See so many of these threads turning into arguments so I'd like to keep this about personal experience using cheap blurple type led led ss from Amazon like Mars or even other less known companies. They sell a ton of these and I read decent reviews all the time so I am curious to hear from actual users if they really exist. I have done research and right now I am not interested in COBs and am leaning towards HID but if I can spend $200 to get started with 2-3 plants in a 2x4 that would be great. This is more a proof of concept and trial so I don't want to spend much. That said I am aware that likely translates to lower yields but so am taking things slow.
Pretty much all the blurpels you will find will have extremely exaggerated performance specifications like claiming a 100w lamp is really 250w for example. Bottom line you are getting very little for your dollar with most of these. BTW I know what you said but why are you against QB's? You could definitly get started with $200 in a 2x4 with budget boards and you will get much more out of them than any blurple.
Comes down to convenience and setup... There is lots of talk about quantum Boards right now and I am in the midst of wadi g through it all but for the sake of this thread I just wanted to keep on the topic of cheap LEDs easily found on Amazon etc. Hope that makes sense...
I've used both the vivosun HID and the vivosun 600w led. currently using the LED. I wouldn't do more than 1-2 plants with the led lights. will definetly be upgrading to QB's once living arrangements allow for it.
I like the new mars stuff. Look at these two new series they have. The TS1000 is a great single plant light and the best deal on the smaller lights. The SP series is more efficient in output but costs a little more. Could be a better fit depending on your space size. Mars TS Series - Mars Hydro Mars SP series LED Grow Light - Mars Hydro
Here's some of the best bang for your buck LEDs they are available on Amazon but they are quantum boards . You will need to buy a power supply separately and you will probably be around $220 To set them up. Outside of this we can't have a real conversation about what works when you exclude the ones that do work. I also wonder about those reviews on Amazon, I believe a good portion of them to be fake. Mainly because it's hard to find these people with the great results on any other platform than Amazon. Finally I don't want to sound like a D but if your research has led you to burple vs hid you need to dig deeper. Horticulture Lighting Group 4X QB132 V2 Quantum Boards (3000K) www.amazon.com/dp/B07TNHL8XF/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_kizsDbG7RH2BM]
If you want to spend a little more. Fully capable of blooming a 2x4 or 3x3. That's the recommended coverage size. Not exactly breaking the bank when you consider it's 260 or so watts draw from the wall and top end diodes high in the efficiency charts. Horticulture Lighting Group 260 Watt Quantum Board LED Kit V2 Rspec You know people talk about those lights so much because they work? I've been using them for over 2 years now. Not trying to hype a new product or anything like that. They're proven to work at this point.
Why change from the HID? And I think the plan would be two or three Autos so nothing huge and they would be trained.
What am I doing with these? I don't want to build it! And my research suggests quantum Boards and cons to be best but they cost more than a cheap HID setup, and honestly I am considering the HID a good heat source as cold winters will make it hard to maintain that tents temps in my basement. I am also in Canada and thinking in Canadian dollars so that makes a big difference. I can get two 300w mars units for $200 and feel like I should be able to successfully grow 2 decent plants with them but according to people like you all over these forums I can't and shouldn't consider anything of the sort. I have spent days reading forum threads that go just like this, yet the odd post comes from someone using a cheap LED successfully and mars sells them like crazy so wtf? I don't care if I have to upgrade later because I get hungry for bigger yields. I just want some success for proof of concept and then I can invest a little more. Then I will have a great little light ready for germinating seeds and can work on a small perpetual grow.
why did I change from the HID? Just because of where I'm living right now I can't accommodate the big hood/extra fan/noise/heat from the HID.
If you could go back to hid would you? Can you tell me a little bit more about the LED grow you did with the 600 wat
If you need the heat than maybe hid could be for you . I was reading an article about commercial tomatoe growers that were sticking with hid because of the fixture cost associated with the LEDs and I believe that they needed the heat also. I think most people are trying to be helpful when they warn you away from the burple lights . Most of us including myself have one under the bed or in the back of the closet. They just don't have the intensity needed for growing dense flowers. And yes the light I linked does require some very basic assembly. If you put your tent together you can do this. It's difficult to find what works inside your parameters. So I went with Amazon and your budget. These are available in Canada also. @Tbone Shuffle linked a plug and play model above but this will cost a little more. Edit sorry that one is a kit also but still very basic
this is the dwarf low flyer I grew with the 600w led. I ran into some obvious nutrient issues with this plant I never quite figured out. I was pretty happy with how the light performed. is the HID better? Probably. This is what I've got going now, under the same 600w led. 2 white widows. and its not like your old equipment can't still be used once you upgrade. I've got a cheap 100$ blurple I still use for clones and sometimes mother plants and it works great for that kind of stuff
Ceramic MH 315w Wing Reflector Package Best HID purchase for your money. Awesome spectrum puts off decent amount of heat but not so much you need air-cooled hood, 315watts pretty much a replacement for a 600watt HPS lower electric costs will cover your space perfectly far better light penetration over the cheap blurple LED. bulbs will last you 2+ years without need replaced. That should check everything off your list. Might be about 50-60$ over your budget on that link. purchase parts indvidual and you could possibly reduce that cost.
Honestly, it all depends on what you want to do and how you want to grow. I've been using low to mid grade "blurples" for years. My last grow used Vipars par600 (2) and an adv. Plat. 300. 3 plants, 17oz. I tinker, I play, its a hobby that I will probably continue to advance lighting as I go. That being said here are some pics from that grow. Now, not all buds were that big. But just giving you an idea. Sent from my LG-H932 using Grasscity Forum mobile app
I went with HLG knock offs from Bava on alibaba - cheap got them quick - 1 year in and my Samsung65's are kicking I do plan on upgrading probably next year to the HLG 120s just to get more wattage in the room
That’s QB boards hell they’re all over amazon I’m sure someone told you this price four 120’s 122$ Power supply 50-60$ you can still get pizza or a bag of bud if your not ready to harvest I’ve used burple lights they work but same prices no question an wins good luck Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
The drawbacks of going with HID over qb lights: HID lights are a fire hazard. They are illegal in home grows in some area now for fire safety. You'll need more watts for the same space. IMO to bloom a 3x3 well you want a 600 watt cooltube HPS. To bloom a 4x4 well you want a 1000 watt cooltube HPS or vented rectangular hood. You'll be lucky to hit 1g watt with those setups. Expert growers are hitting 2g/watt with top LED's and know how. Instead if you went with top end led you could bloom a 3x3 with 250-300 watts. You could bloom a 4x4 with 500-600 watts. It easier to maintain temps in the room with almost half the power not to mention a nice savings on electric bill. With HID you need a new bulb once to twice a year. The leds will last minimum 5 years but can be stretched longer especially at a 12/12 light cycle where they only run half of a day. If you go to my last post that link has an option to build the light. If those look way too expensive for you then order from alibaba. Many have and they have a lot of satisfied customers. For a 2x4 tent it would be really hard to beat one of these. Free Assembly Kingbrite Connected 240w Samsung Lm301h Mix Red Epistar 660nm Uv Ir Quantum Board Grow Light - Buy Lm301h Quanum Board,Quantum Board,Quantum Board Uv Product on Alibaba.com That listing says free assembly and it's $155. 260 watts wall draw. Also it has UV, deep red, and infrared on the board with the whites so a really fat spectrum. If you wanted to use it for start to finish get a 4k or 3500k white diode.
If commercial growers knew the prices we pay for DIY stuff they would be hiring electricians to build their lights instead of buying them. A commercial grade DE 1100 watt gavita isn't cheap. They're close to $500. You can build a 4 board qb96 setup with two HLG320h-54a drivers in parallel that can match that at about the 650 watt range for about $575 or so. Commercial ready to plug and play high end LED light fixtures are a total ripoff. Spyder comes to mind. Their fixtures that replace a 1000 watt hps are over $1,000. With home growing you can almost cut the prebuilt light's price in half when you DIY. You can get it even cheaper with boards like the qb132 that don't need heatsinks. Super cheap to DIY with.
