Cooltube setup. DIY or what?

So Im looking to upgrade my flowering room from 400watthps/400watt MH to two 600watt HPS.


All my major purchases have come from HTG supply who only have prices listed for 600watt sysems for digital only. With a cooltube its about $275. http://www.htgsupply.com/growlights.asp?categoryID=1&subcategoryID=101&typeID=58

It looks like the other option would be buying a ballast rebuild kit?, bake a round tube and following one of the many DIY cooltube threads. which seems would run about $200 including everything needed http://www.htgsupply.com/viewproduct.asp?productID=51556

My main question is if I were to buy one of the ballast kits, wtf am I supposed to do with the ballast? is it safe to just mount on a board or something without putting it into some kind of enclosure? Would it be better to just see if I can buy a regular ballast and buy a mogul/wires seperatly? Are there any places similar to htg suppy that have 600watt cooltube setups closer to the $200 range magnetic or digital?

thanks friends

im kinda leanin towards buying just one of htgs supplys 600watt digital cooltubes and just leave my old 400watt hps in there till i can afford another 600watt cooltube. does anyone has any experience with the 600watt digital setup i linked above? or with the balast rebuild kit? specifically from htg supply?

YEAH man buy the D.I.Y kit!
the digital balast is really just quieter, if you mount the mangetic balast on two 2"x3" scrap wood risers its fine

You basically just need to find a way to mount it so the main electric coil isnt touching anything

I would maybe first check your local 2nd hand or thrift store. I found my cool tube there for $1 they even had 5 other various hurricane lamps
a pic in my journal