IF you are new to LED and want help choosing what to buy, POST HERE!

GroErr said:

[Vipar] seem at least a little better than the LG reflectors from Topled,

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My concern about Vipar is the confusion about whether it's affiliated with the more reputable(?) UK entity. They claim to be. But, recently a buyer got stiffed on the warranty and it sounded like the eBay entity isn't affiliated with the UK.

I don't see much differences in posted pics between grows using one or the other. Of course, there are always exceptions. I'd still put value on the community support forum, especially after the recent problem someone had with eBay Vipar (the doubt that it's affiliated with Vipar).

My only concern about someone going the cheap import route is that they'll judge LEDs by that standard. That's a risk.

az2000 said:

My only concern about someone going the cheap import route is that they'll judge LEDs by that standard. That's a risk.

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Yeah, unfortunately that does tend to happen. Why a lot of us with some experience hang around this thread. Personally I'd hate for someone to get turned off and trash all LED's, there are some very capable panels out there, they cost more but deliver the goods in the right hands, efficiently. Folks like A51 released some great smaller panels recently, which are perfect for small cabinets and the best choice imo for small/cabinet grows. It shows they're serious about that market and the MJ market in general.

az2000 said:

My concern about Vipar is the confusion about whether it's affiliated with the more reputable(?) UK entity. They claim to be. But, recently a buyer got stiffed on the warranty and it sounded like the eBay entity isn't affiliated with the UK.

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I actually emailed Vipar UK to ask them about that. Vipar-usa is their USA distributor, and they offer the same warranty. Dont ask me about the dude who got stiffed though. At the end of the day I still ordered A51 lights

Got an older Vipar 300 W (206 actual) and it grows nicely but after less than 6 months it already seems dimmer than when it was new. Mostly 12/12 .
I suspect my results being good had to do with the Cree floods and t5 supplemental lighting that went along with it.

Would a blackstar v2.0 180 watt give me good results in a cab 35"x25"x19"? Tryin to get a light ordered in the next week or so but just cant find anything in my price range that i hear good things about

^^^I would be shocked if you find 3 people who would recommend that specific light. I can write a paragraph on why I like Blackstars and another on how much I fuckin hate Blackstars. You might have to jump in the old lake for yourself to find out about it but here's 2 things
1. If you're going to make money with your next grow, buy it and then sell it ASAP if you don't like it or so it can make room for something better. It does come with a 3 year warranty and LH/Gotham have a pretty good track record customer service wise, (one of the few reasons to buy a Blackstar IMO) but Blackstars tend not to last, or at least need an excellent environment to last.
2. If it is really weak there's always CREE bulbs/spots, (or DIY COBs), available to add. Kessils are nice too. And while I've never owned that specific model BS, I think it's going to need help to cover your space effectively in flower, or at least I would definitely add some white to my grow using that light.

Anyhoo maybe that helps. Good Luck and Buy Something Else .

part time grower326 said:

Would a blackstar v2.0 180 watt give me good results in a cab 35"x25"x19"? Tryin to get a light ordered in the next week or so but just cant find anything in my price range that i hear good things about

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I have the v2.0 180w. It grows ok. (For tall plants, the 240w would have more penetration.). For your vertical height, I wouldn't recommend the 180w (115w actual). I'd be worried about anything in a reflector being too intense and require more distance than you could manage within your space.

I think you'd do better with more diffused light. A couple UFOs (3w chips mounted on white backboard) or those "Cree lightbulbs" franjan mentioned. Or, Hans panel if you can afford it.

I agree with franjan that you can do better for the money than Blackstar. But, it does grow. I just pulled over 1g/w from an autoflower grown under a Blackstar 135w UFO. That's 85w actual in a 2x2 space and I pulled 105g. (The plant even suffered from a problem I had trouble diagnosing.). I think you'd be happy with the results of the light if you had the height to accommodate it. But, they're nothing special. Lightweight, thin heatsinks. Just a rebranded Chinese import. You pay for onshore support.

part time grower326 said:

Would a blackstar v2.0 180 watt give me good results in a cab 35"x25"x19"? Tryin to get a light ordered in the next week or so but just cant find anything in my price range that i hear good things about

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I looked up the actually wattage of the Blackstar V2.0 and it turns out to be a 135W light. On Amazon it was $288.95. Compared to the A51 RW-75: you're paying more money, for less wattage, and less trust. (155W, $229, everyone and their mother supports A51)

I plan on scrogging in my cabinet so i wont need a ton of penetration but i dont want to have a shitty crop.ive read reviews of probably every light thats within my budget and for every good review there is a bad one.its driving me insane,every time i think i have one picked i hear more horror stories about it.building my own is out of the question atleast for now so i want something thats gonna atleast give me a better harvest than my cfls have been giving me

Jah348 said:

I looked up the actually wattage of the Blackstar V2.0 and it turns out to be a 135W light. On Amazon it was $288.95. Compared to the A51 RW-75:

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I don't understand the Blackstar v2 240w. Yoda said he has one and it pulls about 135w from the wall. I have the v2 180w and it pulls 118w (I used a kill-a-watt meter). That's a 15% increase in watts used for a 34% increase in LED capacity (180w to 240w) and 25% increase in cost. I assumed he got a bad light. But, what you found sounds like that's the way it works. In which case I'd have to rethink my suggestion that the 240 would be good for taller plants.

They probably did that because it was more economical to use more bulbs driven less hot than replacing the heatsink (because it's just a rebranded Chinese import and they don't have that level of customization available at the factory. One heatsink fits all orders.).

part time grower326 said:

its driving me insane, every time i think i have one picked i hear more horror stories about it.

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LEDs are a huge learning curve and there's so much predatory hype. A lot of rebranded Chinese lights sold at a premium. My first light was a Blackstar because it had decent results at least for shorter/compact plants like autoflowers. (As I said, I've gotten good results.). Looking back on it, I would go with a less expensive more direct import light like TopLED or Vipar (ebay). The former has a public support forum which should reduce the potential for warranty problems compared to buying from other (obscure) sellers from China. The latter is recommended by knowledgeable members as a "if you have to buy cheap" option. (But, there was a recent report of someone getting stiffed on a warranty after just 2-3 months use.).

If you can maintain the distance from light to canopy, get the A51 RW-75. Supplement with the Cree lightbulbs from Home Depot if necessary to get about 20-25w/sq. ft.

Or, you could just start with enough Cree lightbulbs to reach that w/sq. ft. I'm supplementing my Blackstar 135w/85w UFO with four lightbulbs. You might get some ideas from my blog (<<link) where I link to CaptainMorgan's thread where he experimented with it a year ago. He broke 1g/w using only those bulbs. You can read his thread, but people seem to recommend warm:cool ratio around 1:2 or 1:1 for veg. 3:1 or 4:1 in flower. The logistics are a little complicated, 8-10 plugs. Reflectors, how to suspend/adjust the lights. There are "gooseneck flexible lamp extenders" in different lengths on Amazon (but they come from China, so you have a month wait). A bit more DIY which you may not want to do if you're already tired from the LED learning curve.

Whatever you do, I wouldn't let perfection be the enemy of good. Buy something and get started. Blackstar grows smaller plants well. (I got over 1g/w, 105g from 85-88w.). It's just going to boil down to your vertical space. More diffuse light (multiple weak sources like the light bulbs, a 3w unit without reflector like a UFO, a 3w with wide-angle reflector like Hans. A51 with its 5w and reflector might require more vertical space than you have?). Nothing wrong with replacing the light in 6-12 months and having a backup on hand.

This is my cabinet and scrog net,im only gonna do 1 or 2 plants at a time so i dont have to worry about getting too thick and having penetration issues.i just cant set myself on a light.

Jah348 said:

I looked up the actually wattage of the Blackstar V2.0 and it turns out to be a 135W light. On Amazon it was $288.95. Compared to the A51 RW-75: you're paying more money, for less wattage, and less trust. (155W, $229, everyone and their mother supports A51)

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If your thinking about buying BlackStars or any LED lighting units from the manufacturer Lighthouse Hydro, your best bet is to go through Gothamhydroponics.com -> They typically have prices lowered to where your paying close $1.15 per advertised watt, given your granted an additional discount through Victor. This is a pretty decent exchange except , like Yoda and AZ have mentioned, the units themselves only have an efficiency factor of ~ 60 - 75%.

Also I did some research on the A51 unit, for $229, you supported. How is it producing 155W? It has 36 chips and the company states on the product page that it gives off around 77watts in flower... unless I'm mistaken, that is a terrible comparison.

Edit: Gotham has above average service support - typically open every day - out of New York

az2000 said:

I have the v2.0 180w. It grows ok.

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Az, I just recently purchased a V2 240watt UV Full-Spec BlackStar and to much of my surprise I find that it isn't full spectrum at all. It has multiple red 660 nm, orange 630 nm, blue 425 nm, and white 12k LED chips but no signs of either purple 380 nm UVA or infrared 730 nm chips. I was wondering if you could verify this with your model as the models they advertise online visually reinforce my discovery. The original BlackStar did have each of those latter chips mentioned but I recall one of them burning out one day.

AquariusPanta said:

no signs of either purple 380 nm UVA or infrared 730 nm chips. I was wondering if you could verify this with your model as the models they advertise online visually reinforce my discovery.

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I noticed the same thing. My 180 v2 has:

36x deep red 660
16x red 630
4x blue 425
4x white 12000k

I contacted Lighthouse Hydro and they said the UV and IR come from phosphors on the white.

I agree, it seems misleading to make it sound like they're dedicated LEDs. Assuming a sufficient amount of UV and IR can be produced from the whites (apparently they can considering all white lights like XGS), I suppose they mention it the way they do in order to sound competitive with all the other blurple lights.

Or, maybe they were lying. I don't know.

The light definitely grows well. I don't plan to buy another because there are better choices. But, there are worse choices. And, like you said, Gotham is a pleasure to deal with. I've talked to them a couple times, helped them diagnose a mail relay problem they had (causing lost mail). Decent people.

az2000 said:

I suppose they mention it the way they do in order to sound competitive with all the other blurple lights.

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lol

What do you think you will buy next? I'm sort of at a point where I need to plan ahead as I will need additional lighting in the near future. I've looked at basically every light mentioned in the last 7 pages of this forum and am still stuck on the idea of purchasing more LightHouse products.

AquariusPanta said:

What do you think you will buy next?

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I intend to buy another RW-75 for my photo tent. I thought about a Hans in my auto tent where I'm limited on height. But, now I'm playing with the 9.5w (60w equiv) Cree lightbulbs from Home Depot (<<link) mentioned by FranJan. I want to pull UFO and try an all Cree grow next. That would be an interesting comparison to see how the UFO compares.

AquariusPanta said:

Also I did some research on the A51 unit, for $229, you supported. How is it producing 155W? It has 36 chips and the company states on the product page that it gives off around 77watts in flower... unless I'm mistaken, that is a terrible comparison.

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You're very right I was purchasing two and just got the numbers mixed up in my head.

az2000 said:

But, now I'm playing with the 9.5w (60w equiv) Cree lightbulbs from Home Depot (<<link) mentioned by FranJan.

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I checked out the Cree LED lights from home depot, as well as some others.

Not a bad deal, it comes out to about $25 a piece for around 10true-watts. My only question is wiring them. I've never really encountered hooking stray lights such as these. Would you care to share your wisdom on the matter? I think I could use additional white lights, especially if their sold from Cree! XD

Edit: Not sure where I found the $25 price tag

AquariusPanta said:

Would you care to share your wisdom on the matter?

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I consolidated what I learned from captainmorgan's thread in my blog (<<link). There is a section at the bottom about how to distribute power. To discuss it further it may be better to reply to captain's thread which is linked to there.

Very informal stuff there from that link. Thank you AZ.

I did some number crunching. What I found out was that the Cree A19 and A21, sold from Homedepot.com, offer 9.5true-watts and 18true-watts respectively. They are priced at ~$10 and ~$20 respectively, depending on whether you get 2.7k or 5k. That comes out to ~$1.1 / per true-watt. That seems pretty decent when talking about Cree products.

I'm still stuck on the shell for the light. In your blog, you included a picture with the mentioned lights. They have shells or angled aluminum casing but I've had some issues with googling these. The best thing I could come up for this solution was http://www.ruralking.com/woods-brooder-light-10-5-shade-with-clamp-6ft-cord-0166.html - which isn't a bad deal except the width and angle of the shell itself. Ideally you want something that isn't too narrow but not too wide.

Any tips on this?