Horace Greely
Veteran of Prohibition
- Joined
- Sep 9, 2013
- Messages
- 28
- Reaction score
- 1
LED Buying advice from someone who has flowered over a dozen crops using LED
WHAT WILL YOU BE GROWING WITH YOUR LED LIGHT ?
Lets face it you want to grow weed with these. *
Ask the seller for test results of their product growing cannabis. *
Ask to see how many revisions of their product were made by their R&D department trials.
Ask to see the buds as almost any LED will veg your plants.
Ignore stupid marketing crap like secondary lenses and elaborate housings. *These things do not grow plants. A well designed wavelength/lens array will get the best results for the costs
*
There are Entry Level fixtures out there that have been well tested and developed for marijuana flowering. If you can recall a brand name off the top of your head its not going to be one of them sorry. These are not the #1 selling light or even #2 - 10.
Look for growers who design their own lights here in the US. If you cannot find a fully documented grow show using these lights then I would pass. A couple of extra dollars for someones R&D is well worth any additional cost.
BRAND NAME DIODES
Epistar, Bridgelux, CREE are the most popular in this segment. Chances are if you get quality diodes the drivers used will be quality as well.
If the seller does not state which brand then its best to walk away.
*
*
PRICE IS A POOR INDICATOR OF VALUE
Ask the seller what their return rate is. *A discount light with a great warranty sucks when you have to return/repair it 3 or 4 times during a grow.
The WalMart Syndrome:
Jimmy thinks it a good deal to buy $10 kicks from WallyWorld even though they fall apart in about a month.
His friend George buys Nikes for $50. They fit better, don't irritate his feet and last over a year.
Georges criteria will serve you better when buying Grow Lights.
*
RACE TO THE BOTTOM
As the online competition to see who can sell the most lights at the lowest price reaches its depths we would appear we may be heading toward another peak in the LED's don't work debate. Poorly designed fixtures in inexperienced hands will inevitably lead to this determination. Some guidance here may allow you to avoid these pitfalls
HUCKSTERISM
Cheap lights are cheap because corners have been cut to make them sell at a low price.
A properly engineered LED lights will be driven at 70% (+/- 5%) of its rated wattage -
I am now seeing supposed 300 watt fixtures that consume only 180 watts. A quality 240 on the other hand uses the same power and deliver the same is not more usable light. Look for the actual power consumption because that is the light output you will get. Fictitious ratings based on diode count do not make a brighter lamp.
Some sellers are actually claiming they use special high efficiency power supplies. What is more likely is that the engineer looked at the low quality of the fixtures infrastructure and underpowered it. This is an easy way to state higher numbers and yet keep failure rates/warranties to a minimum. LED's are simple whatever power you give them will be the light they supply. Low power ratios can also affect the diodes wavelengths as well.
Stick to brands that readily state their power use. You are better off with a 240 that uses 180 watts than a 300 that uses 175 as the componentry is likely of higher quality.
*
PARASITIC ENTERPRISES
Some manufacturers are deciding to sell directly to consumers by moving a sales team to the host countries to mimic domestic sales force. Don't expect to see these foreign nationals at the local PTA meeting or volunteering at a soup kitchen. They provide little true value to the domestic local economy and all profits head back to the home country.
This has been going on a few years in the low end electronics world and is now spreading to higher ticket goods.
If you thought the loss of manufacturing jobs was swell then you are going to love the loss of the retail sector. *
When you can't find a job 10 years from now you'll be*really glad you saved that 10 bucks !
*
*
You are better off with 1 $500 light that grows killer bud than 10 $100 lights that don't do crap or worse yet fail or burn your house down.
HG
WHAT WILL YOU BE GROWING WITH YOUR LED LIGHT ?
Lets face it you want to grow weed with these. *
Ask the seller for test results of their product growing cannabis. *
Ask to see how many revisions of their product were made by their R&D department trials.
Ask to see the buds as almost any LED will veg your plants.
Ignore stupid marketing crap like secondary lenses and elaborate housings. *These things do not grow plants. A well designed wavelength/lens array will get the best results for the costs
*
There are Entry Level fixtures out there that have been well tested and developed for marijuana flowering. If you can recall a brand name off the top of your head its not going to be one of them sorry. These are not the #1 selling light or even #2 - 10.
Look for growers who design their own lights here in the US. If you cannot find a fully documented grow show using these lights then I would pass. A couple of extra dollars for someones R&D is well worth any additional cost.
BRAND NAME DIODES
Epistar, Bridgelux, CREE are the most popular in this segment. Chances are if you get quality diodes the drivers used will be quality as well.
If the seller does not state which brand then its best to walk away.
*
*
PRICE IS A POOR INDICATOR OF VALUE
Ask the seller what their return rate is. *A discount light with a great warranty sucks when you have to return/repair it 3 or 4 times during a grow.
The WalMart Syndrome:
Jimmy thinks it a good deal to buy $10 kicks from WallyWorld even though they fall apart in about a month.
His friend George buys Nikes for $50. They fit better, don't irritate his feet and last over a year.
Georges criteria will serve you better when buying Grow Lights.
*
RACE TO THE BOTTOM
As the online competition to see who can sell the most lights at the lowest price reaches its depths we would appear we may be heading toward another peak in the LED's don't work debate. Poorly designed fixtures in inexperienced hands will inevitably lead to this determination. Some guidance here may allow you to avoid these pitfalls
HUCKSTERISM
Cheap lights are cheap because corners have been cut to make them sell at a low price.
A properly engineered LED lights will be driven at 70% (+/- 5%) of its rated wattage -
I am now seeing supposed 300 watt fixtures that consume only 180 watts. A quality 240 on the other hand uses the same power and deliver the same is not more usable light. Look for the actual power consumption because that is the light output you will get. Fictitious ratings based on diode count do not make a brighter lamp.
Some sellers are actually claiming they use special high efficiency power supplies. What is more likely is that the engineer looked at the low quality of the fixtures infrastructure and underpowered it. This is an easy way to state higher numbers and yet keep failure rates/warranties to a minimum. LED's are simple whatever power you give them will be the light they supply. Low power ratios can also affect the diodes wavelengths as well.
Stick to brands that readily state their power use. You are better off with a 240 that uses 180 watts than a 300 that uses 175 as the componentry is likely of higher quality.
*
PARASITIC ENTERPRISES
Some manufacturers are deciding to sell directly to consumers by moving a sales team to the host countries to mimic domestic sales force. Don't expect to see these foreign nationals at the local PTA meeting or volunteering at a soup kitchen. They provide little true value to the domestic local economy and all profits head back to the home country.
This has been going on a few years in the low end electronics world and is now spreading to higher ticket goods.
If you thought the loss of manufacturing jobs was swell then you are going to love the loss of the retail sector. *
When you can't find a job 10 years from now you'll be*really glad you saved that 10 bucks !
*
*
You are better off with 1 $500 light that grows killer bud than 10 $100 lights that don't do crap or worse yet fail or burn your house down.
HG
