how good is odyssea?

[saltman1120]

i have a 250 watt hqi m/h with 2 96 w pc. with electronic ballasts
15k bulbs but dont look like 15k. has no bluish tint at all?

[daleKW]

I had a lot of issues out of my old PC fixture made by them.

[DarG]

Are you asking about the bulbs or the fixture itself.

The bulbs are cheap chinese bulbs like the hordes of them on ebay. Some seem to have the expected color of their K ratings, some dont. I dont know what the general consensus is about the Odyssea supplied bulbs.

As far as the fixture, it's a cheap combo fixture. The stock 250 watt halide ballasts dont produce 250 watts, they only produce about 160 watts. Actually, this is what they pull from the wall I believe. So, they probably are providing less than 150 watts to the lamp. The ballasts are obvious one of the corners that the manufacturer cut in order to provide the fixtures so cheaply. What this means is that the 250 watt halides arent providing 250 watts/ It also means that alot of 250 watt bulbs wont fire and run in the fixture with the stock ballasts. And even the ones that will, again, wont be producing anywhere near 250 watts. they wont be true to color and they most probably will not last as long as they should.

The top priority for those who buy the fixture as a "project" is to replace the ballasts. If I were you thats what I would do first. Then take a look at the bulb and go from there.

[reefcolors]

I have the 48" fixture with 2 175 watt 20k bulbs and 2 96 watt actinic PC. This was entirely to much blue for me. I like a whiter color with a light blue tint. I got 2 10k halide bulbs for it and it is much better looking IMO. As for the fixture IMO it is very well built. It looks like the coralvue. I have had it for 2 years and no problems. The built in moon lights look really nice. I will dig out my meter and see what the actual wattage output is. I do have the older magnetic ballast and not the newer electronic version. You can get a kill-o-meter for $15-$20 and check for yourself what the wattage/amperage is.

[DarG]

I dont think it's the 175 watt fixture that anyone has mentioned regarding the ballasts being under spec. It is the 250 watt ballasts that the Odyssea owners actually measured at well under spec. Read the long Odyssea thread, its well documented. The stock 250 watt ballasts do not do near 250 watts.

The old version just had fire problems ... :D

BTW, does your 175 watt Odyssea use double ended halides or single ended. I know that they made one with double ended bulbs that they called 175 watt. There is actually no 175 watt double ended bulbs. They are 150 watt ... regardless of what they are called. Another sorry marketing scam to get buyers to buy their "special" 175 watt double ended lamps.

[ct_vol]

One of my friends had his fans quit on him after under a year... Another one of my friends had his catch on fire... This was a couple of years ago though... They may have improved since then...

[sherm71tank]

I'll second replacing the ballasts. I replaced mine with the PFO HQI and HUGE difference. Otherwise the fixture itself is holding up just fine.

[TroutDoc]

This is bad news, I just bought the 48" MH combo fixture. It's not even here yet. A friend of mine has the 36" fixture. One of the fans whizzed rather loudly, so he went down to Radio shack, bought a fan they had there, replaced it, and it is now quiet.

[DarG]

If you had read the Odyssea cult thread you would have known about the ballasts. Every page of that thread is ballast, ballast, ballast. So you spend another 200 - 250 bucks plus shipping and get some new ballasts that actually supply 250 watts or more to the lamps and will allow you to run any 250 watt replacement bulb. Price goes up to $600 - $700 dollars after that purhcase. Still a great deal according to those guys.

[cem1234]

sherm71tank do you have any information on how you replaced your ballasts? I have the old type of odyssea (a 48" dual 175W + 2x96W PC) and wanted to replace my ballasts with another type...a dual 150W would be ideal. Can you provide any information on how you did yours? - ChucK!

[sherm71tank]

Chuck, I had already replaced the bulbs with the Phoenix HQI bulbs. I found a PFO HQI ballast here on RC used. Wired the fixture into the PFO cords, that's it!

[DarG]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12292295#post12292295 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cem1234
sherm71tank do you have any information on how you replaced your ballasts? I have the old type of odyssea (a 48" dual 175W + 2x96W PC) and wanted to replace my ballasts with another type...a dual 150W would be ideal. Can you provide any information on how you did yours? - ChucK!

The Sunlight Supply Blue Wave 7 Dual 150 watt HQI magnetic ballast is excellent. These are about 220 bucks or so. remember, this is a dual so it handles both lamps. If you must go electronic, the Galaxy dual 150 watt is another good ballast. I believe they make a 150 watt version anyway.

Wiring in a new ballast is not specific to the Odyssea fixture. It is basically the same for any fixture or pendant. Does your fixture have a captive cord that connects to the ballast or does it plug into the fixture or the ballast itself or both. In other words, is it permanently attached or removable? Some ballasts need to be hardwired or fitted with connectors to plug up with the fixture. Some require a cord with a unique plug that plugs into the ballast and needs to be purchased seperately if you are not using the same brand fixture or pendant (Like the SLS Blue Wave and Galaxy ballasts).

Bottom line is that it is easy. An easy 3 wire per bulb hardwire or 3 wire connection to a plug on one or both ends. It just depends on how the fixture is now wired with the existing ballast.

[RyanMKintz]

My 260 watt PC caught on fire.

[kodyboy]

from what I have seen and heard the newer MH fixtures are decent, except the ballasts suck. By the time you put on new ballast, you might as well have bought a better fixture to begin with. The bulbs are also not so good. Try the used forums to find some cheap, high quality, lighting equipment.