i think verilux just outsources their manufacturing - this is basically an 86CRI triphosphor adjusted to 6000K, and it puts out a puny 2800 lumens. It's an exceptionally expensive lamp, because it's sold for medical purposes, as a treatment for seasonal affective disorder. i feel so sad that you bought them, because you kind of wasted your money, but hopefully someone else will read this, and buy a lamp with real performance, like an XHL TCP, which puts out 3400 lumens with only 32 watts. it looks like you have a 40 watt fixture, if you were to run the xhl lamp in your fixture, it would overdrive it, to about 4200 lumens (per lamp)

Product Specifications:
Scotopic/photopic Ratio: 2.16
Phosphor Formula: Deluxe Plus Tri-phosphors
Color Rendering Index (CRI) (degrees k): 85+
Correlated Color Temp. (CCT): 6000 Kelvin
Initial CIE Chromaticity: x: .318 y: .334
Initial Lumens (Photopic) (lm): 2800 Lumens
Initial Lumens (Scotopic): 5800 Lumens
Ballast Type: Rapid Start, Magnetic/Electronic
Lamp Type: T-12
Base Type: Medium Bi-pin
Cathode Type: Coiled Tungsten
Rated Average Life (hrs.): 20,000+ Hours

they adjusted the price to what they thought medical patients would be willing to pay, tricking them by making them think that if they paid more, it would be of higher quality. Each lamp costs 15$, for that price you could buy 4 XHL lamps, with the same CRI, longer life, and more maintained lumens. T12 lamps are notorious for rapid lumen degradation, and I would never use them. even ushio t10's would be better and a lot cheaper. please do not be shy about emailing me, i really don't mind answering questions.

that looks similar to the USHIO 95CRI t8, except it's a t12
Verilux 94.5 CRI, 6280 Kº, 2100 lumens, T12 bulbs, 3-year guarantee. Again, the lumen maintenance on t12 sux, the lumen output sux, and a 4100K lamp just provides more red, than these lamps that are very heavy blue weighted.

the other difference of course is that again, the Ushio is way cheaper, has better maintained lumens, lasts longer, and is just a better lamp.

it's only taking me 2 minutes with google to find these things out.

Yea it is a shame I wasted my money and I think I payed about $15 each. I was looking at those XHL TCP lamps. With how little they cost and how awesome they are supposed to be Im thinking about getting 4 of those and another fixture. That should work nicely for pepper plants right?

"Lumens" is a term for a bell-shaped curve centered on green. However plants prefer full-spectrum, particularly red and blue. "Lumens" can be useful if "CRI" (color rendering index) were also considered.

Right, oh well, i've blown lots of money (a lot more than just $15) for nothing in return, luckily for me i've got money raining down on me, but all it took was a swat team to show up at my place, with dogs, followed by being thrown into a dog cage myself, and poof, there went $400,000 in income over a 2 year period (ouch!!!). Despite making this big money, I'm still extremely picky with what I buy (I just got a crap Daewoo laundry machine because it was $300 less than a Samsung, I hunt for bargain clothing on ebay instead of being ripped off on new clothes, sh*t, I even go to f^&%$
second hand store for shirts - but at least on the other hand I also try to be my brother's keeper, and I try not to pollute the hell out of the planet before I die, so it is all part of a personality trait) Oh and lermer is right, that 2000 lumen lamp might actually be o.k. for plant growth because of the difference between human eye lumens, and plant lumens, but it will definitely NOT be superior. Also he is wrong that plants "prefer" full spectrum, they do NEED small amounts of blue light to synthesize chlorophylls, and chlorophyll really spins fast with red light, but they do not NEED red light, because HPS is mainly yellow, and plants grow like on steroids, with JUST HPS, and they grow like the blazes, if you add a source of blue light, like a metal halide, to the HPS, and both of these light sources are definitely NOT full spectrum, but they just consist of a bunch of VERY DISCRETE emission lines. The reason sunlight is full spectrum, is because of the huge numbers of chemical elements in the sun, with MASSIVE numbers of DISCRETE but very closely packed emission lines, that LOOKS like a smooth spectrum, but if resolved, actually is just composed of emission lines. The plant has developed the capacity to use all of these emission lines, and even though chlorophyll reflects green, it also USES green light, and green light is actually MORE effective for photosynthesis than blue. Without blue, the plant thinks that it's in the shade, and stretches out, in an attempt to get out of the canopy so that it can find a source of blue light, that it needs to synthesize chlorophyll. Shade plants obviously have adapted to much less blue, and will not stretch out, because they sense they are in their right place. Blue and red light are important REGULATORS of plant growth, however. Despite my criticism, I generally find lermer to be quite knowledgeable and is an extremely helpful and generous individual, besides demonstrating that crucial human trait of curiosity, and there is usually some element of truth in what he is saying, but not always 100% precise.

I agree with pothead. There are numerous links that show the light absorption of plants with red and blue the predominant colors, others showing little benefit.

@weedbegone "There are numerous links that show the light absorption of plants with red and blue the predominant colors, others showing little benefit." Could it be that the plants are absorbing some colors that don't benefit them? Many of us absorb a lot of food and drink that don't benefit us. Could plants, less selfconsciously perhaps, be doing something of the same sort?

no, the plant is a food making factory, it uses what it absorbs. the pigments aborb the photon and this pushes an electron to a higher energy state, which is then used to make sugar.