Buy it or DIY it?

diggs99

diggs99

Well-Known Member
Hey everyone,

first off let me start by saying my knowledge of electrical is very minimal, i do have a smart cousin/engineer who is willing to help me build any light i want if i just show him what i want.

I have been looking hard at the timber fatty vs (950watts) or 2 x the 4vl model( 425watt each)

I will be using the lights for covering a 5x5 canopy for flowering.

I have seen many led/cobs/qbs builds, it seems i gravitate towards the cob builds like the timbers or the new samsung fseries strip builds.

my question and advice i am looking for.

Is it worth DIY ? the fatty is 1100.00usd and the 2x 4vl are 529.00usd x 2...approximately how much would it cost to build these lights DIY?

is there somewhere on this site or the internet i can find a material list or someone willing to help me figure out what i would need? where to find it? I AM CANADIAN so canadian prices or sites to buy the parts would be ideal.

I have tried searching for parts but as i said before, my knowledge of electrical is minimal and its like reading chinese to me. The DIY would be done by my engineer cousin. We just need to know what parts he needs to build what i want lol

Thanks for having a look
 
Airwalker16

Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
diggs99 said:
Hey everyone,

first off let me start by saying my knowledge of electrical is very minimal, i do have a smart cousin/engineer who is willing to help me build any light i want if i just show him what i want.

I have been looking hard at the timber fatty vs (950watts) or 2 x the 4vl model( 425watt each)

I will be using the lights for covering a 5x5 canopy for flowering.

I have seen many led/cobs/qbs builds, it seems i gravitate towards the cob builds like the timbers or the new samsung fseries strip builds.

my question and advice i am looking for.

Is it worth DIY ? the fatty is 1100.00usd and the 2x 4vl are 529.00usd x 2...approximately how much would it cost to build these lights DIY?

is there somewhere on this site or the internet i can find a material list or someone willing to help me figure out what i would need? where to find it? I AM CANADIAN so canadian prices or sites to buy the parts would be ideal.

I have tried searching for parts but as i said before, my knowledge of electrical is minimal and its like reading chinese to me. The DIY would be done by my engineer cousin. We just need to know what parts he needs to build what i want lol

Thanks for having a look
Click to expand...
I can almost guarantee you can build both of the timber equivalents for LESS than the cost of one.
 
diggs99

diggs99

Well-Known Member
Airwalker16 said:
I can almost guarantee you can build both of the timber equivalents for LESS than the cost of one.
Click to expand...

ya that seems to be what i have gathered in my reading/research aswell.

Where is everyone buying the parts required for the diy builds?

Making sure i know exactly what to order/buy will be my biggest challenge i think. Once i get that figured out its just a matter of showing my cousin a pic or 2 of a design and he can flick something together for me. No doubt.

But his knowledge of growing weed is like mine in electrical, so he says i should get that info from you guys who have actually built lights and knows what the plants like, what is needed for a good light
 
Airwalker16

Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
diggs99 said:
ya that seems to be what i have gathered in my reading/research aswell.

Where is everyone buying the parts required for the diy builds?

Making sure i know exactly what to order/buy will be my biggest challenge i think. Once i get that figured out its just a matter of showing my cousin a pic or 2 of a design and he can flick something together for me. No doubt.

But his knowledge of growing weed is like mine in electrical, so he says i should get that info from you guys who have actually built lights and knows what the plants like, what is needed for a good light
Click to expand...
Rapidled.com
Cobkits.com
Onlinemeanwell.com
Digikey.com
Arrow.com

All the knick knacks like wagos, wire, screws, angle aluminum is all from eBay/Amazon and home depot/ Lowes
 
diggs99

diggs99

Well-Known Member
ok were getting somewhere now, thanks bud, appreciate the list for suppliers

ill have a look on those sites, link some stuff back here and have you guys tell me if im on the right track
 
diggs99

diggs99

Well-Known Member
rapidled sells a 900w for 959.00

how are these lights compared to the timbers?

i tried looking at cobkits, no clue what im looking at or what any of the numbers mean or what i would even need lol
 
BigHornBuds

BigHornBuds

Well-Known Member
diggs99 said:
rapidled sells a 900w for 959.00

how are these lights compared to the timbers?

i tried looking at cobkits, no clue what im looking at or what any of the numbers mean or what i would even need lol
Click to expand...
I looked into rapid, a few months ago,
Once you figure in exchange, shipping , customs , tax etc, it was about $1800 Canadian. I bought 2 de 1000s n pocketed 1k.
 
diggs99

diggs99

Well-Known Member
BigHornBuds said:
I looked into rapid, a few months ago,
Once you figure in exchange, shipping , customs , tax etc, it was about $1800 Canadian. I bought 2 de 1000s n pocketed 1k.
Click to expand...

well that was the other thing, i was also looking at buying a 630cmh or a 1000 de instead. The more i look into LED and cobs the more i like them, but it always keeps coming back to the same thing, price....they are so much more expensive to buy.

The diy method seems like the best way for led/cb route for sure.

Basically Im trying to figure out best bang for my buck but without sacrificing quality too much.
 
1

1212ham

Well-Known Member
diggs99 said:
Is it worth DIY ? the fatty is 1100.00usd and the 2x 4vl are 529.00usd x 2...approximately how much would it cost to build these lights DIY?

is there somewhere on this site or the internet i can find a material list or someone willing to help me figure out what i would need? where to find it? I AM CANADIAN so canadian prices or sites to buy the parts would be ideal.
Click to expand...
I'd go with Samsung F-series or Bridgelux EB series Gen-2. You don't have to sacrifice quality. Some good info here. http://ledgardener.com/diy-led-strip-build-designs-samsung-bridgelux/
 
Chef420

Chef420

Well-Known Member
I’ve been through this. I was looking for something for my 3x3. I ended up getting rapid’s 3x3 vero29 kit which I built myself. Building it myself saved me the duty. (Canadian bruh) it was still expensive but I LOVE it.
I recently added a 2x4x5 and went with HLG’s 260 kit which is another diy. Easy peasy. So far it seems pretty good. The main reason I went HLG is because they’re now distributing in Canada.
Big pluses for led include heat and power savings. I’m in a condo and my tents are in my bedroom, and when I had my hps light it got way too hot for me and the plants. I also had power issues with the 600 and now I alternate the two tents.
 
diggs99

diggs99

Well-Known Member
Chef420 said:
I’ve been through this. I was looking for something for my 3x3. I ended up getting rapid’s 3x3 vero29 kit which I built myself. Building it myself saved me the duty. (Canadian bruh) it was still expensive but I LOVE it.
I recently added a 2x4x5 and went with HLG’s 260 kit which is another diy. Easy peasy. So far it seems pretty good. The main reason I went HLG is because they’re now distributing in Canada.
Click to expand...

Ya I've looked at the hlg kits aswell. They seem the more pricey of the options.

Nice they are in Canada now tho, that helps
 
Airwalker16

Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
diggs99 said:
well that was the other thing, i was also looking at buying a 630cmh or a 1000 de instead. The more i look into LED and cobs the more i like them, but it always keeps coming back to the same thing, price....they are so much more expensive to buy.

The diy method seems like the best way for led/cb route for sure.

Basically Im trying to figure out best bang for my buck but without sacrificing quality too much.
Click to expand...
Don't fall into that trap of buying a $100 hortilux bulb every 3-6 months. Plus the 40% less electrical wattage needed for the same PPFD. And the huge savings in needing no AC at all to cool them, makes LEDs so much cheaper in the span of only like a year or two.
 
1

1212ham

Well-Known Member
diggs99 said:
Ya I really like the diy build I have seen with both the f series and the bridgelux

Thanks for the link, I will check it out

Where do you guys order the strips from?
Click to expand...
Order strips from Digikey or Arrow Electronics. Arrows search sucks, so get the part number elsewhere, like us or Digikey, then search that on Arrow.

https://www.digikey.ca/products/en/optoelectronics/led-lighting-cobs-engines-modules/111?k=&pkeyword=&sv=0&s=59823&sf=0&FV=ffe0006f,fffc05e6&quantity=&ColumnSort=0&page=1&pageSize=25

https://www.arrow.com/?msclkid=eb0492161a461eca71d3ce41842917d3&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=b-ppc-amer_us-brand-english-en-usd-head&utm_term=arrow electronics&utm_content=brand-arrow_electronics-rlsa

https://true-northern-lighting.myshopify.com
 
Last edited:
BigHornBuds

BigHornBuds

Well-Known Member
diggs99 said:
well that was the other thing, i was also looking at buying a 630cmh or a 1000 de instead. The more i look into LED and cobs the more i like them, but it always keeps coming back to the same thing, price....they are so much more expensive to buy.

The diy method seems like the best way for led/cb route for sure.

Basically Im trying to figure out best bang for my buck but without sacrificing quality too much.
Click to expand...
I would stay away from 630cmh, they use 2 315 bulbs , this will double upkeep cost .
I change my DEs every couple crops @$115 each .
I can start to see a drop after two, if an oz is worth 100 n you lose 2 oz by going 3 crops, it’s not worth running old bulbs .

DEs are very hot, so when you add up cooling & more power usage , Good LEDs are your long term , best bang for your buck

But I’m still unsure if they can equal the penetration of a DE.
 
rob333

rob333

Well-Known Member
diggs99 said:
Hey everyone,

first off let me start by saying my knowledge of electrical is very minimal, i do have a smart cousin/engineer who is willing to help me build any light i want if i just show him what i want.

I have been looking hard at the timber fatty vs (950watts) or 2 x the 4vl model( 425watt each)

I will be using the lights for covering a 5x5 canopy for flowering.

I have seen many led/cobs/qbs builds, it seems i gravitate towards the cob builds like the timbers or the new samsung fseries strip builds.

my question and advice i am looking for.

Is it worth DIY ? the fatty is 1100.00usd and the 2x 4vl are 529.00usd x 2...approximately how much would it cost to build these lights DIY?

is there somewhere on this site or the internet i can find a material list or someone willing to help me figure out what i would need? where to find it? I AM CANADIAN so canadian prices or sites to buy the parts would be ideal.

I have tried searching for parts but as i said before, my knowledge of electrical is minimal and its like reading chinese to me. The DIY would be done by my engineer cousin. We just need to know what parts he needs to build what i want lol

Thanks for having a look
Click to expand...
why bother save yourself a shit tone of disappointment and buy a hps
 
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