SolisTek Matrix LCD DE (Double-Ended) 1000W Dimmable Digital Ballast - Does Not work with Single Ended Bulbs, Must Use a Double-Ended Bulb

This is a one size fits all ballast. Sure, it says 1000 watts but this ballast is designed to also fire up 400 and 600 watt bulbs both MH and HPS. This means you can start small and work your way up without having to purchase different ballasts. Solis-Tek also sells a splitter for short money so you can run 2-600 watt bulbs from this one ballast.The built in timer is nice. It has a battery backup in case there is a power outage. It also has a ballast life timer built in which you can also use to keep track of how many hours your bulbs have been used.Comes with a built in breaker(on side opposite timer).The remote control definitely makes for easier programming. Only one remote is needed for multiple Matrix ballasts. It's great because they all will have the same current time in them but you can set them to different programs and wattages.If you do get multiple Matrix ballasts and have them all on the same schedule, they will not all fire at the same time. They will fire sequentially. Also these ballasts check the electrical system and only fires the lamps if and when the electrical circuit is stable. You will not get power spikes using these ballasts.

I ordered 2 of these bad boys but unfortunately I got a bad batch. I only needed one but I ordered two just incase I would need a backup. But both were giving me error codes of short circuits within the month. And I definitely used a new surge protector as well.I've already asked for replacements and 1 of them has arrived today. (I asked for replacements seperately by mistake) It is working so far. After I return the defective Items and get my 2nd replacement, I will update you all on my total experience.UPDATE 1: So after I requested a replacement, instead they gave me a return. I did not request this. However the replacement ballast is working.

Wonderful ballast...top notch product. Runs cool and the bulbs are definitely brighter than my previous generic ballast. Anti-hot start technology is a nice assurance that the ballast will only strike bulbs if cooled sufficiently.The only reason I did not give it 5 stars is that the internal timer is unreliable. Loss of power or power fluctuation causes ballast to reset timer so it won't turn back on again. Not ideal! I do not understand why Solis Tek designed it this way.Good news is there is a simple fix for this. If you buy this ballast, be sure to also buy an external timer that is compatible with electronic ballasts (which not all are).

Built in timer is a nice feature, but I have three of these ballasts and one changes wattage randomly about twice a month. Annoying as hell. I've also had issues with another one not restarting properly with it's timer settings intact after brief power failures. Considering that, and the premium price, I won't be buying any more of these.UPDATE: The one that changes wattage started doing it daily, so I swapped bulbs with another of my Solis Teks, and both are now performing fine.Update 2: The one that changes wattage randomly just decided to lose it's timer setting for no reason, and it defaulted to running full time. Ridiculous. I will be contacting Solis Tek about their 3 year warranty.Final update: Solis Tek had me return the faulty ballast, but took 6 weeks to replace it with a new unit. Then another one--not the replacement--started doing the same thing! I now have all three of my Solis Teks running on a mechanical timer, and they are doing fine.To be clear, this is on the manufacturer, not the seller.Two thumbs down. Unreliable product, slow customer service.

These come with the timer enabled for some reason. I read that you need a remote to disable it but I figured out that you can push and hold the power button while the unit is off and it will disable the timer. It is self testing and does not get hot. I have a very small fan blowing on the lowest setting straight onto two of these and they barely get to 40degC. If I dont use the fan they get closer to 60degC but not much more than that.Overall, these are pretty noisy (electrical interference) and they mess up a lot of my micro controller projects but after shielding all the wires, the problem is mitigated and only affect the most sensitive sensors. I dont think this will affect consumer grade products in this way because they are more robust. A lot of my projects are in the prototype stage and dont have the proper protection from such noise and so it will not be a problem for 90% of buyers.

First off, this product came in 2 days with prime which was awesome. This is my 6th ballast I've ever owned and I can say as of right now I will only use Solis Tek products in my garden from now on. This product has an attractive modern look and great ease of use. Paired with my SolisMax44 6" and 1000W HF HPS lamp my cacti have never grown faster. I can now switch to smaller bulbs during warmer months and run them efficiently at the industry standard wattage, unlike other ballasts that only dim 50-75% or to 600w. The remote (sold separately) was included although the product description did not include it and the LCD screen will surely impress your friends! You may as well spend the extra 50$ and get the German/Japanese engineered product that isn't going to burn your house or plants down. I could go on, but you probably already know to buy this ballast by now.

This ballast is top of the line. You can program the cycle with the remote or on the ballast itself. There is not fan so it is silent but it gets very hot, in fact hotter than the other ones I have using fans (less expensive). The quality is obvious with this product but I would have expected more flexibility in the programming. You have to choose between 12, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 hours over 24 hours. No other choices. You have to choose between 400, 420, 600, 630, 1000, 1040 watts, no other choices. The power levels correspond to standard lamp sizes which is very convenient while other ballast give you choices of 50%, 75% and 100% which doesn't correspond to any standard. As you can see this is a professional product.