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600w vs 1000w?

H

Hazyfontazy

600's are best on paper ,a 1000 on a light rail might be as good as 2 x 600 though :joint:
 

SOTF420

Humble Human, Freedom Fighter, Cannabis Lover, Bre
ICMag Donor
Veteran
MB, and the 600 in more ways than one. :joint:
 

Lazyman

Overkill is under-rated.
Veteran
Most people with 1k's have heat issues and thus the bud quality suffers. You also have better light coverage with 2 - 600's over a 1k allong with more total PAR watts. There is such a thing as too much light in a small space and 1k's can surely cause bleaching, burning, excessive heat - not to mention being less efficient. For big commercial type grows I'm sure they can't be beat power wise for sheer space coverage high above a canopy of big plants but personally if I grew still I would opt for the 2 - 600's all day over the 1000 after having used both before. Just my opinion, but hey they are both good lights with the right bulb which is really just as important and some growers overlook.

The best bud I have seen in years recently came from a dude growing under LED lights, never seen such frosty herb before and it was toxic potent. He said it was far better than the same bud grown under his HPS. Supposingly the LED grown bud is much more potent than HID nug for some reason.

I don't think that's a fair assumption to make, only way a light bulb causes heat issues is for a poorly-prepped room, and I bet most guys don't have that problem, (at least not for long!) The project must be remedied or killed outright if heat is a big issue with any grow, not just 1KW bulb users.

For the record I've always used 1000's, but I've used 600's in a number of rooms I've done for other patients and collectives. The quality of both is always excellent. As long as you're under about 100W psf (which would be 4X400's over a 4X4 square tray) and have enough A/C it's hard to get bleaching or damage unless you have them way too low.

I was glad to hear about the LED grows bud quality, I would assume that bullseyeing the exact nM of light that plant responds best to would have a positive effect on something.

But, (and with me there's always a but!) I still have to think that a plant's THC content is determined more by genetics than environment. Proper growing conditions will allow the plant to reach it's full strength potential, and poor conditions can harm the overall THC percentage (as does improper harvest and curing procedures.) It's more likely that the bud was a very good strain and through better lighting or environment, LED was able to reach a higher THC percentage than his HPS garden could reach. How were the yields (and what wattage was his LED grow, any supplemental lighting?) Grams per watt is important please!

Thanks man
 
M

milehighmedical

The difference is efficiency.

600w lights put out 158 lumens per watt.
1000W lights put out 140-145 lumens per watt.

A 600 is best for plants that will never exceed 3 feet of finished height (canopy penetration)
1000W lights are best for plants 4' or less.

600w parts are slightly cheaper but more of them are needed for the same coverage.

A 600W light effectively illuminates a 3'X3' square with 50w per square foot.
A 1000W light lights an area 4.5'X4.5' with 50wpsf.

Hope that helps

I'm finding that a 600 is weak cake. I would never trust a 600 to penetrate 3 feet of finished height. I'm doing a 1000/600 side by side right now, and there's no way I'm ever using anything less than a 1k again. The 600s just a joke in comparison.

I think you would be much better of assuming that a 600 watter is ideal for 18-24" of finishing height. And a 1k for anything above 24-30".

But I'm heavily conflicted on this because this is what I'm finding for myself. But I've seen plenty of growers like swampy from NZ doing just fine on penetration with a 600. At least the yield seems to indicate so.

I'm starting to think now, more than ever, that a high quality reflector can make a very big difference. I'm using a 6" A/C XtraSun and I'm just not getting the coverage or penetration I want. Next round I'm switching to 8" XXXL Magnum's w/ 1k's. We'll see.
 
S

Surfr

Man, I am trying to decide if I should go with 4 600's and grow smaller plants, or go with 4 1000's and grow bigger plants. Ideally I would like to pull a pound per light with 5 plants per light, 20 plants total. I live in a fairly cool climate. The lights are on at night, during the summer the night temps are never above 50*f and during the winter the night averages are 25*f. With those temps I don't think I would have too much troubling cooling the 1k's...

I am swaying back and forth and cannot decide.. Give me some advice here guys! haha.
 

SOTF420

Humble Human, Freedom Fighter, Cannabis Lover, Bre
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Proper growing conditions will allow the plant to reach it's full strength potential, and poor conditions can harm the overall THC percentage (as does improper harvest and curing procedures.) It's more likely that the bud was a very good strain and through better lighting or environment, LED was able to reach a higher THC percentage than his HPS garden could reach. How were the yields (and what wattage was his LED grow, any supplemental lighting?) Grams per watt is important please!

I don't know the guy too well but I think he got around half a lb. from 3 procyons (300 total watts of led) with sog style plants in hydro along with a few big warm white cfl's to supplement the spectrum around them. So whatever that figures out to, the bud I saw from him was totally white in trichomes and hella potent, very dense with alot of flavor. He said it had twice the flavor of the HPS nug of the same strain which was a NL clone I think as it was very grapey & piney and looked like NL. I have heard people using LED have much better results and yields with Indica varieties due to their smaller size and lower light requirements which are more suited to indoor growing. Also the supplemental CFL seems to make all the difference in the world most likely due to the portion of far red spectrum in it. (2700k)
 
I'm finding that a 600 is weak cake. I would never trust a 600 to penetrate 3 feet of finished height. I'm doing a 1000/600 side by side right now, and there's no way I'm ever using anything less than a 1k again. The 600s just a joke in comparison.

I think you would be much better of assuming that a 600 watter is ideal for 18-24" of finishing height. And a 1k for anything above 24-30".

But I'm heavily conflicted on this because this is what I'm finding for myself. But I've seen plenty of growers like swampy from NZ doing just fine on penetration with a 600. At least the yield seems to indicate so.

I'm starting to think now, more than ever, that a high quality reflector can make a very big difference. I'm using a 6" A/C XtraSun and I'm just not getting the coverage or penetration I want. Next round I'm switching to 8" XXXL Magnum's w/ 1k's. We'll see.

Those Xtrasun hoods are truly garbage. Upgrade to the magnums, you will love them. PM me when you are ready to buy and I'll tell you where to get them in Denver for $185 each if you buy at least 2.
 

opt1c

Active member
Veteran
i've found that 600s play nicer if you're growing in extreme heat; i make up for running 600s by stacking them closer together; as far as penetration goes you can get a 600 closer to the canopy than a 1000; the 1000 only penetrates so far from where it is hanging; not where the canopy starts. That being said i just pull all the stuff below the top 2ft of canopy lollypop style. I went from 600s to 1000s back to 600s. 1000s with expensive bulbs and digi ballasts will put out more lumens than older ballasts and bulbs; i was giving my plants too many lumens with the 1ks; i also grow with co2 and really push the plants; 600s just give me more wiggle room all around as far as temps and light intensity go... but that's just my .02
 
M

milehighmedical

The "closer to the canopy" argument has been tossed around a lot. And to be honest, I've never understood. My 1k is 6" from the canopy and the temperature at the canopy is 77.8F right now, I checked 15 minutes ago. I even have the fan cooling the reflectors on half speed. If I put it any closer I'm just going to lose my foot print.

I guess it could be a lot different for people who don't have a dedicated A/C. It's not fair to assume. But honestly, my a/c was $200 new... and the one I had before that was $50 used. It's a pretty good investment. Heat should never be an issue on anything but low-budget micro-grows. Although, I can also see someone being electrically limited from using an A/C. I would be very frustrated if that was the case with my situation, but conveniently it's not.
 

opt1c

Active member
Veteran
Just saying; ac or no ac it's easier to cool 600s when temps are over 105f ambient outdoors; even with a dedicated ac. Just something people should keep in mind; i can't count the number of 1000 watt systems for sale locally on craigslist when summer comes round. In a cooler environment, or if pulling air for the lights from a room cooled by ac, i'm sure this wouldn't be an issue though.
 

svrn

New member
i definitely plan on using 600's and adjust-a-wing reflectors when I get my setup going later this winter.
 

FatBlunt420

Killin' Zombies!
ICMag Donor
Veteran
i got 1- 1000w now, w reg ballast. im switching to, 2 - 600w, with electronic ballasts. acctually be getting more light, and mainly coverage with less power. im in a 4 x 8 sun hut. things are working but i have heat issues now. im uping all the hoods and duct work to 8" to take care of the heat issues.
 

opt1c

Active member
Veteran
hehe; so i just picked up a galaxy switchable digital ballast; does 400, 600, 1000, and 1000 with a boost. Best of all worlds. I'll have fun playing with it. I think having a 1000 on a mover will allow me to get very close to my plants without the normal heat issues of a stationary light.
 

Lazyman

Overkill is under-rated.
Veteran
hehe; so i just picked up a galaxy switchable digital ballast; does 400, 600, 1000, and 1000 with a boost. Best of all worlds. I'll have fun playing with it. I think having a 1000 on a mover will allow me to get very close to my plants without the normal heat issues of a stationary light.


Got a link? I've never heard of a ballast that is switchable from 400-1000, just 400+600 and dual 600's.
 

CovertCrops

Member
I just saw one of the galaxy's at the hydro shop the other day but he didnt have a price on it. Anyone had a chance to use one yet?
 

Talonted

Active member
I say the 1000's all day long. Your getting 1 for 2 compared to the 600's. Growing is kinds like racing in a way. There is no replacement for displacement. Or in our case displacement meaning wattage.


My Penny
Mr.Wags


The thread shouldnt have gone any further than this. But if you're some punk kid who scrounges through his weed stuffed smoke pack for seeds. a bunch of CFL's and some cardoard will do . but if you do 2lb per light in 2gal pots you dont fuck around. The EYE 1000's will have you covered. 1 plant or 30, buy a piece of shit cfl kit for the babies and 1000's for both veg and flower.
 

Talonted

Active member
Mainly cause when people start out they think ahh just something small. you wait till its done and you've smoked it all, then you say to yourself " wish i did more. maybe i'll do 4 next time instead of 2, lol. i hear the same thing on Revscene.net oh im just going to do a small nitrous kit and some valve work to bring me up to 160 in my honda lol. well i was there at one point as well and i didnt stop till my tires broke loose on the dyno and put down 413 fwhp in a 1.8lt acura integra. now that i learned my lession of what a waste of your money piecing something together little by little, wait till you have the right gear/cash or whatever and do it all in one go with the most lumens avail. who cares about hydro consumption. A 1000w HID Ballast runs less amps than your PS3 when wired right.
 
You guys are trying to compare 1, 1000w light with 2, 600w lights, that's not a fair comparison. Compare 2, 1000w lights vs 3 x 600w covering an 8-9' x 3-4' area for a fair comparison. Tents with heat issues and small personal grows are the only ones who benefit from using 600s. If you have the space and funds to run proper HVAC and want to pull down pounds, go for the 1ks. I've used both and I'm speaking from personal experience. I'm thinking maybe some of the arguments coming from the 600 club are from people who might not have much, if any, experience with 1ks. The difference is night and day if you've tried both under optimum conditions.
 
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