I purchased several ACME Polaris ballasts almost two years ago and I'm very satisfied, I haven't had any problems. I use a couple of the ballasts in my vegetation room at 120 volts while the majority of the ballasts I use in my bloom room at 240 volts. The ballasts also work with both metal halide and high pressure sodium lamps and I can confirm that these ballasts do not make my bulbs buzz or hum. Over the course of two years I have probably run every ballast under every scenario: 120 volts and 240 volts; metal halide and high pressure sodium; 600 watts and 1000 watts and I can say they have all performed perfectly.
I was a little apprehensive about switching over from magnetic core and coil's but after speaking with one of the owners I was sold. The first thing I noticed was how quiet the ballasts are. They're more than whisper quiet, they're completely silent. I still can't believe how quiet the bloom room is, it use to sound like a beehive with all the buzzing from the magnetics. (All you old schoolers out there know exactly what I'm talking about). Now for the best feature, the dimmer switch. The dimmer switch is great for those extremely hot days when you need to reduce the heat in your garden. I turn the ballast down to 600 watts and the temp drops by almost 7 degrees, this is extremely helpful. And the low price on this ballast makes a great deal even better.
Last week I received an email from the company letting me know they had their new 2012 model in with a few improvements. I was happy with the old ballast so this should be icing on the cake. To the guys at ACME, thank for the great ballast and the outstanding customer service I'll probably pick up a few more ballasts and I can't wait to get my hands on the 2012 model.
My overall rankings:
Customer service: 5 stars
Price and Warranty: 5 stars
Quality: 5 stars
Features: 5 stars
Overall: 5 stars
Would I recommend this ballast to a friend: Definitely yes read more