Growing indoors means you control all the environmental factors, especially your lighting. Many seasoned growers stick with HID technology because it's simple, affordable, and helps produce those large, dense blooms we're all after. But when you start shopping for the perfect HPS grow light, the options can feel overwhelming. They all look so similar! How do you pick the right one? We've got you covered. The experts at GroIndoor.com have put together the ultimate list of our top Grow lights recommendations to make your decision easy.

Further, if you are planning on using an MH bulb during veg, we will also suggest a bulb you may use with each of the HPS Grow lights. This way, you can offer your plants a wholesome full spectrum of lighting whenever they need it!

Let's begin with a general overview of HPS technology. Then we will discuss our criteria for rating our top picks of HPS Grow lights for 2022.

What is an HPS Grow Light?

So, what exactly is an HPS grow light? HPS stands for High-Pressure Sodium, and it's a specific type of High-Intensity Discharge (HID) light. If you've ever seen an indoor garden with a distinct reddish-orange glow, you were likely looking at an HPS bulb in action. These lights have been a staple for indoor growers for years because they are incredibly effective at helping plants produce impressive flowers and fruits. They are powerful, reliable, and offer a great balance of performance and affordability, making them a go-to choice for both beginners and seasoned gardeners looking to maximize their yields.

How HPS and HID Lights Work

To understand HPS lights, it helps to know a bit about the broader category of HID lighting. HID lights work by passing an electrical current through a gas-filled bulb, which creates a bright, intense light. The two main types you'll encounter are HPS (High-Pressure Sodium) and MH (Metal Halide). A complete HID lighting system isn't just the bulb; it also includes a ballast, which regulates the electricity going to the bulb, and a reflector hood that directs the light down onto your plants. This setup ensures your plants get the powerful, focused light they need to thrive through every stage of growth.

The HPS Light Spectrum and Plant Growth

Plants are sensitive to different colors, or spectrums, of light, and these spectrums influence how they grow. Think of it like the changing seasons outdoors—the light in spring is different from the light in late summer. Indoor growers can replicate this process by using lights with specific color spectrums to support different growth phases. This is where the distinction between MH and HPS lights becomes really important. Each one provides a unique light spectrum tailored to a specific stage in a plant's life, allowing you to give your plants exactly what they need, when they need it.

Metal Halide (MH) for Vegetative Growth

Metal Halide (MH) lights are the go-to for the first stage of a plant's life: vegetative growth. These bulbs produce a crisp, blue-white light that mimics the bright sun of spring and early summer. This blue-heavy spectrum is perfect for encouraging strong, leafy development, helping your plants build a solid foundation with robust stems and healthy root systems. Using an MH light during this phase sets your plants up for success, ensuring they are vigorous and well-prepared for the flowering stage to come.

High-Pressure Sodium (HPS) for Flowering and Fruiting

When your plants are ready to start producing flowers or fruits, it's time to switch to a High-Pressure Sodium (HPS) light. HPS bulbs emit a warm, reddish-orange light that resembles the hue of an autumn sunset. This end-of-the-spectrum light signals to the plant that it's time to focus its energy on flowering and reproduction. The red spectrum is a powerful trigger for budding, leading to larger, denser, and more abundant yields. This is why HPS lights are celebrated for their ability to deliver fantastic results during the crucial blooming phase.

Using Both MH and HPS Lights

For the best possible results throughout a full growth cycle, many growers use both types of HID lights. The strategy is simple: start your plants under a Metal Halide bulb to promote lush vegetative growth. Once they've reached the desired size and are ready to bloom, you swap the MH bulb for an HPS bulb. This two-part approach provides your plants with an ideal light spectrum for each major life stage. Many modern ballasts and reflectors are designed to be compatible with both MH and HPS bulbs, making the switch quick and easy.

Why Choose HPS Over CMH & LED?

As a new indoor grower, you must understand the tools you need to complete a plant growth cycle from seed to harvest without sunlight. Alternatively, if you are an experienced grower, you would probably know why Grow lights are crucial.

As you may already know, LEDs are the preferred choice for growers who are ready to invest some extra bucks in hopes of growing healthy, huge, resinous plants. Many growers may also choose CMH, a relatively recent technology that has significantly improved traditional HID lighting. The fact is that both these technologies offer a more optimized light spectrum for growing plants and offer high efficiency as well.

Why do some growers still believe HPS lights to be the best? Well, for most growers, the most important factors to consider are the price, ease of use, and the knowledge gained through experience all areas where HPS lights flourish. What are the other reasons? Let's find out!

HPS Grow Lights Are a Lower Investment

HPS lights come at a significantly lesser price than the other lights. For instance, let's compare the cost of a 1000-watt LED as Gavita Pro LED with a 1000-watt HPS Grow light. You can get the HPS at about $300 to $400, but an LED will cost you well above $1,000. Therefore, HPS beats the other options by far when it comes to price.

Yes, there are indeed cheaper LED options also available. One example is Covert LEDs, a good choice for growers looking to grow on a budget. They are long-lasting and reasonably priced Grow lights. Even then, many growers still choose HPS Grow lights because of their simplicity.

Rely on a Proven, Time-Tested Technology

Many growers are comfortable with HPS Grow lights because of their durability and good performance. Therefore, many are hesitant about switching to another option, even though LEDs can offer better, or at least equivalent, levels of cost-effectiveness, performance, and other factors.

If you prefer to use no other lighting than HPS and are searching for the best HPS Grow lights, you are reading what you should! We have researched the options available in the market and made a list of our top recommendations. Further, let's discuss the criteria we consider while selecting the best HPS Grow lights.

HPS vs. LED: A Detailed Comparison

While HPS lights have a long and successful history, it's worth looking at how they stack up against modern LED technology. Both have strong followings for good reasons, and the right choice often comes down to your specific goals, budget, and growing style. There isn't a single "best" answer for everyone, but understanding the key differences will help you decide which technology is the right fit for your indoor garden.

Advantages of HPS Lights

High-Pressure Sodium lights have been a staple in indoor growing for decades, and their track record speaks for itself. They have a long history of helping plants thrive, especially during the flowering and fruiting stages. HPS lights produce an intense, reddish-orange light that mimics the autumn sun, which is excellent for encouraging abundant blooms. One of their biggest draws is the lower upfront cost; you can get a powerful HPS setup for significantly less than a comparable LED system. For growers who value proven results and want to keep their initial investment down, HPS remains a solid and reliable choice.

Advantages of LED Lights

On the other hand, LED grow lights bring a lot of modern advantages to the table. Their biggest benefit is energy efficiency. LEDs use far less electricity than HPS bulbs, which translates to lower power bills over time. They also last much longer, so you won't have to deal with frequent bulb replacements. Many LED fixtures offer full-spectrum or customizable light, allowing you to tailor the light color to your plants' needs at every stage of growth. While the initial purchase price is higher, the long-term savings on energy and replacement parts make LEDs a very attractive investment for serious growers.

The Hybrid Approach: Using HPS and LED Together

You don't have to choose just one. Some of the most successful growers get the best of both worlds by mixing HPS and LED lights in their grow space. This hybrid strategy allows you to harness the raw power and bloom-producing spectrum of HPS lights while supplementing with the targeted, efficient light from LEDs. For example, you could use an HPS light as your primary source during the flowering phase for its intense, wide coverage. At the same time, you can add LED panels to fill in any gaps and provide specific light wavelengths that fine-tune plant development. This approach gives you complete control over your lighting environment.

What to Look For in an HPS Grow Light

If you have been following our other "BEST OF" posts on GroIndoor.com, you must be aware that when we recommend anything, we make sure that it passes our strict criteria. We suggest products to our readers neutrally and responsibly and only recommend those ahead of the curve.

Here is the list of things we evaluated when listing the top HPS Grow light fixtures:

Cost ' We compared and evaluated each light's cost and the other factors to determine whether they were worth your dollars.

Construction The conditions inside a Grow room can get rigorous, so you need a lighting fixture that is also long-lasting. Not every fixture is strong enough, and the last thing you want is a flimsy fixture that would break down the first chance it gets.

Reflectivity ' When choosing your Grow light, reflectivity is one of the most crucial things to consider. You should also know how well the fixture will maintain its reflectivity over time. Unfortunately, a few reflectors lose their reflectivity too quickly. Please read our blog on the best Grow light reflectors to explore this concept further.

Heat Dispersion We all know that HPS technology emits a large amount of heat. However, the manufacturers improvised the designs to reduce their heat dissipation. Some HPS fixtures are more efficient at heat dispersion. These lead the heat away from your canopy regardless of whether you air-cool them or not. Further, there is another reason why the materials they are made up of are significant: some materials cannot retain as much heat as others. Check out our blog on managing Grow room heat to learn more.

Lifespan ' Most of the fixtures in our list come with a bulb. The fact is that even the most competitive HPS lights will also burn out at some point. But some of them die out more quickly than others, and it's not just about the bulb's lifespan. We also compared ballast design and fixture because some lights work for longer and offer significantly higher efficiency.

After this rigorous research, we cherry-picked the best HPS Grow lights for you. We are sure you will find the one you are looking for because we did our task with due diligence! Here are the best HPS Grow lights of 2022.

Common Wattages and System Components

When you start looking at HPS (High-Pressure Sodium) lights, one of the first things you'll notice is the wattage. These lights, which are a type of High-Intensity Discharge (HID) light, come in several common power levels, including 400-watt, 600-watt, and 1000-watt options. The right wattage for you depends on the size of your grow space and the types of plants you're cultivating. A complete HPS system isn't just the bulb; it's a team of three key players working together. You have the bulb itself, a ballast that regulates the electricity flowing to the bulb, and a reflector or hood that directs the light down onto your plant canopy, maximizing its reach and intensity.

Complete Kits vs. Separate Parts

For anyone just starting out or looking for a straightforward setup, complete HPS grow light kits are a fantastic option. These kits bundle everything you need to get going: the HPS bulb, a compatible digital ballast, and a grow reflector. The major advantage here is that you don't have to worry about matching different components. Everything is designed to work together right out of the box, which removes any guesswork and simplifies the installation process. On the other hand, more experienced growers might prefer to purchase components separately to customize their setup, perhaps pairing a specific brand of ballast with a high-performance reflector for a tailored lighting solution.

Single-Ended (SE) vs. Double-Ended (DE) Bulbs

As you explore HPS options, you'll encounter two main bulb types: Single-Ended (SE) and Double-Ended (DE). The difference is in their design and performance. An SE bulb is what most people picture: it has a single base that screws into a socket, much like a standard household lightbulb. A DE bulb is more like a tube, held in place by wires at both ends. This design allows DE bulbs to run hotter and more intensely, often producing 15% to 20% more light output than their SE counterparts. This extra intensity can lead to more vigorous growth and better yields, but it also produces more heat, which is an important factor for your environmental controls.

Bulb Lifespan and Replacement

While HPS bulbs are known for their durability, they don't last forever. Even if a bulb still lights up, its performance degrades over time. The intensity and quality of the light spectrum it emits will diminish, which can negatively impact your plants' development during critical growth stages. To maintain optimal performance, it's a good practice to replace your HPS bulbs every 12 to 18 months. Think of it as routine maintenance for your garden. Sticking to a replacement schedule ensures your plants consistently receive the powerful, high-quality light they need to thrive from one cycle to the next. Keeping a fresh bulb in your fixture is one of the easiest ways to guarantee consistent results.

Our Top Picks for HPS Grow Lights

Before we list the best HPS Grow lights for you, let us explain how we have categorized them. The two categories are: Grow lights preferable for home growers, and Grow lights specifically for commercial growers. Let's begin with the hobbyist options first.

Top HPS Grow Lights for Hobby Growers

In most cases, the preferable Grow lights for hobbyists are single-ended, while commercial growers are more geared towards DE lights. Please read our blog post on SE vs. DE to learn more about the difference between single-ended (SE) and double-ended (DE).

• Sun System HPS 150W Fixture with Ultra Sun Lamp
  

The Sun System HPS 150W Fixture with Ultra Sun Lamp is an ideal option for growers growing in smaller closets or tents, over a vegetative footprint of 3' x 3' and a flowering footprint of 2' x 2'. In case you have a bigger room, you can always add two of these light fixtures.

With this option, your estimated electricity cost is a little under just $7 a month that's how efficient it is! Also, it comes with the 150W Ultra Sun HPS Bulb (2,000K) and is very user-friendly. While this bulb is great for flowering, it can easily support a plant from seed to harvest. Therefore, we would still suggest that you use an MH bulb during veg.

• HBX Air-Cooled Economy HID Grow Light Kits

In case you want an HPS light but would like to avoid the hassle of getting a different MH bulb for veg, these HBX Economy HID Grow Light Kits will work perfectly for you.

These lights come complete with ballast, reflector, and two bulbs an MH and HPS option for each growing phase. The benefit of getting a complete kit is that it saves you from the hassle of worrying about whether all the different components are compatible or not.

Also, these light fixtures are really easy on your pocket; the 1,000W HBX HID Air-Cooled Kit starts at only $282!

Another good thing about these fixtures is that they are air-cooled, so they won't cause an excessive buildup of heat around your canopy. Further, connect it with your ventilation system, and it will be good to go!

The kits are available in two sizes. Both are single-ended with a highly efficient ballast. The 600W option covers a 4' x 4' flower footprint and a 5' x 5' veg footprint. This option is great for growers who don't want to invest much and still get a full HID Grow lighting setup. The 1,000W option covers a 5' x 5' flower footprint and 6' x 6' veg footprint.

Top HPS Grow Lights for Commercial Operations

We will recommend options for commercial growers to offer more customization and features. They will also be double-ended and manufactured from higher-quality materials. Let's dig in:

• Gavita Pro 1000W E-Series DE HPS Fixture
  

The Gavita Pro 1000w E-Series Slim Line DE Fixture sells like hot cake, which is unsurprising. This remarkable fixture can work regardless of what your specific electricity situation is because it comes in the following range of voltages:

• 120/240
• 208/240
• 277/347

It also costs as low as just $40 a month in terms of electricity cost and still manages to pull 1,000W from the wall. The Gavita fixture can cover a super-wide 4' x 6' footprint with premium quality materials. Its hood is among the most reflective in the market, enabling it to focus an incredible amount of light onto your canopy.

This fixture includes the Gavita Pro Plus 1000W DE HPS Lamp, a highly sought-after bulb. It offers light maintenance of more than 96% per 5,000 hours and radiates a super intense beam of 2,100 µmol/s of light. Add the Gavita Master Controller to it, and you can exercise massive control over the lighting in your Grow room or tent. Other notable features include +15% boost capability, soft start and dim, a status indicator, and others.

We wish you could go on and on about its other features to tell you how efficient, safe, intuitive, and powerful it is, but we want to discuss other HPS lights too. Check out its page to read more details about this remarkable fixture!

• Sun System Pro Sun DE 1000W HPS Commercial Fixture

Apart from Gavita, Sun System is also an industry leader when it comes to HPS Grow lights. Therefore their Pro DE 1000W commercial fixture is on our list for many reasons. The good quality of manufacturing premium components offers a voltage range of 120V to 480V and is highly efficient.

It matches Gavita Pro with respect to electricity costs and footprint. It incurs an electricity cost of about $40/month and has a 4' x 6' veg footprint and a 5' x 5' flower footprint.

This Sun System commercial fixture comprises a thermally optimized, non-air-cooled ballast. This ballast functions at an ultra-high frequency, giving high light intensity while keeping your energy bills low. Its microprocessor has been meticulously engineered to operate DE bulbs at their highest performance, supporting robust plant growth.

This fixture delivers a mind-blowing 2,120 µmol/s at 1,000 watts and an astounding 2,400 µmol/s when boosted to 1,150 watts. However, you may choose to tone down the power during the early weeks of plant growth to save money and prolong bulb life.

Perhaps the best features of this brilliant HPS Grow light are its reliability, flexibility, and compatible controller, which you must purchase separately. You may want to cut down on automation equipment and string together these fixtures to achieve maximum control.

It includes other features like built-in green LED lights to display operating status and error codes, selectable/dimmable/turbo wattage, protection from high-temp exposure, open circuit, and short circuit.

There are even more notable benefits, so check out the product page to know more!

• Nanolux Summit Series Modular Grow Light System

The Nanolux Summit Series is among the most versatile and coolest light system options out there. Its modular system lets you configure it to the specific needs of your Grow room.

The light system works on a 208-277V circuit. The estimated electricity cost, wattage, and footprint depend on your specific configuration. You can choose from any possible lamp option, including HPS and five distinct reflector styles.

You can consider the Nanolux Summit Series as the lowest-profile double-ended fixture available in the market. Further, it helps provide your plants with as much vertical space as possible for heavier harvests and saves your space. Additionally, it also offers other noteworthy features like plug-and-play tech, soft/random start, exclusive ceramic industrial grade receptacle, and compatibility with most lamp brands.

Check out the product page to find out unique new ways you can set up your Nanolux Summit Series Modular System!

• Phantom Low-Profile DE 1000w Grow Light Fixtures

The two Phantom Low Profile DE Fixtures are the latest addition to the market. Basically, these two are the same, but they have one main difference the reflector type. You can select either an open or an enclosed reflector.

Each of these two is a superb option for commercial growers looking for an intense red light for supercharged blooming. These lights will give you cost you only about $43 each month, and they can cover a 6' x 6' veg and 5' x 5' flower footprint.

The Phantom lights work wonders with grow areas that have limited head height. These lights are just 5" in total height and are super low profile. They allow your plants plenty of vertical growing space, which is helpful for heavier harvests.

These lights also work exceptionally well with the digital controllers from the Autopilot PX series, which is another wonderful feature. This means you can exercise maximum control over your lighting output and schedule.

If you look at things from a power perspective, these fixtures are amazing! They put out an astounding 2100 µmol/s along with the Phantom PRO HPS bulb that comes with it. With the onboard knob, you can set the intensity between 50% and 115% to prolong bulb life and save money during veg. When it's time to bloom, you may increase the intensity to the maximum.

Like the other lights on our list, this one is also built with good quality material. These lights are manufactured using 95%+ reflective European hammertone, which gives you great value for money in terms of light redirection.

Making Your Final HPS Grow Light Choice

So, these are the top recommendations from the experts at Groindoor.com. Since you are now aware of the details of each, you can figure out which one suits your growing goals the best. If you want us to help you choose the right Grow light, you can always get in touch with us.

Also, if you would like to explore other technologies, check out our year-end post on the best LED Grow Lights of 2022.