Need experienced input on choosing an LED

[Lucky 7]

So, I'm looking to step into an LED. Please help point me in the right direction!

I'm thinking of replacing my 400 wt Gavita with a Lumigro Pro 325 or possibly an Advanced DS 400.

I have a table 4 foot X 3 foot and these two lights seem to have this footprint . . . . . . . is this correct? And will i be stepping up from the 400HPS with less heat and more intensity?

How about suspending weight of these creatures? The Lumigrow weighs 10 pounds I believe . . . . which is about the same as as my Gavita. I can find no specs on the Advanced. the reviews are good though.

After reading some threads I like the Lumigrow 325 . . . . . anyone?

 

[Lucky 7]

Well hell. Yes Lucky, you damned Hillbilly, hook that shit up.

Hey you freaks, thanks for all the help, NOT!

All the BS F**kers here building & experimenting enough for a LED trip to Mars and I can't even get a SIMPLE question answered?

Makes one question how many of you really know jack shit, if you ya get my drift!

 

[Lucky 7]

According to the very informative person (Thanks!) at MonsterGardens, one prolly needs a 3 X 3 Tent package with the Lumigrow 650 Pro or something thereabouts.

ALSO, manufacturer claims of heat, wattage, etc are misleading . . . . where the LED's do perform well, According to the people running them in BIG warehouse grows, are Terpenoid production.

And of course this will make your pot smell, taste better as well as making the overall effect greater. Which is what we are all looking for.

Actual Heat will be about 10% to 15% less than HID, ditto with power savings.
Cost of Lumigrow 325 Pro: $835; 650 Pro: $1500! 600 Watt HPS & Ballast: $400 to $500!


I have seen on here some 300 Watt units in a 3 X 3 setup that seem to be doing very well though. So still considering the considerable's ...............

 

[positivity]

I'm no spectrometer, paymaster, nm guru...but I have been growing with leds for years now.
Lots of different opinions...quite a few will point you towards panels that cost 600 bucks for 160 watts...I politely decline
I just got one from china off Ali baba...about a dollar a watt...from gehl. They don't advertise it on their site but they produce the black dog leds apparently. I'd take a close look at that one or the one I got the noah 4. Then there's always the Apollo style lights....all on the same site...all you gotta do is send them an email inquiry...
Lots of choices on there just pick one that tickles your fancy
Or buy a top dollar one if you want warranty service....expensive to ship panel to china for repair...lol
But I've never had even one diode burn out yet so I'm not really worried about that personally
2 cents delivered

 

[positivity]

Parmaster not paymaster..damn spellcheck..you got my drift I'm sure

 

[Lucky 7]

aw yes the parmaster! ha ha all about the pars, huh! Thanks for chiming in with your experience . . . . that's what we're looking for here. too.

Yes opinions are all over the stoner map here that's for sure!

there's some LED's a dancin' right there! lol

 

[positivity]

Just noticed I'm starting to look like a china fanboy..
Not really the case, just enjoying my cheapish light right now
But to keep it real...the advanced grew the biggest cola I've seen yet in a thread on here. I'd put my money on that one.
Lumi, clw, Area 51, all the 5 watt panels sound awesome...only problem is none of the grows with them have Impressed me much. Need to see some results.
All they gotta do is drop a picture of a big gooey sticky nug at about a gram a watt and I'd be sold
Like buying a car without taking a test drive...

 

[Lucky 7]

Exactly. Reminds me of TV's 5 yrs ago . . . . no good standard, but headed in the right direction. That's why confusion is the order of the day. But LED's are the future . . .

I have a 55" LG LED Tv that just rocks; that's the main reason I like the idea of grow light LED. They do a credible job easier . . . . the Tv uses the power of a 100 wt bulb . . . .

 

[Lucky 7]

I have narrowed my search for the perfect LED in relation to my grow table (4 X 3, or think a 4 X 4 tent) and see that Advanced/Cree 10 wt diamond series has this footprint, see here http://www.advancedledlights.com/3w-led-grow-lights/new-diamond-series-xml-10w-cree-xml/

The price is . . . wait for it . . . $997. A bit steep but looks like quality.

Black Dog has some nifty LED's too their 450 (&450 wts) is $1227. The lights are 5wts; is that a big difference? Unknown . . .

Unless I find something better, it appears the Advance has it thus far.
Thoughts anyone??

the Area 51 SGS 160 looks good too; price:$535! but at 155wts, I'd prob need 2 of them . . .

 

[jcmjrt]

I'm not going to put down Advanced fixtures but only a few chips - ten on the panel you are looking at for $997 - are Cree.

The second biggest lie that most manufacturers tell after total wattage is the area of coverage. I wouldn't bet on that advanced covering a lot more than 2 x 2 for flower...just what the SGS-160 covers...and the SGS-160 is all Cree chips. The better quality Cree (and Philips too) chips convert more power utilized into light and thus less into heat. If you want cool and low electric bills then Cree and Philips chips are the way to go.

Another winner fixture is Hans panel. You could get 4 of them and cover your space almost perfectly. Each panel covers well about 1 1/2 by 2 ft for flower (now I'm not talking veg which is MUUUUUCH easier). Hans is Cree and Philips (I consider Philips on par with Cree). I might add a couple of small fluorescent white bulbs for a little additional spectrum and light but this looks like a great fit. I bet Hans would cut a deal for four. bonsaihero.com

 

[Lucky 7]

Alrighty then! Thanks for your input, it's much appreciated . . .

 

[Lucky 7]

I do not question that the Hans panel may be chock full of good lights, but the build looks iffy: are there fans needed there, power cords running all over (separate power center), etc.

From what I'm seeing, one could arguably take any 4 of the top units & get the same results, especially for someone such as myself: personal grower raising 4 plants at a time.

Such a quagmire of claims! When will it stop!

 

[KRANKENWAGEN]

christ man, shelling 1k$ for an experimental light fixture...
good for you, mate

 

[Lucky 7]

well . . . the "Top four fixtures" are not exactly "experimental" . . . . I've seen many many results that certainly equal mine with the 400wt HPS I've been using.

So in choosing one of these top models, it's really not much of a gamble; and yes, I'm more than willing to go LED therefore increasing yield a bit, potency more, and taste much! all while using less energy, no FLIR footprint, with less danger of self inflicted explosion/accidents!

They are pricey, but those in the know swear by them, and I've seen few returning to their old ways . . . . LED are the future!

Thanks for stopping in . . "must spread karma around" . . .

 

[PetFlora]

First a little background. LEDs were too expensive just 2 short years ago, so I bought an 8 bulb HOT5 (2 x 4) + several hundred dollars in aquarium bulbs to simulate what leds were doing, as well as to better balance the overall spectrum from the RB craze.

Newest offerings by A 51, AT, AstirGrows...are quite a bit better, and a good choice for someone who is not handy, but if you are...

IMHO, LEDs are only beginning to meet expectations. IMHO, COB lights are the future. If you are just a little bit handy (describes me), you can assemble a very simple DIY

3 weeks ago I bought 4 x 4ft @ 23w surface mount diodes, but already COB versions are on the market. Why COBs? Virtually no gaps in coverage.

Anyway 4 @ 4ft tubes EVENLY cover 4 x ~ 16": 8 tubes will pretty much cover 3 X 4

Tube cost @ $35/+ shipping + 2 @ 4 bulb shop lights that require a simple retro wiring

2 bulb fixtures (@$18) are a lot cheaper than 4 bulb http://www.lowes.com/pd_245546-58659-NXU-6001-B_0__

so $72 for fixtures (you could make your own for half the price) + 8 bulbs @ $35= $280 = $352 will mostly cover a 3ft X 4 ft area.

Now as tubes improve in intensity/wattage you simply replace individual tubes! Should ballasts die, easy to replace

 

[Lucky 7]

you lost me at "First . . ." ha ha not really. I've seen some of these tube 7 wondered what they were for; as to the future, well sounds a bit sketchy but let's see if they work.

Show me the money, er, the buds! nice DIY project; hope it shows some promise for the work you've done!

 

[PetFlora]

Pics taken 2 days ago. Quite a bit fatter today

I have a thread here The Next Rage: White LED Tubes click on it in my sg

View attachment 228762 View attachment 228764
View attachment 228763

 

[Lucky 7]

they are at 30 days, right? give or take . . . looks nice. . . . so how many watts total in yr tent there?
and what of the 4' tubes?

60 day strain?

 

[rives]

If you want to see what the Lumigrow equipment is capable of with the right strain and a dialed system, check out some of SOTF420's pictures of the Sweet Tooth that he grew under the earlier model Lumi (ES330) in the Survival of the Fittest seed forum. I would assume that they have improved the newer models somewhat over a 5+ year old design. Anyhow, SOTF has numerous pictures where he held gallon milk jugs beside the buds to give a sense of scale. Impressive.

 

[Lucky 7]

thanks, i tried to find some info there but at over 165 pages . . . . couldn't sift any longer

I don't doubt that Lumingrow has some quality gear for sure . . . tht's why I'm going LED this winter . . .