Grow Light Hoods & Reflectors

Why the reflector matters as much as the lamp

A grow lamp throws light in every direction. What the reflector does is decide how much of that output lands on the plants and how evenly it sits, and the finishes on this page are not the same: Adjust-A-Wings rates the white powder-coated Defender at 92% reflectivity and the PVD-coated Avenger at 97%, while Lumatek gives the Tekken Pro DE hammertone finish 92%. Light that hits a wall is power you have already bought.

Finish is only half of it. Adjustable-wing hoods throw a wider, flatter spread, which is what you want under a low ceiling when the lamp sits close to the canopy. Deeper, narrower reflectors throw a tighter column and suit a taller room.

Our range of hoods and reflectors

Single-ended hoods

The Adjust-A-Wings Defender and Avenger mediums both take a standard E40 screw-in lamp and ship with the lamp holder already fitted. The wings move for width and lamp height, so you set the footprint instead of living with a fixed one. The Defender's titanium-white powder coat is the everyday finish; the Avenger's vapour-deposited surface is the premium option.

Double-ended reflectors

The Lumatek Tekken Pro DE Hammertone takes a double-ended lamp that clips in at both ends rather than screwing into a socket. DE lamps run hotter and brighter than the single-ended equivalents, and the hammertone finish spreads the output so you do not get a hot spot sitting directly under the arc tube.

Air-cooled tubes

A cool tube puts the lamp inside a sealed glass tube with ducting at each end, so extraction pulls lamp heat straight out of the room. Cool-Tube rates that drop at up to 10°C. In a small tent that is often the difference between running the lamp you want and having to step down to a smaller one.

Fluoro and all-in-one fixtures

Not every reflector on this page is for HID. The Max-Lite CFL reflector is built for 85W-class E40 compact fluoro lamps in propagation and early veg, and the Flexstar 315W CMH arrives as one unit with the ballast, reflector and 4200K lamp already matched.

How to choose the right hood or reflector

1. Match the lamp type first. Single-ended and double-ended fittings do not swap. An SE lamp screws into an E40 socket; a DE lamp clips in at both ends. Buy the hood that fits the lamp you actually run.
2. Size it to the canopy, not the tent. A medium hood covers one plant or a small group. A hood bigger than the canopy just puts extra light on the tent wall.
3. Decide how you are handling heat. An open hood is simpler and cheaper. An air-cooled tube costs more and needs ducting and a fan, but it keeps lamp heat off the canopy.
4. Look at the surface, not only the shape. Powder-coated white is durable and diffuse; vapour-deposited and hammertone finishes bounce more light and wipe clean more easily.
5. Check what is included. Some hoods arrive with the lamp holder and cord fitted; others are the shell only. The product page tells you which.

Looking after a reflector

Reflective surfaces wear out. Adjust-A-Wings' own guidance is that lamp heat costs a powder-coated surface around 5% of its reflectivity a year, which is why they recommend replacing a hard-working reflector annually. Dust and salt spray dull the same surface faster, so wipe the inside between cycles and keep bare fingers off vapour-deposited finishes.

If you are costing a full HID setup, the grow light electricity cost calculator works out what a lamp costs to run before you commit, and the complete HID kits pair a matched hood, ballast and lamp.