annerose123
New member
is there anybody can help me to choose a led grow light? I want to grow something, thanks in advance. 
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want to choose a led grow light
- Thread starter annerose123
- Start date
I like my Viparspectra LED 450 very much! It has built-in fans, and can be used for Vegging OR Flowering.
They're built like a tank, and not too expensive. I got both my USED 450's for under $100 each. 900 watts of light for under $200, that's good!
They're built like a tank, and not too expensive. I got both my USED 450's for under $100 each. 900 watts of light for under $200, that's good!
"Compares to traditional 400 watt HPS/MH while consuming only 200 watts!"- According to Viparspectra. So "only" 800 watts out of two of them together. I'll stand by what I said before, they work great for me.
udontknowme
Member
If they only consume 200 watts then there is no way they will compare to a 400-watt hps! Viperspectra are talking shit imo , i would put money on a 250-watt hps out yielding one but each to their own.
To each their own, exactly.
I disagree with one thing in particular- your hypothesis, "If they only consume 200 watts then there is no way they will compare to a 400-watt hps!"
I disagree because before using LED's, I used CFL's bulbs. The big twisty ones from [Big Box Store]. They're rated 43 watts but they also have an equivalent wattage of like 150 watts or something. Six of them together could grow some serious weed.
But the point isn't the exact rating, or even what light is the best. The point is, I have grown serious weed with first one Viparspectra 450, and now I've got two and I'm killing it.
AND I also want to say to the original poster- There IS such a thing as TOO MUCH LIGHT! So tell us what your plan is- closet grow, or do you have the whole basement?
I disagree with one thing in particular- your hypothesis, "If they only consume 200 watts then there is no way they will compare to a 400-watt hps!"
I disagree because before using LED's, I used CFL's bulbs. The big twisty ones from [Big Box Store]. They're rated 43 watts but they also have an equivalent wattage of like 150 watts or something. Six of them together could grow some serious weed.
But the point isn't the exact rating, or even what light is the best. The point is, I have grown serious weed with first one Viparspectra 450, and now I've got two and I'm killing it.
AND I also want to say to the original poster- There IS such a thing as TOO MUCH LIGHT! So tell us what your plan is- closet grow, or do you have the whole basement?
311devon
Member
Been growing for 30yrs,ran everything but plasma's and have been running and building LED fixtures for 5 years now... Ran a Cali Light Works Solarstorm 880, Kessils, chinese crap, and currently have a 1600w 20 cree cob diy rig for flower and a 4 panel 200w set Of Photon Fantom's Sunboards for veg. On a diy level, Fantom's stuff is by far the best bang for your buck. They have very similar forwarding voltages to cree cobs and can be mixed and matched in a cob rig. Panels are $50 each and 4 will blow the shit outta a 2x4 flower or veg. They run in parallel without balancing/run away issues. They can be driven up to 100w per panel with a lil bit of air movement from a fan..You can run em up to 75w passively. No heat sink needed for either. Just the $50 board and air available to the back of it. I have $300 in a 200w fixture that easily outgrows my cob rig watt for watt. Check em out... https://www.photonfantomdesigns.com/ these things are bad ass guys.
Viparspectra uses diodes that put out the same amount of photons as traditional HPS. You still benefit from the easier heat management of LED, so I'm not going to say they are junk. But those blurple amazon style LEDs WILL yield you the same, watt for watt as a HPS light. (watt for watt as in wall pull, so the 200w at the wall vipar will be just as good as 200w of HPS) No offence to anyone, these are not my opinions these are facts based on sphere tests done on these types of lights.
Exactly single ended HPS. Sphere tests. Its a big sphere they place the light into and it measures the PPF of the light, as well as its efficacy which is micromols/joule (watt) sooo, you can compare by taking the efficacy (1.3umol/j in the case of a brand new single end hps on an electronic ballast. Mags are closer to 1.0) and multiplying it by the wall pull in watts. That will give you a ballpark PPF. This is the number that matters, its basically the measure of light the plants can use.
Thats the gist of it as far as I understand it. Im not a scientist and im sure my explanation is more simplified than it really is.
Here is a bunch of reports: I realize its on an LED companies website and that can seem funky but they are done by an independent lab, its not marketing stuff. You can find other references too, I think its the bugbee growlight study that shows the efficacy of a lot of these lights as well.
https://chilledgrowlights.com/independent-lab-reports
You can see leds like the vipar, the kind led, black dog, advanced led they all use similiar diodes, those little 3-5w blurple leds. They all measure in the same range pretty much. 1.1-1.3
(edit)
I'm sorry some of these are goniometer tests btw, gives us the same kind of information though
Thats the gist of it as far as I understand it. Im not a scientist and im sure my explanation is more simplified than it really is.
Here is a bunch of reports: I realize its on an LED companies website and that can seem funky but they are done by an independent lab, its not marketing stuff. You can find other references too, I think its the bugbee growlight study that shows the efficacy of a lot of these lights as well.
https://chilledgrowlights.com/independent-lab-reports
You can see leds like the vipar, the kind led, black dog, advanced led they all use similiar diodes, those little 3-5w blurple leds. They all measure in the same range pretty much. 1.1-1.3
(edit)
I'm sorry some of these are goniometer tests btw, gives us the same kind of information though
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311devon
Member
Coming.... It's just one guy ... well worth the wait. Both orders ive made with him for 3 panels, 4 have showed up. They way these things grow plants is better than anything ive used. They seem extremely strong for their power comsumption. Im vegging nearly 4ft below 200w in an open room, no tent for reflectivity. I chat with a guy who consulted with Photon Fantom when in design and he is finding the same. They will stress plants at distances it seems they shouldnt. I run my cob rig closer than the sunboards.... no optics on the sunboards either. The spectrum from these is awesome and backed by science. no gimmics in these.
edit: looks like he has sunboards in stock. wavys and fusions are out right now. He doesnt have a prebuilt fixture on the market yet...
edit: looks like he has sunboards in stock. wavys and fusions are out right now. He doesnt have a prebuilt fixture on the market yet...
GuerrillaRed
Member
I bought those cheap King LEDs off Amazon. They're pretty spectacular. Went with cheap Chinese knockoffs when a buddy told me his cheap knockoffs were outperforming his name brands that cost 3-4x. My first grow with them but so far they blow my mind.
Id love to run a tent with his lights and see how they compare to my cobs and such but the dude never responds to any emails/messages. Ive emailed and DM on IG several times to no avail.
is there anybody can help me to choose a led grow light? I want to grow something, thanks in advance.
HLG has really upped their game. Their new veg light is only $99. IMHO, there is nothing that can compare in this price range
I do not have persona experience (have ore LEDs than I can use at a given time), but there are quite a few grow threads using them successfully
311devon
Member
I believe he is just totally overloaded. The demand for his boards is way beyond what he expected from what I hear. As I understand it, Fantom has a real job and this was a side project. I would check the site daily and order as soon as any are available. He has made two or three drops of them since the last time I visited Icmag, all sold out within hours. I would try to contact via the Photon Fantom website as opposed to IG with tech questions.
Someone mentioned HLG. I bought my entire cob rig from Robin/Northern Grow Lights before he merged with Johnson Grow Lights to form HLG. Robin was a great guy to deal with. Very fair pricing for the time. Answered at least 30 emails with tech questions when i was designing things. He even offered me the Quantams at cost when they were first hitting the market. Can't say enough good about him.
With that being said, I am also a realist. Fantom's boards are as electrically efficient or more so than Quantams. The spectrum is definitely better. They also are half the cost of Quantams. Watt for watt Fantoms boards would eat my 3590's alive. I dont care which board ya choose either. Sunboard, Fusion, or Wavy... I have a 200w veg fixture with Sunboards(4 panels at 50w each) that supports a 1600w cob rig with 20 Cree 3590's over a 6x6 for flower. That ratio of veg/flower wattage should not work, yet it does. The only time Fantoms begin to fall off is in big rooms. For now. Wait till lensing shows up for them. In the works.
I'm not sayin this is the only led brand worth buying, just that its the best bang for your buck on the market today imo if you have basic diy skills. No heat sinks to fuck with unless you wanna drive em above 2100ma(75w-ish), similar forwarding voltages to common cobs. My set averaged 35v...compatible with alot of cob rigs to merely retrofit the panel in place of the cob. Babyshit easy.
KingRalph
Active member
Best deal I have found, work awesomely: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IVQ96WW/
$170 for a 2x Cree CXA3070 COB setup. Pulls about 135w from the wall, works close to if not the same as a 400w HPS I'd say, though much better blue light spectrum for veg. Has 2 fans that are somewhat loud. Well made housing and all. Can barely DIY that cheap and that well. They have a chainable universal plug on them as well. a la china, but pretty nice.
$170 for a 2x Cree CXA3070 COB setup. Pulls about 135w from the wall, works close to if not the same as a 400w HPS I'd say, though much better blue light spectrum for veg. Has 2 fans that are somewhat loud. Well made housing and all. Can barely DIY that cheap and that well. They have a chainable universal plug on them as well. a la china, but pretty nice.
Natural high
Member
A two COB light pulling 135w at the wall would be equivalent to about 150w of HPS. Buy 4 and you "may" be getting close to a 600w HPS, if you're lucky.
