What's new
  • Happy Birthday ICMag! Been 20 years since Gypsy Nirvana created the forum! We are celebrating with a 4/20 Giveaway and by launching a new Patreon tier called "420club". You can read more here.
  • Important notice: ICMag's T.O.U. has been updated. Please review it here. For your convenience, it is also available in the main forum menu, under 'Quick Links"!

HPS or LED???

R

RookieGrower98

New member
Hy everybody im trying to decide on which lights to run in my budget closet grow. I am on a tight budget of only 130 euro.
I'm planning to buy the AC infinity CLOUDLINE 4" inline fan so I can control temperatures and airflow in my closet, so the heat won't be a problem even with HPS lights...I hope.
I have the option to buy platinum led p150 light for 130 from a friend but its 2 years old (it has a 5-year warranty so i can expect 3 years or more out of it) and its supposed to replace a 250 W HPS fixture, or I can get a 600 W HPS rig that will cost about the same with a bigger electricity bill and future bulb replacement costs.
So my question is which of these two options are better for my closet grow setup and why?
Every suggestion and opinion is appreciated.

My setup: https://www.icmag.com/modules/Journal/viewentry.php?journalid=1936
 
R

RookieGrower98

New member
yeah, but how did the switch effect your cost to performance? did you dish out a lot of doe for the light or did you go for a budget version?
 
xxPeacePipexx

xxPeacePipexx

Member
I've updated as well utilizing HLG quantum boards ranging from the most expensive, to the cheapest single panels and I don't have anything but positive feedback in regards to this. Even the 95 watt quantum panels and drivers I bought for a little over a $100 each are much more efficient and cooler running than the old sodiums and t5 lights I ran through the years.
 
GOT_BUD?

GOT_BUD?

Weed is a gateway to gardening
ICMag Donor
Veteran
If it weren't for HLG and their Quantum Boards, I'd be hard pressed to say LED over HPS for your budget.

I grew plenty of great bud under a single 400. Which is what I would recommend to you if HLG didn't have their Quantum Boards.

So what I'm saying is, buy HLG's Quantum Boards from Amazon in your price range.
 
R

RookieGrower98

New member
Thank you for the suggestion, do you maybe know of any brands worth considering? I checked amazon.de and they have a very limited selection of HLG lights, so I would have to order from a dealer or directly from the manufacturer which adds shipping costs :/
 
Fitzera

Fitzera

Active member
Based on your budget and the 2 options you have, I'd have to say the 600w hps hands down.

600w is the most efficient of hps. That p150 is rated to draw 50w for "veg" and 87w for "flower", that's only a total of 137w with both sets of leds running.

These LEDs being suggested are out of the budget you have proposed. Bang for buck, 600w hps for now. You can always upgrade later. I started with a 600 hps. Then added a 900 led (450w blurple). Then 4 autocobs.
 
Koondense

Koondense

Well-known member
Veteran
Hey RookieG,
if you're in EU check the he german online shop, forgot the name, there's also the led grow shop dot eu with best prices around.

Cheers
 
R

RookieGrower98

New member
Hey Fitzera everything you sad makes me want to buy the HPS rig, but the only reason I'm still considering the p150 is its almost perfect light spectrum, low power consumption (less heat), and its appraised lifespan. Do you think it's worth the lower W ?
(I'll be growing 4 plants at a time)
 
U

useless.gardens

4 plants?

315 ceramic metal halide all day.

if not the above...

400w "old school" set up.

you can upgrade to LED any time after.

spend less. focus on your skill set. then upgrade to whatever you like.
 
Sunshineinabag

Sunshineinabag

Active member
GOT_BUD? said:
If it weren't for HLG and their Quantum Boards, I'd be hard pressed to say LED over HPS for your budget.

I grew plenty of great bud under a single 400. Which is what I would recommend to you if HLG didn't have their Quantum Boards.

So what I'm saying is, buy HLG's Quantum Boards from Amazon in your price range.
Click to expand...
Screw ins with 90 CRI can compete
 
R

RookieGrower98

New member
maybe one more thing to note is the hight of my grow area is max 85cm / 33.5 inches I don't know if this could cause light burn.
But what I'm getting so far is:
- SMH is better than hps but a bit more expensive
- HPS you can't go wrong with these
- LED more expensive but better light spectrum, low power consumption
I till can't decide where my money is best spent <D
 
420empire

420empire

Well-known member
Veteran
Another thing is to consider in what kind of way the end product will end up like. Remember that for 30+ years plants have been selected under HPS lights, so maybe that Banana Kush will not end up tasting like nanas. I don´t think LED are a bad idea but maybe you lose something when swichting, maybe not. Best luck to you.

Take care.
 
R

RookieGrower98

New member
Well, I'm leaning towards the 400 W HPS light I think the platinum led p150 won't be enough for 4 plants. Tomorrow I'll go to my local grow shop and try to buy one of these, If anyone had any more insights to share please do before I buy one <D.
As soon as I get the light ill post some pics in my journal.
Thank you all for your suggestions I would have never been able to decide this without you!
 
H

hard rain

For me there is no debate. LED wins. I switched from HPS to LED and have improved yield, but more importantly for me, improved quality.

Anyone saying that LEDs are too expensive compared to HPS should consider the cost of replacement HPS bulbs over 5 years, because that's how long your LED's are likely to last.
 
U

useless.gardens

@ 33" height in the grow space, you might not need 400w.

what's the sq footage?

250w vert covers four plants for me in a 3x3x6 tent.

in the fall/winter, i move up to 400w.

i think 400w HID lamp is too much for your application.
 
U

useless.gardens

yeah, no way a 400w is overkill.

for a space like that, id grab something else.

the options are endless.

in that space i like a 250w digi ballast, vert hanger, & mh or hps bulb.

couple of led lamps would fit the space perfect too.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Latest posts

Top