Hello fellow growers! I'm brand new to growing (this is my first grow) and I'll be posting a journal soon stay tuned in! But back to the topic, I need some help choosing new lighting. Things I've looked into : Cob Lights Perfect Sun COB (Kind of pricey but if the quality is there..) Quantum boards 1000W HPS I'm currently running a 4x4x8 tent with 900W Viparspectra, exhaust fan with carbon filter, intake fan, oscillating fan for circulation, dehumidifier/humidifier to control humidity, A/C & heater in my house to help control the temperatures. I'd like to upgrade my light but I'm really torn between Quantum Board VS LED (a more quality one than the one I currently have) VS 1000W HPS. I researched and heard that the ideal wattage for a quantum board would be 50W /sqft which would mean I'd need 800W. How much would that run me? Is an HPS a better option for the price? I also saw this and was curious... Anyone who can give me some legit advice would be greatly appreciated, thank you and have a stoney day!
Did you look at HLG's rated coverage area for their fixtures? 50 watts per square foot is nowhere near where they run. The HLG 550 is made to cover a 4x4 and it runs 515 watts to the boards. HLG's rated coverage for flower is more around 30-35 watts per square foot. If you want something to click the order button on then two qb260xl with 304 boards would be my preferred setup for a 4x4. The other fixture I may run is an HLG 600h. Horticulture Lighting Group 260 Watt XL Quantum Board LED Kit Horticulture Lighting Group HLG-600H Quantum Board LED Kit I'm not talking out my ass but speaking from experience. I run two qb260's in my own 4x4 flower tent. It's a great setup but the standard qb260 runs a little warm. The xl runs cooler and spreads the boards wider. For the price the best deal in LED grow lights right now is DIY with the qb132 boards. They don't need a heatsink. You can get 4 packs for $133 from amazon. A 4 pack is roughly equal to a qb260. All you do is hang the boards and hook the correct power to them. It would be less then $400 or around that price to outfit your 4x4 with these. You would have a wider spread of light then any of those other setups as well. More even distribution. It would take 8 boards to cover a 4x4 properly for bloom. The best power supplies would be the meanwell LRS 350-36 for 4 boards in parallel or the HLG 150h-36a for two boards. the HLG 320h c2100a for 4 boards in series. ect ect. .. arrow.com for good driver prices. LRS 75-36 for a single boards driver.
Wow thanks for the detailed response! Would those setups be comparable to a 1000W HPS? I really just want the best of the best for the space that I have to utilize. The HLG600 looks like a promising option Considering the 8 qb132s also if they actually work well because of the evenly spread lighting I'm not sure.. so many choices Why is the HLG550 so much more than the 600?
I think 8 of those boards which would be about 600 watts would stomp a standard single end HPS. It's probably more comparable to a DE1100 watt gavita.
I've been giving advise on HLG products since around when I bought my first one in about May of 2017. There's been at least 3 people I've seen buy 600h fixtures and all of them are very happy with the product. You can beat the price and spread with DIY but it takes work and a little know how.
I think I'm pretty set on either the diy 8x qb132 or the HLG600 If I go with the qb132 is it hard to put together? I think I read somewhere it's really simple and can be done in 10 mins
It can be very simple. You can simply hang each board from it's own ratcheting hanger. 9" trout leaders from each corner of the board will work to hang them with. $1.99 for a 6 pack at walmart. Ratcheting hangers are as low as 2 for $10. You can also build a frame to mount the boards to out of 1" angle aluminum. It's easier to raise and lower the whole fixture like that. They're not that hard to put together and not that expensive.