Best Leds nowadays (2013)?

[Mustafunk]

Hi guys!

Planning to build a Led light with a friend, we are just thinking in which leds to use. Any opinions on the best options available right now? Plain performance for grow lights, no matter price. We just want to build the best possible pannel for mixed growing/flowering.

Obvioulsy some of them aren't available in the whole spectrum colors I will use (red, deep red, blue and white), that's also why i'm asking for the best options for each.

So far, red and blue:

-Cree XP-E reds: Up to 291 lm @ 3.5 W
-Cree XT-E toyal blue: Up to 456 lm @ 5 W

-Osram Oslon was kept in mind too with cheaper price but worse perfomance so it will be probably dismissed.

I will use probably some other white higher efficiency leds as well. It's a shame they don't manufacture reds, otherwise at those light efficiencies they would be awesome for sure. Anyway I will use them to get an extra light punch overall with a limited number of them.

-Cree XT-E: Up to 456 lm @ 5 W (only white and blue)
-Cree XP-G: Up to 493 lm @ 4.9 W (only white)

Probably I will get Phillips Rebels for the Deep Red, as It was the best option I've found so far.

Anyway knows any better options available?

Thx all and vibes!

P.S: I will keep the project updated with some pictures as soon as we start building the lamp. Still getting things ready!

 

[jcmjrt]

Philips and Cree are similar quality with Cree generally in the lead in whites now and Philips generally better at the extremes - deep red and royal blue. That could change tomorrow depending on who is putting out the newest chips.

Since you are diying, make sure that you get the coverage of your grow area that you need. LEDs are not a good point source of light. You can make multiple small low wattage panels to cover an area or put a high wattage LED packed panel on a lightmover. I went multiple panels and a lightmover (spinner in my case).

Heat management is critical too. If your LED fixture runs hot, the quality of your light will be adversely affected and your LEDs will burn out quicker.

 

[farmdalefurr]

was there ever such thing as a good LED grow light?

 

[Mustafunk]

Yeah I noticed that Philips are an option to keep in mind... are you talking about the Luxeon Rebels or a newer model? I don't know a lot of Philips to be honest...

Yeah that's a tricky question, probably as I'm starting with 1x1m area, I will build either two panels or a big one in an adjustable way that allows me to keep the lights close to the plants all the time. I will grow on scrogs/sog to keep buds at same level and make the most of the LED lighting advantages.

As for heating levels, still thinking if using passive or fan cooling. But first thing, decide brand and purchase the leds to start playing around!

Vibes.

 

[jcmjrt]

Yeah I noticed that Philips are an option to keep in mind... are you talking about the Luxeon Rebels or a newer model? I don't know a lot of Philips to be honest...

As for heating levels, still thinking if using passive or fan cooling. But first thing, decide brand and purchase the leds to start playing around!

Vibes.

Philips Luxeon ES I don't know of a newer model at this time.

Fans can be noisy and can fail. Of course heatsinks can be a little expensive and heavy. Designers have the choices though.

 

[tebos]

If you want efficiency/maximum output go for want XM-L(2), XT-E/XP-G aren't efficient.

 

[SupraSPL]

The best deep blues currently available are Luxeon ES from Steves Leds. The next best is the XT-E deep blue from LEDGroupbuy. Top bin, very cheap and already mounted.

The best 630nm red is the Cree XP-E P3 bin available from LEDGroupBuy (only on quick connect star). Also available bare from mouser.

The best 660nm deep red is the Luxeon ES available from Steves LEDS EX6 bin. EDIT: tnx guvoo The top bin (4T) Oslon LH CP7P-3T4T (46%) is more efficient than the Luxeon ES top bin (38.5%), a very nice step up!

Regarding whites, XPG2 R5 bin is available in cool white from fasttech for $3 mounted (47% efficient at 700mA 50c). XM-L2 U2 cool white is available bare from illumination supply for $7.50. That is the most efficient LED that has ever hit the market (57% efficient at 700mA 50c).

XM-L2 T3 is available in warm white from mouser $6.50. Very slightly less efficient XTE warm white R3 bin is available from Cutter for $3.25.

Choosing from the LEDs above you can build the most efficient growing lamp that has ever been built. If money is no object you can run the lamp soft (350-500mA) and yours will be more efficient than mine

 

[guvoo]

The best 660nm deep red is the Luxeon ES available from Steves LEDS EX6 bin. The oslon is only half as efficient.

from the data sheets
osram oslon deep red - Radiant Efficiency: typ. 48 % @ 355mW
Luxeon ES - Radiant Efficiency: typ. 46 % @ 360mW

half...???????????

 

[SupraSPL]

Good catch guvoo. I was referring to the Oslon 630nm JS bin. I calculated it at 23.75% at 700mA 50c which is only half as efficient as the 630nm XP-E P3 bin.

The Oslon hyper red LH CP7P-3T4T-1 is very impressive. IF you can get the 4T bin somehow, I calculated it at 46% efficient at 700mA at 50c. I did not even know there was a 4T bin that is very cool!

 

[Mustafunk]

Hey guys thanks a lot for the responses, I got my mind clearer now.... most probably I will use Cree XP-E Reds, XT-E blues and Oslon (If Im able to get the nice 4T bin) or Luxeon deep reds. For white, as I will just use a few leds in the panel to ad some light intensity, I'll go for expensive Xp-Gs or something on that league.

I'm now checking prices for the aluminium bases... copper would be amazing for passive refrigeration but the price is crazy too and it will be fine. I just need to find out appropriate Mean Well drivers for my 100w led panels and think on the design. Let's rock those lights!

 

[medmaker420]

can't wait to see the panel come together

 

[PetFlora]

Unless you plan on 2 separate o/o switches, forget making it a 2 way fixture.

Here is ONE 22w Utilitech household bulb covering a ~ 16 x 22" area. There are 4 clones, but 2 are sucking up all the light. The 2 you can't see do have roots. Alas, I have no room anywhere to move them, BUT, pulling my HOT5 (2 x4) by Friday, so will move clones into separate air pots.

About 7 days ago I added a second bulb as I had to move the fixture much higher due to the 2 plants overgrowing the tote

Pic 1 taken 3/29, large bulb in pic 3 is 22w Utilitech (~$30), you can now buy 10w Cree bulbs @ $9.95 HD/Lowes). 3 of them would provide more coverage 2: CW:WW

View attachment 218340 View attachment 218341 View attachment 218342 View attachment 218343

 

[Doji!]

ill keep an eye on this

i am also building a LED panel for my grow, and was planning to go with the " Osram Golden Dragon Plus " ones, but i still am unsure of the size of it, so i have not started yet

subbing, hoping it will stay up to date with the latest info

 

[Mustafunk]

Indeed I plan to have independent switches. As the panel will be mixed spectrum, It will have cloning/mum/growing position, flowering start and full flowering at max power as well. I'm not yet sure about how I will do it but those are my plans...

I want a flexible lamp and I will try as well to experiment with the colors to find out what works the best. Maybe I will have blue/red/white in separate drivers... I'll figure out the best options, let's see!

 

[PetFlora]

Separate color switches is a bad idea. For veg you want mostly 6000K with a pinch of 600-630

For flower total blue ~ 10%, but it needs to be spread across the fixture for proper canopy coverage

 

[Mustafunk]

Separate color switches is a bad idea. For veg you want mostly 6000K with a pinch of 600-630

For flower total blue ~ 10%, but it needs to be spread across the fixture for proper canopy coverage

Well I just want to be able to change between flowering/vegetative mode... maybe not separate switches but selectable mode for sure. I just need to thing about it otherwise, that would be impossible unless you have a full dedicated flowering and another growing lamp, isn't it?

 

[PetFlora]

As I showed you, a veg light is a no-brainer. Super simple DIY, Doesn't weight much, Easily removed and replaced with your flowering fixture

 

[alesh]

LEDs from Steveleds.com aren't that efficient. Bought them myself and measured.
deep red: Vf 2.73@700mA about 34% efficient @50 degC
royal blue: Vf 2.83@700mA about 50% eff @50 degC
Assuming that output, which i can't measure, is correct.

Best royal blues are Cree XT-E. More efficient than Rebels while binned @85 degC.

 

[Mustafunk]

As I showed you, a veg light is a no-brainer. Super simple DIY, Doesn't weight much, Easily removed and replaced with your flowering fixture

Sorry mate I didn't understand well your previous post... yeah, I gotta think about it and maybe try to find a solution here, the thing is that the more ideas I get and the more I think, the lamp gets more and more delayed and I wanna grow asap damn!

The spectrum was going to be 70-75% red/deep red, and the rest blue and a touch of white to complete the overall spectrum. Lately, I'm even thinking in other colors as far red and even green, after reading an interesting studio where they find out that 24% green light increases the final weight of vegetable matter: http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/content/39/7/1617.full.pdf

This is endles...

 

[Mustafunk]

LEDs from Steveleds.com aren't that efficient. Bought them myself and measured.
deep red: Vf 2.73@700mA about 34% efficient @50 degC
royal blue: Vf 2.83@700mA about 50% eff @50 degC
Assuming that output, which i can't measure, is correct.

Best royal blues are Cree XT-E. More efficient than Rebels while binned @85 degC.

Wow, pretty dissapointing getting those measures from the Luxeon ES leds as they were supposed to be one of the bests right now! :/