here's a thread and some info from reef central:
http://www.reefcentral.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?threadid=7129
bjmumy say's:
"Here's what I have into my lighting setup so far:
2 x 250W Advance MV ballast from Graybar model number 71A3802: $23 each
2 x metal enclosures on clearance from HD: $3 each
2 x SpiderLight reflectors with sockets: $40 each
1 x 250W Iwasaki (new from eBay): $40
1 x 250W Iwasaki from PA (will get this soon): $60
So by the time I'm all done, my 2x250W 6500k Iwasaki setup with SpiderLights is going to be $232.
It's hard to judge, but so far I like the MV ballasts. They have no capacitors so they use more current to start, but use a little less power to fire the bulb, take up little space (w/ no capacitor), and the bulb definitely looks more blue to me on a MV ballast."
bjmumy say's:
"Actually the only difference with not using capacitors is the extra juice it takes to start the bulb comes from the wall rather than from a capacitor which has stored up energy. So there is no worry that the bulbs will blow or anything. In fact, the bulbs are supposed to last longer on the MV ballasts. EYE says you should only use MV ballasts since the Iwasakis are actually MV bulbs. So the MV ballasts is what they were designed to run on and they supposedly run brighter, bluer, and longer on a MV ballast (time will tell if that's true). The disadvantage is that I am locked into the Iwasaki. I can't use any bulb but. Given their price and PAR though, I'm ok with that. I got the ballasts from Graybar. They have stores in most major cities. Their web address is
www.graybar.com. They don't sell over the internet, but they will ship. They only sell to companies, so you'll have to pretend it's for work. My enclosures are 6x4x4". They allow plenty of breathing room around the ballasts, yet are nice and compact."
