VIVOSUN 6500K 4FT T5 HO Fluorescent Grow Light Fixture for Indoor Plants, UL Listed High Output Fluorescent Tubes, 10 Lamps

I grow veggies and herbs in my basement for salads, dinner veggies, and herbs for cooking, and bought two of these fixture for a 5-foot shelving unit. The plants that I put on my 5-foot shelf with these lights get superior growth as the lighting covers covers the length and width of the shelves. Since the T5HO lights do give off heat and will burn leaves that get too close or touch them. I replaced the bulbs with LED bulbs that do not require a ballast bypass as these fixtures do have a ballast. Using the LED bulbs reduces the electricity used and heat produced. Other things I considered before buying these light fixtures are that the top of the fixture is flat and totally enclosed and the fixtures can be daisy chained to reduce the number of outlets needed. In the first picture, I have the two fixtures daisy chained so that only one plug goes into my timer. These fixtures also have two switches so that half the bulbs can be turned off if you don't need all the lighting. This can also be handy if you want to use 6500K bulbs for initial foliage growth of plants and want to use 3500K later for flowering or fruiting. .I thought I also might mention that I am growing kale, spinach, Swiss chard, Asian greens, Komatsuna, tomatoes, and a number of herbs with great success using these light fixtures. Many of these plants are grown in 13" x 19" flats that are 6" deep and they thrive under these lights. I often have to harvest them for dinner veggies as they produce much more than we are able to use for salads.Changing the tubes to LED was a personal choice since the electricity usage is cut to half with the LED tubes. I use the Sunlite 6500K Daylight LED tubes that are also available on Amazon. These tubes work with the ballast in this fixture and use only 22 W of power vs. 54 W used by the T5 tubes. I bought a meter that measures watts used to check the electricity usage of the different plant lights. This fixture with the LED tubes consumes only 220 W which is less than many of the much smaller LED fixtures available. The other advantage is that the tubes can be replaced when they eventually burn out. Most LED fixtures are trash when the lights burn out. The 6500K T5 bulbs work great for growing plants at all stages of growth, and I had used them for quite a few years. If you aren't using a number of light fixtures, the power usage for one fixture would not have much effect on your electric bill.I thought I would also mention that I have a few of the 4-tube 2-foot fixtures, and the 4-tube 4-foot fixtures that I use for different configurations and stages of growth. Whether using the T5 tubes or LED's the reflective underside of these lights is superior. It is an accordion style rather than a flat background that reflects the light at all angles which intensifies the lighting. The only differences in using the T5 tubes vs. the LED tubes is the electricity usage and more heat is produced by the T5 tubes. I have added a few pictures of some of my plants to give you an idea of what can be done with these lights.I hope this review was helpful for you.

8x T5 lamps. It's big. Packaging could use a little more care. It came in a big flat box approximately 50 in. x 26 in. x 3 in. There where some dents and dings on the first fixture.Actual light fixture is 46.25" x 23.5" x 2.5" for the 8 T5 bulbsI chain the two light that I have purchased together reducing electrical cord clutter. The two T5 replaced a 600w digital metal halide and a 2000w grow led. The T5s does a much better job spreading light evenly. Heat is a big factor for me as spring heat is moving in. It reduced my room temperature by up to 15 degrees so far.Using ennoLogic eL200K light meter:-Around edge of lights, 27k lux @ 12 in. below bulbs.-Center of lights, 45k lux @ 12 in. below bulbs.-Away from direct light, 4k-6k @ 12 in. below and 12in from side.Power draw is about 360 watt per "8xT5 fixture"Overall, I think at this price point it's a steal deal. Next test is longevity stress test which I will update later if there are any other issues or malfunctions.

I'll start by saying Vivosun Customer Service is absolutely TOP NOTCH amazing. I ordered this light after seeing one similar but different brand at the local hydro store. Same specs different brand as the hydro store so I already expect the lights gonna be absolutely bright and amazing. So I ordered it. Shipping was saying possibly up to 9 days, came in 2-3 I was thrilled! Arrives at the door, I walk to the door instantly seeing the box is damaged I'm kinda bummed, I bring it in check the light and it's clearly damaged and pretty gnarly lookingand looks almost used I'm like wtf. So I message Vivosun and they absolutely blew away my expectations with their level of customer service and I will be buying another one of these lights soon and lots more Vivosun stuff with COMPLETE CONFIDENCE! Happy as two peas in a pod

I just bought itHow could I possibly determine things like durability and performance based on nothing more than a package in the mail......Okay it has now been 8 months and a full fifty percent of the bulbs have already failed. Part of the REASON I use fluorescent lights is because the bulbs have a reputation for burning for YEARS but none of the Vivosun bulbs last more than a few months, some literally blow in thirty days (or less). I also bought a heatmat from Vivosun and it runs constantly because it can't reach 78 degrees. This company produces junk, dont waste your money there are more deserving company out there. I have pictures but that feature never seems to work. The visual of half the bulbs being blown is pathetic. Not surprised I can't upload it.