Choosing the best light for flower

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phantom grower

Member
I'm not really sure what I'm paying for when choosing between different lights. I have my eyes on hlg because I have heard great things about them.

But then i look at something like an ilimuminar, now I haven't heard anything about them. But the specs are similar. 2.8 efficiency, wavelengths are also similar with it being high in the red and deepish red. I realize I'm getting a bit more coverage and efficiency with the hlg. But for double the price it seems absurd, unless I'm missing something.

Could someone explain to me what the difference is between these lights with similar if not the same specs? What's the gimmick? If a light has all the same specs, efficiency, ppf at the same distance, spectrum are all the same and one light is half the price. What am I really paying for
 
PopAndSonGrows

PopAndSonGrows

Well-Known Member
phantom grower said:
I'm not really sure what I'm paying for when choosing between different lights. I have my eyes on hlg because I have heard great things about them.

But then i look at something like an ilimuminar, now I haven't heard anything about them. But the specs are similar. 2.8 efficiency, wavelengths are also similar with it being high in the red and deepish red. I realize I'm getting a bit more coverage and efficiency with the hlg. But for double the price it seems absurd, unless I'm missing something.

Could someone explain to me what the difference is between these lights with similar if not the same specs? What's the gimmick? If a light has all the same specs, efficiency, ppf at the same distance, spectrum are all the same and one light is half the price. What am I really paying for
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I'm not familiar with Illuminar, and never owned or used HLG but they have quite a solid reputation. My opinion? --you get what you pay for. I personally own and use Mars Hydro & Bloom Plus lights and I get "satisfactory+" results, but I would never discourage anyone for getting something better. And HLG is definitely better overall.
 
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phantom grower

Member
PopAndSonGrows said:
I'm not familiar with Illuminar, and never owned or used HLG but they have quite a solid reputation. My opinion? --you get what you pay for. I personally own and use Mars Hydro & Bloom Plus lights and I get "satisfactory+" results, but I would never discourage anyone for getting something better. And HLG is definitely better overall.
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What makes it better tho? I'm generally curious if u know. Because I really would like to get the better product if it's going to produce better product yk. But if I can save some money AND produce the same if not slightly worse stuff then I'm not sweating it. But maybe my focus should be elsewhere, genetics, growing ability. What kind of difference is the light going to make for double the price
 
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phantom grower

Member
Skillcraft said:
I would suggest looking into GROWER'S CHOICE. They have excellent customer support and they stand behind their products. Got to www.ledgrowlightsdepot.com and look there. They have great prices
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Yea that roi e720 looks like it has some great specs for a couple hundred cheaper than the expensive hlgs. But why? Where is that difference coming from in price? I don't mind paying the extra for an hlg, I do mind paying extra if I can pay 300 less for an equivalent light
 
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Skillcraft

Well-Known Member
phantom grower said:
Yea that roi e720 looks like it has some great specs for a couple hundred cheaper than the expensive hlgs. But why? Where is that difference coming from in price? I don't mind paying the extra for an hlg, I do mind paying extra if I can pay 300 less for an equivalent light
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Compare the par maps to the roi-e720 of an equivalent light from hlg. I run an roi-e 720 and have no complaints. I had the money to buy whatever light I wanted but opted for the GROWER'S CHOICE. For the money you will not find a better light.
 
madvillian420

madvillian420

Well-Known Member
HLG lights are top notch but admittedly overpriced. LEDgrowlightsdepot runs discounts often, you can snag them for +100$ off a few times a year.
One thing that i can personally vouch for being A++ on HLG's part is their customer service, they replaced a driver on one of my super old lights recently for free, long out of warranty. Idk what dollar value youd place in that though lol.

Another invisible benefit of HLG is the spectrum they use. Its something they're constantly tweaking and improving with new iterations to get the best blooms possible.

Going with that GC 720 would absolutely be a good choice as well. Tons of wattage and a surely even footprint with those bars. I considered that one myself.
 
curious2garden

curious2garden

Well-Known Mod
Staff member
phantom grower said:
What makes it better tho? I'm generally curious if u know. Because I really would like to get the better product if it's going to produce better product yk. But if I can save some money AND produce the same if not slightly worse stuff then I'm not sweating it. But maybe my focus should be elsewhere, genetics, growing ability. What kind of difference is the light going to make for double the price
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The spectrum, the support and how cool the lights run. I grow in the Mojave Desert, indoors and I do not air condition my house. Electricity in Southern California is offensively priced and my Scorpion Diablo X and HLG 250 Veg Pro sip electricity and run very cool eliminating my need for cooling! Most importantly the plants just love the X's spectrum. They like the Veg Pro but they LOVE that spectrum on the X. It is very special, pink glow and my plants really react under it. So I can run my X to veg at 40% and my plants outperform my HPF 4000 at 100% and they are about the same wattage.

I didn't believe the hype about HLG and finally shelled out for their 250 Watt Veg Pro to test it. I was stunned how nicely my plants responded. So I saw the spectrum of the X, called HLG and spoke to them about it. They offered me a 25% off coupon and I bought it. Now I'm trying to justify purchasing a second. I want to replace that HPF with one!
 
P

phantom grower

Member
madvillian420 said:
HLG lights are top notch but admittedly overpriced. LEDgrowlightsdepot runs discounts often, you can snag them for +100$ off a few times a year.
One thing that i can personally vouch for being A++ on HLG's part is their customer service, they replaced a driver on one of my super old lights recently for free, long out of warranty. Idk what dollar value youd place in that though lol.

Another invisible benefit of HLG is the spectrum they use. Its something they're constantly tweaking and improving with new iterations to get the best blooms possible.

Going with that GC 720 would absolutely be a good choice as well. Tons of wattage and a surely even footprint with those bars. I considered that one myself.
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Thank u guys a ton for ur input! I'll go back and look at some of these lights more in depth. And I couldn't agree more, really good customer service is hard to come by and u can't really put a price on it. And it seems like theyre going above and beyond good. I'll take everything into account. Do u get your warranties and that great customer service no matter where u buy the light? Or only if u buy it direct thru them?
 
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phantom grower

Member
curious2garden said:
The spectrum, the support and how cool the lights run. I grow in the Mojave Desert, indoors and I do not air condition my house. Electricity in Southern California is offensively priced and my Scorpion Diablo X and HLG 250 Veg Pro sip electricity and run very cool eliminating my need for cooling! Most importantly the plants just love the X's spectrum. They like the Veg Pro but they LOVE that spectrum on the X. It is very special, pink glow and my plants really react under it. So I can run my X to veg at 40% and my plants outperform my HPF 4000 at 100% and they are about the same wattage.

I didn't believe the hype about HLG and finally shelled out for their 250 Watt Veg Pro to test it. I was stunned how nicely my plants responded. So I saw the spectrum of the X, called HLG and spoke to them about it. They offered me a 25% off coupon and I bought it. Now I'm trying to justify purchasing a second. I want to replace that HPF with one!
Click to expand...
Very very cool, yea I think my mind is made up. I'm really not going to stress over the couple hundred in a big purchase like this. Especially wen that brings me superior performance (even if it is slight over the other top lights) and great customer service and piece of mind with the warranty.
 
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