If you’re still considering high pressure sodium (HPS) lighting for your boat or fishing activities, pause for a moment. Why stick with yesterday’s technology when LED has already redefined what lighting can do?

On paper, a 1000W HPS that had been popular for decades on fishing boats may look like it delivers massive lumens — often rated between 90,000–140,000. But the reality is very different. When you dig deeper, you’ll see why HPS has no place in modern boating applications and even worse for your fishing activities, and why advanced LED systems like the DuraBrite Gen2 Pro are the smarter choice in every way. 

1. The Hidden Inefficiency of HPS Lumens

HPS bulbs flood light in all directions. To get usable brightness, they rely on reflectors to redirect output, which is inherently inefficient.

• Reflection losses waste 30–50% of light, so the actual “delivered lumens” are far below the rated spec.

• To achieve the same brightness, an HPS system often needs 1.5–2× more raw lumens than a direct source.

Example:

• A 1000W HPS may start with 130,000 lumens but only delivers about 55,000–70,000 usable lumens to the surface.

• A Gen2 Pro LED, rated at 75,000 lumens, delivers most of them directly — matching or exceeding the HPS in real-world brightness while drawing far less power.

2. Rapid Lumen Depreciation

HPS lamps lose brightness shockingly fast.

• Within 9–10 months of continuous use, a 1000W HPS drops to 50% of its original output.

• Even if the bulb is rated for 15,000 hours, by ~7,500 hours you’re already struggling with half the light.

LEDs, on the other hand, maintain over 70–80% of their brightness past 50,000 hours. With a DuraBrite Gen2 Pro, you can expect consistent, reliable performance for years.

3. High Power Consumption

• A 1000W HPS consumes at least 1000 watts, plus ballast losses.

• LEDs achieve the same or better usable lumens at significantly lower wattages, translating directly into fuel cost.

4. Endless Maintenance

With HPS, you’re constantly replacing bulbs and ballasts. That’s labor, downtime, and recurring expense.

DuraBrite luminaire technologies are all solid-state — from LED to driver circuits, no fragile bulbs, no ballasts, virtually no maintenance.

5. Slow Startup vs. Instant On

• HPS requires several minutes to warm up to full brightness.

• You can’t cycle it on and off quickly without shortening its lifespan.

• LEDs are instant-on, instant-off — full brightness the second you need it.

6. Poor Color & No Dimming

• HPS produces a dull orange-yellow glow with poor color rendering, making it harder to distinguish details and true colors.

• Dimming is practically impossible without damaging the lamp.

• LEDs like the Gen2 Pro offer crisp, daylight-quality light with full dimming capability.

7. Pricing Reality: HPS Costs More

Think HPS is cheaper? Think again.

• 1000W HPS with ballast setup: >$4,500

• DuraBrite Gen2 Pro: $3,379

Not only is the LED costing you less upfront, it also saves thousands more in energy, replacements, maintenance, and aggravation over its lifetime.

The Bottom Line

High Pressure Sodium is outdated. It wastes energy, loses brightness within months, requires constant replacements, delivers poor-quality light, and costs more both upfront and over time.

The DuraBrite Gen2 Pro delivers brighter, cleaner, dimmable light exactly where you need it, lasts longer, uses less energy, and costs less.

So ask yourself: Why are you still thinking about HPS in 2025?