Can you recommend a LED for 4 plants?

[Douglas.Curtis]

I generally avoid brands that advertise 3000 watts when they're only pulling 640 from the wall. I like to see par charts too.

It's like the CPU naming shenanigans going on a few decades ago. Adding zeros and numbers, for confusion/marketing purposes, degrades brand value for me.

Have you seen how EVERY SINGLE VENDOR on amazon has the mars hydro lights listed with a W after the model number? Talk about confusing shoppers who already know nothing. I can't imagine the return rates from unsatisfied customers, simply because it's not the size/wattage they needed.

 

[delerious]

It's like the CPU naming shenanigans going on a few decades ago. Adding zeros and numbers, for confusion/marketing purposes, degrades brand value for me.

Have you seen how EVERY SINGLE VENDOR on amazon has the mars hydro lights listed with a W after the model number? Talk about confusing shoppers who already know nothing. I can't imagine the return rates from unsatisfied customers, simply because it's not the size/wattage they needed.

It's not just there. I've seen more than a few youtube reviews where the reviewer says watts or has it in the description. It's worse when they neglect to mention the actual power draw.

 

[f-e]

I'm buying lm301/meanwell combo's in from china, at around 55p a watt delivered. This is the same cost as summing up 1500lumen general purpose lamps. Here is it, anyway. In the states the 1500 lumen lamp is about a third of what I'm paying (from the same chain).

So this budget could buy a quality 240w light, that can illuminate half of that meter available. Just like an hlg-240 or whatever they are calling it.

A 600 does seem more appropriate in most European cellars though. Lighting that meter admirably. Prices start at around half your lighting budget, which is nice.

 

[master kusher]

cobs seem to be very popular on the now nearly non active forums.

 

[Douglas.Curtis]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]cobs seem to be very popular on the now nearly non active forums.

[/FONT]

In my opinion, and having worked with cobs and QB, I vastly prefer the light spread of the QB style. Cobs, though more points of light than HID, are still a rather low number of light points. There's a lot to be said for evenly lighting all sides of a plant.

They're great for micro-growing, where a small number of lights provides nearly the same overlapping lighting.

Cobs are generally hotter, requiring a heat sink large enough to cool the collection of chips. Passive cooling is great, with the downside being initial upfront purchase of much larger (and heavier) heat sinks.

Active cooling is fine in HEPA filtered environments, and not something I'd recommend just anywhere. Having repaired PC's for a couple of decades, I'm well familiar with fans and the unfiltered environment.

 

[f-e]

Like you Douglas, I'm finding the even coverage of QB's a real bonus. I shunned them at first, with concerns over airflow, and ideas that if a single 6 covered a meter, then 8 50w cobs should. Now 50w cobs spaced just 35cm apart, seem to have the same problem the 6 did, with substandard spread. Even QB's have proven to be to concentrated in low ceiling applications, leading to even them being broken up and spread out further

The diodes available for QB builds are consistently more efficient, so I can't imagine me buying cobs again. Except for my floor lights, which must live between the pots. It's only packaging that makes the QB a bit of an issue, but the one's pictured can go in a typical box

 

[Douglas.Curtis]

You must spread some reputation around, before giving it to f-e again.