How much did it cost you, including shipping?

I have a couple 4' T5 fixtures, and while I'm sure a light meter would tell me that the ends are dimmer than the center, my plants still grow fine at the ends. I just try to keep high light plants towards the center. It really depends on your requirements, but I certainly wouldn't say that a 2' fixture is a waste.

That said, the price difference between 2' and 4' fixtures is usually not that much. So if you have enough plants to fill the 4' space, I'd go with a 4' fixture.

Hello and thanks for your responses. I paid $129 at a local hydrponics store. I do not yet have enough plants to fill the 4' space yet, but when you've been bitten by the gardening bug that's not difficult to resolve! In fact, I am open to suggestions there too. For right now, getting started with tomatoes, peppers, herbs and other veggie plants that I will transplant later. Haven't done much with flowers but would love to learn.

personally i would've saved a few more dollars and bought a 250w (or 400w) HID light.

I dunno, but I note that for $129.99 you could have bought a 90 watt LED grow light. I would rather hear about people's experiences with these.