LED UFO Bloom/Flower only

I am finally ready to spend a little money on LED for a 2'x2' cabinet (to flower 2-3 Indicas about 24" tall).

I think a UFO with 3w elements is the way to go, but I am not seeing a clear winner when it comes to price/performance.

I do not need Veg mode, so I don't want to spend extra for a switching model.

Some like Pro-Gro, and there is a 90w 14-band for $180
Some like Blackstar, and there is a 135w 6-band for $180
HTGsupply has 135w 7-band for $180

Does anyone particularly like or dislike any of these? Have I missed any other good ones?

Seems like it's good to have: mostly Reds, Blues, UV, IR, maybe White? What's up with 14 bands, really?!

I believe in warranties and I prefer to do business with sellers of quality products with reputable sales/service history.

Advice, suggestions, or experiences are greatly appreciated, thanks!

Wont give you any advise, but I will say I think you are thinking in the right direction. If it helps any, heres a shot of my 2x2. I bought an HTG 135 watt 7 band 6 weeks ago and started 12/12 the day I plugged it in.

View attachment 2008059 .

Thanks, I could not get the attachment to open.
I just realized that the Pro-Gro uses 1w LEDs, so not that one.
Comparing the Blackstar and HTG specs, I am guessing that the Blackstar might be better for flowering (and it is sold as such).
I would prefer a longer warranty than just one year, but if I like this thing then I will probably be upgrading by then anyway.
Since the Blackstar just started selling (at least on ebay), the only way to find out will be to order one, so that is the plan now.

Dont let the diode wattage make your decision. Some bulbs are 3w diodes but they have 3 chips too, so not 'true' 3watt. Progrow has a GREAT reputation. Although I dont own one I will soon, probably the 180. For $300 I would say that is miles better than the Blackstar 240, due to the fact that the 240 only pulls 135-40 anyway. If you want to spend some real cash then buy the solaflare from www.californialightworks.com again, I dont own one but its a 200w unit that you can customize to either full veg/bloom or mix and they use 5w diodes. But that is a $500 panel soo kinda hurts the wallet.

miles away? did u try the blackstar?

I have a blackstar, I dont have a progrow though so the 'miles' is just speculation, and a bit of the British in me. I did end up paying almost $300 for my 240w blackstar after shipping. (I opted for next day air lol). I would say miles just because you are getting more output for almost the same price (170w for $309+shipping vs 135-40w for $300 shipping incl). I have also read nothing but good reports on RIU regarding progrow. I love the blackstar though, I just didnt realize when I bought it I could have had more watts from a US manufacturer for the same (almost) price.

Again, I am no expert, I have just read a lot and I own a Blackstar 240 and a Spectra 100.

If Endur says the Black is better value for money than the progrow then I would go with him (and if he does then I feel better about my blackstar lol)

I think the trick is getting the right PAR in the right wavelengths, so it might not be accurate just to compare watts and lumens, since each different-colored LED is going to have different characteristics (at least that's what I got from looking over the CREE datasheets, for example).
And each LED maker seems to use different patterns of watts, wavelengths, and angles; which makes it hard to compare apples to apples on general specs alone.
My hats off to the folks doing the side-by-side grows, as that could be the only real way to compare.

Quitekeen said:

Dont let the diode wattage make your decision. Some bulbs are 3w diodes but they have 3 chips too, so not 'true' 3watt.

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Yes, something to watch out for. I believe that Blackstar uses the single-emitter 3w LEDs.
Since I am flowering a few short Indicas, I want to see how well the 3w LEDs penetrate into the leafy canopy.

Quitekeen said:

Progrow has a GREAT reputation.

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No argument there, but I am flowering only, so I don't want to pay more for a switching model; and what are the specs on those 14 bands?

Quitekeen said:

Although I dont own one I will soon, probably the 180. For $300 I would say that is miles better than the Blackstar 240, due to the fact that the 240 only pulls 135-40 anyway.

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I believe that all LEDs are 'under-driven' below max capacity to extend LED life, so the model number might not match the rated power draw.

Quitekeen said:

If you want to spend some real cash then buy the solaflare from www.californialightworks.com again, I dont own one but its a 200w unit that you can customize to either full veg/bloom or mix and they use 5w diodes. But that is a $500 panel soo kinda hurts the wallet.

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I am new to LED, so for now I am specifically interested in a UFO (what I consider to be the entry-level model), and I am looking for the cheapest, decent one. I could not find a UFO LED thread (and for flowering specifically), so I started this one in case there are others with a similar level of LED interest.
In the long term, I am expecting to drop some coin for more power. Maybe one day I will like those wide-angle 5w chips, but for now 3w seems like a fair compromise between efficiency and power/light.
I like the Blackstar pricing and their users seem happy.
The 135w flowering model has 45x3w chips in 6 bands (2 reds, 1blue, UV, IR, and White) with mixed 60 and 120 degrees; expected power draw about 75w.
Again, not sure how critical the specs are yet, but this is enough to be a good starting point for me.

hehe I dont know didnt try the progrow! but still 309$+ shipping might endup being close to 100$ more depending on their shipping option so you do pay for the extra wattage. I didnt like my blackstar at first...I thought it was cheaply assembled but hey! arent most LEDs like that!! hehe anyway after using for a while I think it gives the best growth rate compared to my other LEDs!

Quitekeen said:

I have a blackstar, I dont have a progrow though so the 'miles' is just speculation, and a bit of the British in me. I did end up paying almost $300 for my 240w blackstar after shipping. (I opted for next day air lol).

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I got my Blackstar on ebay with free shipping in the US.

Quitekeen said:

I would say miles just because you are getting more output for almost the same price (170w for $309+shipping vs 135-40w for $300 shipping incl). I have also read nothing but good reports on RIU regarding progrow. I love the blackstar though, I just didnt realize when I bought it I could have had more watts from a US manufacturer for the same (almost) price.
Again, I am no expert, I have just read a lot and I own a Blackstar 240 and a Spectra 100.

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I am starting to suspect that LED specs can be misleading.
The Spectra users seems happy with theirs, too.
Are you doing side-by-side grows with your LEDs to compare?

Quitekeen said:

If Endur says the Black is better value for money than the progrow then I would go with him (and if he does then I feel better about my blackstar lol)

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I don't hear anybody complaining about their Blackstar and I like their pricing. I am just interested in seeing if their design meets my flowering needs.

Endur0xX said:

I didnt like my blackstar at first...I thought it was cheaply assembled but hey! arent most LEDs like that!! hehe

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Yea, I hear ya, as long as the fans and the lights work!

Endur0xX said:

anyway after using for a while I think it gives the best growth rate compared to my other LEDs!

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Thanks, that's what I wanna hear!

@Luvmesum420 I just bought a Pro-Grow 260. Don't let the switchable spectrums fool you, it's basically just a nice additive to be able to go full veg mode (half power) for younger plants and seedlings when they can't handle the light (the light is damn bright). I and I know Beefbisquit run full spectrum which is still a large red:blue ratio all through later vegging into flowering and the plants grow too fast....not even kidding. I will be updating my journal tonight with some new pics, check my sig.

A note if you look into HH Pro-Grows though, the PG180 has less flowering diodes than the PG260, thats why I went with the 260 for $100 more