Digital ballasts offer growers several important advantages over magnetic ballasts. First they give you up to 30% more light from your bulbs. Dimmable digital ballasts give you the ability to run a single bulb at different wattages and tailor your lighting to your grow. Finally they give off much less heat than magnetic ballasts which is great if your ballast is inside your grow room.
With so many brands of ballasts it can be hard to decide which one is best for you. That is why you will want to read my Solis Tek Matrix 1000W Digital Ballast Review before you buy one.
I recently purchased a Solis Tek 1000w ballast from Amazon for $188 with free shipping and wanted to review it for you. I am expanding and have set up a new grow closet and that meant buying a new HID lighting set up. Read more about my Super Closet Grow Room Set Up.
I have a spare 1000w magnetic ballast but chose not to use it and go with a digital ballast for all the reasons above.
Upon unboxing my Solis Tek ballast it seemed very heavy, solid and well built. It is almost twice the size of a Lumatec or similar ballast. I think this is because with more surface area it can dissipate heat better. It does get warm when running but not hot.
It runs silently. I had a pair of Quantum ballasts that I returned because they made an ungodly hum so I was really glad this one was quiet.
I also own a pair of Phantom 600w ballasts and they are very good but I like the Solis Tek better. If you want you can also read my Phantom 600w digital ballast review.
The Solis Tek ballasts have a reputation for being extremely reliable and are the choice of many commercial growers. They are also cheaper than the Phantom 1000w ballasts and only a few dollars more than the 600 watter.
I will give you a rundown on this ballast and what its features are but if you don’t want to read a full review and just want to buy this ballast you can click the link below:
Buy The Solis Tek Matrix 1000W Digital Ballast From Amazon Now
Here are some of the features:
- Ignition Control – the only ballast(s) that will ignite your lamps sequentially, one at a time, with soft start technology for true efficiency
- Sensesmarttm technology – (pre-ignition checks) – Solis-Tek ballasts will not ignite without a complete and proper connection
- Dimmable,with Multi-wattage Capabilility, Only 1 Remote Needed for All Solis Tek Ballasts
Here Is What I Like About The Solis Tek Digital Ballast
If you run more than one light at a time you will like the fact that this ballast is smart enough to ignite one at a time and not overload your circuit.
It runs 400/600/1000 with standard settings but this ballast allows you to use the 40 watt overdrive on all your settings. Many others only offer overdrive on the highest setting.
Another nice thing is it runs on either 120 or 240 volts and includes both power cords. If you can run on 240 you will save money because you will use half the amps and amps are what you get charged for.
Built In Timer
It has a built in timer allowing you to run different light cycles.The Solis Tek ballast can run the following cycles: 12/12, 18/6, 19/5, 20/4 and 23/1. The timer is set to start counting from when you activate it.
Solis Tek Remote Control
If you want to start your lights at a specific time you will want to get the Solis Tek remote to set an exact time. It only cost about $20 and can be used to activate multiple ballasts and I would definitely recommend buying it. It has to be ordered separately, also you will need 3 AAA batteries to run it. I didn’t buy it at first and ended up getting it a few days later anyway.
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Works With A Splitter
Solis Tek also makes a splitter that will allow this ballast to run 2 600w bulbs. It runs them at 500w each but if you run 600 watt bulbs you only need one ballast and not 2. If I had known this I would not have bought my 2 Phantoms and could have saved a bundle only buying one ballast.
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I am using this ballast with a 1000w Eye Hortilux HPS and it lights it perfectly. The bulb comes on and off gradually to help your bulbs last longer. The remote also works great and means I can change settings from outside the grow room.
What I Don’t Like
Nothing really. I think this is a great ballast. The only negative is that the digital read out is hard to see in a brightly lit up grow room, but if you have the remote that is a non issue.
Solis Tek Matrix 1000W Digital Ballast Review Final Verdict
I would highly recommend you buy the Solis Tek Matrix 1000W Digital Ballast. There are ballasts available for less but if your cheap ballast dies during a grow did you really save any money? The Solis Tek is battle proven by commercial growers and is very reliable. It offers some features not found on more expensive ballasts too. It also is favorably priced compared to the competition. You can scroll down to read Amazon customer reviews or click the link below to go to Amazon and buy the Solis Tek digital ballast.
Special Offer! Save Over $200 On A Complete 1000W HPS System
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