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Why do some LED lights look white while others are 'blurple'?

Ringodoggie

Well-known member
Premium user
I am getting ready to delve into LED and I really don't like the blurple color.

I notice some LED lights are not blurple and actually reflect a fairly real color rendering index (CRI).

What tags words do I look for to keep away from blurple? Full Spectrum? White? COB? What's it called when they don't look 'blurple'?

I have been reading some about it and there is a lot of controversy regarding the usefulness of the green in the white lights. I'm not that concerned about arguing about that right now. There's a lot of plus and minus on it but I ain't goin' with blurple so, for better or for worse, white it is.

If you know of a good brand of 'white looking' LED light for sale, feel free to point me. I'll probably go DIY on my second light but the first one is going to be store bought.

Thanks
 

h.h.

Active member
Veteran
I was directed to Timber Lights as well Rapid Light. Ended up ordering a couple COB kits from Timber followed up by a quantum board kit.

The kits just plug together. You need to make a frame. I threw a frame together in about an hour for about $25.
You can buy them complete with frame as well.
Or you can buy all the parts.

COBs or quantum boards? That will start an argument. I can't tell you.

White is a combination of colors. Basically you want closer to red for flower, low K value, or you want closer to blue for veg or a higher K value. They still look white until you put them alongside each other.
3,000K to 5,000K.
3,500K for both flower and veg.. A lot of people seem to be using the 3,000k.
I started with 400w of 3,500K COBs. Added 200w of 1750K and 200w of 3,000K COBs, with another 240w of quantum boards on order.

Plants seem to be responding well. Can't say much more at this point.

Dan @ Timber is pretty easy to deal with. I imagine they all are. I haven't tried the others.
 

Koondense

Well-known member
Veteran
For white leds check Timber led and Pacific light concepts, I would be very happy with both.
But with DIY you can have the best parts for less and build a white led(cob) light for around 1$/W. QBs are also great, same range as best cobs but a bit different application.

Cheers
 

PetFlora

Well-known member
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Blurple light sellers are BS carpetbaggers. They use every key word to drive you to their crap. They call a bunch of different spectrum monos as 'FULL SPECTRUM"

On a budget HGL

Feeling flush I use Amare Technologies. 25% discount available puts them in line with most

Also Fluence makes excellent lights
 

Ringodoggie

Well-known member
Premium user
Still not sure what tag words I should search. Seems like 'full spectrum' and 'wide spectrum' end up at blurple sites. "white" LED grow lights usually goes to some super cheapo LED light someone is trying to pass off as a grow light. LOL

Thanks for the tips to manufacturers. I sure didn't see any $199 white lights at those sites. The blurple lights are everywhere, cheap cheap cheap (which tells me something in itself). Not that I am looking to only spend $199 but it seems a far spread.

Thanks again for the guidance.
 
Hey Ringo,

Good hunch to be suspicious of the blurples. Those are old tech, and don't seem to work well enough for most, from experience. They can be decent in veg, but lack in flower.

It seems like what the blurple guys did was look at one generic photosynthesis chart, and use only one value each of a red and blue wavelength, in different configurations, resulting anywhere from magenta to blurple.

First of all, your grow space / style may determine whether you go with the (Condensed) COB style fixture, or the Quantum Board or Strip style fixture.
If you have more vertical space, and decent headroom, you may want to consider the COB style fixtures. They are condensed in a small area, and generally have at least reflectors, if not lenses, for deeper penetration. They also require more heat removal effort.
If you have a more wide, shallow canopy, then QBs or Strip style fixtures are probably more up your alley. They give a wider, more even spread of light, but don't penetrate as deeply. They require less in heat sinks and heat removal efforts.

Like h.h. was saying, most of these "white" looking LEDs are found by searching by Kelvin value / temperature of the color you're looking for. People generally use between 3000k and 6000k, with 3500k being a decent all around temperature for veg and flower. Because you can customize down to the diode, people are also experimenting as mentioned above, with anywhere from 1700-10000K diodes here and there, and on slightly different times to emulate nature.
The lower the K value, the more yellow the light looks. I think HPS is around 2700k, and MH is like 4200k, maybe 6500k something like that, to give you an idea...So, that's one thing you'll want to include in your search ____K...

I'd start your search at some of the places mentioned above, and go from there. Those are the most recommended companies around the boards. Search for Horticultural Lighting Group (HLG), Cobkits, Mouser for easy DIY kits and assembled lights. Timber, Amare, and Fluence for assembled, slightly more convenient / expensive lights.

Also, an idea of what area you're trying to light, and grow style could give us an idea of what to narrow down as well.

There's lots of options and details with LED, but I'm sure you can find something for your situation...good luck!
 

Phaeton

Speed of Dark
Veteran
Not being handy, I have gone through nine brands of ready made LED grow lights.
The current favorite is the 230w Dwarf Star. Three different K white diodes provide 60% of the output, supplemental mono color reds and blue are the other 40%. Looks pretty white to the eye.
The favorite changes year to year with technology advances.
Black Dog is the favorite for vegging, lousy on the taller plants grown in the bud room. It is a twelve band blurple with UVA and infrared. Watt for watt on a four foot plant the Dwarf Star wins.
For close up intensity on a short plant the nod goes to Black dog.

Rough sale prices per watt:
Dwarf Star, two bucks.
Black Dog, three bucks.
Way more than DIY.

Dwarf Star wins in reliability. Black Dog is good on warranty but the unit still has to be sent away. Three out of three went out before the warranty, better than right after.
Dwarf Star, four out of four over halfway through their third year, still running bright. Fingers are crossed.

Photos are Advanced EXT 400, Platinum P600, Black Dog Phytomax 400.
Clone and seedling table is CMH with six passive 50w side lights since discontinued.
This is after LED, Fluorescent and LED, CMH, and Fluorescent were all tried.

All stages of growth have UVB on the side from Fluorescent bulbs, T8's in seedling and veg, T5 in bud.

Still working to find the single light that does as well as a mix. Not there yet.

The lights went out in the bud room minutes before I showed with the camera, all the Dwarf Stars are up there.
A photo was borrowed from a thread on Dandelion growth. Foliage appears green where the side lights are shadowed by the taller container.
 

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