb which is what you want for your tank and what looks the nicest. Another thing as mentioned above is the ballast. Workhorse ballasts are ok, I have never had one but heard decent reviews. On the other hand Icecap ballasts overdrive the bulbs about 40% for more light with less energy consumption, run cooler, and more efficient. Also no moon lights. Plus a lot of people who sell on ebay buy in bulk so they offer you those prices, a bunch of no name peices put together to make it seem like you are getting a deal. I have no experience and have not spoken to anyone about these, but I feel strongly about it. In the end you will end up spending the same/more for what you want. Hope this helps!!

coralnut99 · 01/31/2008, 01:52 PM

In the end you would end up spending a lot more to correct the reflectors and poor quality bulbs.

Lots of folks have DIY'd workhorse ballasts in T5 retros, but they aren't cheap either. 3 WH7's would cost 1/3 of what this fixture sells at. Unless they can prove otherwise I would assume an inferior ballast too.

celano · 01/31/2008, 02:22 PM

No visual proof was offered by the seller when I emailed him about what kinda ballasts he uses just verbal/written.
I realize now that I was just wishful thinking about this setup....its just so hard in this hobby to find a nice balance between super expensive and some what affordable. It seems like theres no middle ground.....its very frustrating.

coralnut99 · 01/31/2008, 02:29 PM

Frustratingly expensive is the way I would put it.

Anything cheap in this hobby ends up being expensive.

mcliffy2 · 01/31/2008, 02:33 PM

I have a 4x39w unit from them. The reflectors are not parabolic but they do work much better than a single reflector. My SPS grow fine under them. The bulbs it comes with tho are not good, but when I replaced them with ATI bulbs it made a HUGE difference. Id say they arent a bad deal, but once you factor in the cost of replacement bulbs, you might as well have bought a retro w/ bulbs from Reef Geek, or some place like that.

luke33 · 01/31/2008, 03:56 PM

They use workhorse 5 ballasts and are pretty much the same as the current nova pro reflectors....which grim tested and they had good par #'s. There not as nice as tek's, ati's, IC, aquacintics but there good enough for most corals. Just keep your sps middle to higher in your tank and you'll be fine......after you replace the junk bulb's. Good ol catalina!

01/26/2008, 12:54 PM	#1
celano Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Illinois Posts: 910	Anyone try this retro kit yet? I was wondering if anyone has seen this yet? And if so what is your impression of it?? T-5 retro kit I know its one of them cheap ebay things but this didn't look so bad to me so I wanted to get some more advice before I buy.

01/31/2008, 11:16 AM	#5
coralnut99 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Bushkill, PA Posts: 3,632	In the picture I see 8 sets of t5 endcaps. Where are the moonlight led's? The claim is a top of the line german reflector. They look identical to the cheap 3-sided reflectors that Current sells with their retro kits. I wouldn't buy a t5 retro or fixture without parabolics. The fixture itself is pretty cool though, and seems decently made. Lastly, there aren't a gazillion ballasts out there for this application. I would be leery of a name somebody won't identify and nobody's heard of. __________________ Why can't my wife see this stuff as an investment? Current Tank Info: way too much to list, and still adding more!

01/31/2008, 11:46 AM	#7
coralnut99 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Bushkill, PA Posts: 3,632	Unless the new ones come with parabolics, they are a waste of time. I bought a 4 bulb retro about 6 months ago, and the end caps mount to the reflectors. That makes the reflectors alamost an inch and a half from the bulbs. I bought a pair of parabloics, and the fit between the bulb and the reflector with plenty of room to spare. Parabolics make them exponentially more efficient. The Currents did have neat wiring harnesses. __________________ Why can't my wife see this stuff as an investment? Current Tank Info: way too much to list, and still adding more!

01/31/2008, 01:26 PM	#9
coralnut99 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Bushkill, PA Posts: 3,632	No problem. It looks like a guy trying to build a business with some metal fabrication knowledge behind him and some sources for cheap T5 componants. But then again, lots of stuff that turns up on ebay is pretty questionable. __________________ Why can't my wife see this stuff as an investment? Current Tank Info: way too much to list, and still adding more!

01/31/2008, 01:42 PM	#10
TheOtherReefer Pre-Internet Club Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Miami Posts: 1,154	The gap in price is for a few reasons. First off, as mentioned earlier the reflectors are not the same as the ATI or Icecap parabolic reflectors. One of the main emphasis of the power of T5 lighting is because of the amount of light than can be reflected back into the aquarium. Next, the unit claims to come with bulbs but these are not the bulbs you see on all the tanks on ReefCentral. The bulbs are not your typical giesemann or ATI bulb which is what you want for your tank and what looks the nicest. Another thing as mentioned above is the ballast. Workhorse ballasts are ok, I have never had one but heard decent reviews. On the other hand Icecap ballasts overdrive the bulbs about 40% for more light with less energy consumption, run cooler, and more efficient. Also no moon lights. Plus a lot of people who sell on ebay buy in bulk so they offer you those prices, a bunch of no name peices put together to make it seem like you are getting a deal. I have no experience and have not spoken to anyone about these, but I feel strongly about it. In the end you will end up spending the same/more for what you want. Hope this helps!! __________________ When a man lies he murders some part of the world... Current Tank Info: Custom shallow (72"x24"x16") 100 gallon reef.

01/27/2008, 10:54 AM	#2
celano Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Illinois Posts: 910	^^^^^ Nobody has anything good or bad to say about this???

01/29/2008, 08:50 AM	#3
boca rat Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: St Augustine, FL Posts: 168	Interested also - I'm looking at these as well and posted yesterday for feedback, should have checked first of course. I contacted some of the buyers and they seemed happy although a couple of folks who bought the non-retrofit kit didn't get the supporting legs.

01/31/2008, 09:27 AM	#4
celano Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Illinois Posts: 910	Ya I saw that to. Not to big of a deal though. It seems like most people got the legs, it just took a little longer. I contacted the seller because I wanted to know what kinda ballast they use and what brand of reflector. He said they use workhorse ballasts and a Tek style reflector. I think the reflector is just a generic knock off though and I'm surprised they actually use workhorse ballasts. I know they arnt the best but they arent that bad either. Kinda middle of the road. I think I'm gonna use some tax return money and go for it. For the price it looks promising.

01/31/2008, 11:34 AM	#6
boca rat Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: St Augustine, FL Posts: 168	So the Current retros are no good?

01/31/2008, 01:21 PM	#8
boca rat Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: St Augustine, FL Posts: 168	Good info coral, thanks. I am now looking harder at Reefgeek.

01/31/2008, 01:52 PM	#11
coralnut99 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Bushkill, PA Posts: 3,632	In the end you would end up spending a lot more to correct the reflectors and poor quality bulbs. Lots of folks have DIY'd workhorse ballasts in T5 retros, but they aren't cheap either. 3 WH7's would cost 1/3 of what this fixture sells at. Unless they can prove otherwise I would assume an inferior ballast too. __________________ Why can't my wife see this stuff as an investment? Current Tank Info: way too much to list, and still adding more!

01/31/2008, 02:22 PM	#12
celano Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Illinois Posts: 910	No visual proof was offered by the seller when I emailed him about what kinda ballasts he uses just verbal/written. I realize now that I was just wishful thinking about this setup....its just so hard in this hobby to find a nice balance between super expensive and some what affordable. It seems like theres no middle ground.....its very frustrating.

01/31/2008, 02:29 PM	#13
coralnut99 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Bushkill, PA Posts: 3,632	Frustratingly expensive is the way I would put it. Anything cheap in this hobby ends up being expensive. __________________ Why can't my wife see this stuff as an investment? Current Tank Info: way too much to list, and still adding more!

01/31/2008, 02:33 PM	#14
mcliffy2 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Downtown Chicago Posts: 4,093	I have a 4x39w unit from them. The reflectors are not parabolic but they do work much better than a single reflector. My SPS grow fine under them. The bulbs it comes with tho are not good, but when I replaced them with ATI bulbs it made a HUGE difference. Id say they arent a bad deal, but once you factor in the cost of replacement bulbs, you might as well have bought a retro w/ bulbs from Reef Geek, or some place like that. __________________ 238g 60x36x26, 100g sump/fuge, 30g frag, 23g skimmer sump, 4 Vortechs, ATB L, Sfiligoi 12x54w T5 Bulb Combo: Super actinic, 6 Blue Plus/AS 22k, Fiji Purple, 2 Aquablue special, 2 Aquascience Duo

01/31/2008, 03:56 PM	#15
luke33 Moved On Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Indiana Posts: 8,375	They use workhorse 5 ballasts and are pretty much the same as the current nova pro reflectors....which grim tested and they had good par #'s. There not as nice as tek's, ati's, IC, aquacintics but there good enough for most corals. Just keep your sps middle to higher in your tank and you'll be fine......after you replace the junk bulb's. Good ol catalina!