I feel your pain with the price point. I just bought an HLG 600, it hurt. I am only legally able to grow 4 plants so I want to get the very best out of them I can so I spent more but it took quite a while to be able to do it. I think the biggest problem some have with lights is not going bigger in the beginning. What often happens is you start with a $100 light. Than you buy another or a $200 because it didn't perform as you wanted. Eventually you buy a really good light and realize you spent way more in the long run. Especially when you factor in the time and effort to grow. That said you can grow good weed under cheaper lights, it doesn't need to be optimal to succeed. It does have to be optimal to get an optimal end result thought. As growers it would be great if we could all just buy the best but sadly most of us have life to pay for.