use sunblaster. they are the cheapest. 30 bucks can with the bulb. also there is no reflector which at first i thought bad. but after building my fixture. the very little heat that they produce has an escape route. also the back i poished aluminum anyways so you get both benefits. check them out. way cheaper than tech light. comes with all the daisy chain linkage in every box. notice how light the fixture is. takes me 2 seconds to adjust. 1 cord can turn on 10 fixtures in a row. nice and neat wiring. i like having no reflectors better. look at the plants. 22 days from seed today. that whole setup with chains and wood was 250 and i'm adding 2 more fixtures. they snap on with the simplest clip youve ever seen.
I also love the T5 strip lights. They are the most versatile lamp in my garden. You'll always find a use for them once you have them, even if you don't use them as a primary lighting source.
As far as the reflectors go, though, look at it like this:
The reflectors shape is it's strength. They are designed to catch light that would light up the walls and cieling of your growroom, and redirect it back down to where you want it.
That being said, the relfectors for the strip lights are pretty overpriced at $15-20 ea, that's almost as much as the lamp.
When you then consider that a strip light will cost you about $50 for each bulb, it becomes apparent that buying a multi-bulb fixture with an integrated reflector is the more economical choice.
Even better yet, consider using a multi bulb fixture as the primary top lighting and strip lights for supplementary side lighting.
