IF you are new to LED and want help choosing what to buy, POST HERE!
- Thread starter SnotBoogie
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Joaquin Yobanolo del Real
Active Member
Any experience growing with CFL????
PSUAGRO.
Well-Known Member
Not worth it .......your hps is significantly more efficient.
Joaquin Yobanolo del Real
Active Member
Okay thks, Im looking around to figure out if I coul do it myself
Hammy1970TotalyUnique
New Member
Spectrum King vs the competition. (Magnum 357 and Diamond XPS 150) - Surprising Results
Let me start by saying that I really like the Spectrum King. It’s sealed, and has no fan or moving parts. This is a huge plus for anyone who needs their grow to be quiet for stealth (or just because you don’t like noise.) It’s also cleanable with water, which could be a huge plus. Not dust or resin inside. And also no bugs inside! The Spectrum King also has a very pleasant light. It looks like sunlight to the eye, and feels like sunlight on the hand. I liked the promo material/videos for this light enough that I bought it new from the manufacturer. The other two lights I purchased used. If I had to sit in a grow space all day, the Spectrum King would be the light I would want to be used. The other lights, particularly the Magnum, are very funky to look at, hard on the eyes, and make assessing plant condition more difficult.
Let me first point out flaws I am aware of in the testing methods used.
- First, each light got a sample size of one. Though clones from the same mother, genetic abnormality could be at play here. From a statistics stand point, this might be the most significant flaw in the test. However, the throw of all three lights is not sufficient to flower a larger surface area than I used in my SCROG. Each light did approximately 6-7 sq feet, with some overlap. (see below)
- Second, all three plants were grown on the same screen, in an industrial rack that is slightly larger than 6’ by 2’. The SCROG growth ended up being about 3 feet wide and 7 feet long, as the plants tend to hang out of the defined space. This should have given the Spectrum King a slight advantage, as it was the middle light. Each of the end plants got their assigned light, plus a bit of bleed from the Spectrum King. But the middle plant got the full Spectrum King, and bleed over from lights on BOTH sides.
- Third, the Spectrum King was 4” higher (22 inches vs 1
than the other two lights, as measured from the glass. The inverse square law indicates that it will of course have somewhat diminished power if further away. However, I placed the lights at the manufacturer’s recommended minimum distance, and the Spectrum King has the highest rated light wattage (and highest draw at the wall.) My e-mail requests for clarification of the height measurement (glass vs LEDs) were unanswered by Spectrum King on installation, so I measured to the glass. Measuring to the LEDs would be difficult due to the shape of the housing. In the interest of fairness, I lowered the Spectrum King slightly to 22” vs 24”
- Fourth, the Spectrum King was new out of the box, the Diamond was used, but the “current” version, and the Magnum was used, but one version behind. (Should have been another advantage for Spectrum King.)
- Fifth, it is possible that the Spectrum King could flower a larger area if raised up (thus getting more bang for your buck), whereas the Magnum and Diamond clearly would not. But, the manual for the Spectrum King indicates a flower illumination of about the size I used at the specified height.
Those are the only significant flaws I am aware of. All other conditions were identical. Thus, even if the conditions weren’t ideal, they were uniformly not ideal and should have provided a good baseline for testing the lights.
I will also mention that the spectrum king has all 200+ LEDs in a puck about 4” square, vs the other two lights having their lights spread out over a much larger surface area. It seems that that would make it brighter in the middle, dimmer on the edges, and cause it to cast more shadows; perhaps not giving as uniform of illumination as the other two lights. However, there was no noticeable difference in bud formation or plant height over the entire area of illumination, so it seems the reflector is doing its job very well. Additionally, at ground level, the Spectrum King was the only light making significant penetration to the soil, and even to the floor below. It is entirely possible that SCROG is the kind of grow least suited for Spectrum King, and that it would/will do better in a regular vertical grow.
I will not claim to be a pro, as this is only my 5th grow, but I have a very green thumb. Spent my youth farming, and manage to very successfully grow more than 100 species of plants in my yard in California. I get plants.
Summary: In my grow, the Spectrum King just wasn’t cost effective. Not only was the Spectrum King the most expensive to operate in terms of power consumption, it had the highest MSRP and produced the lowest yield in my test. (Your growing style/technique may yield different results) I was hoping for superior results, but could have lived with just equal results because of the light’s other advantages. This was a huge disappointment for a light I really wanted to love. (Because I do spend a lot of time in my grow room, and hate the purple light the other lights put out.)
All wattages were measured at the wall (using a Kill-a-watt meter), and bud weights are dried and trimmed.
The Magnum 357, drawing 334 watts, produced 210 grams of dried/trimmed bud. (0.63 grams/watt)
The Spectrum King 400, drawing 491 watts, produced 175 grams. (0.36 grams/watt)
The Diamond XML 150, drawing 148 watts, produced 220 grams. (1.49 grams/watt)
The huge surprise here was the almost 1.5 grams/watt produced by the inexpensive and low power Diamond XML 150. In addition to being the most cost efficient, the diamond also has two dimmer switches, allowing the greatest versatility in light output. It runs amazingly quite compared to other LED lights I’ve used as well.
We did not weigh the trim from each plant separately, but we got about 170 grams of sugar leaf trim combined (dry weight). That’s a total weight of 775 grams (27 oz / 1.7 lbs). So, an average of half a pound per plant. I’m pretty happy with that.
A last note about SpectrumKing. Bigger than the disappointment in my grow was how SpectrumKing treated me when I asked to return the light. Their sales lead (yes, Brendan from the on-line videos) said my claims were unbelievable, and when presented with my grow log and final weights, simply stopped answering my e-mails. Diamond offers a 90 day risk free guarantee, which is long enough to flower plants and see how the light performs, and a 3 year warrantee. SpectrumKing, on the other hand, says they want you to be “completely satisfied with your purchase” yet offer only a 30 day return window, which of course is not enough time to see how it handles a grow. I was outside the 30 day window (obviously) by the time I harvested, and didn’t necessarily expect them to take the light back. However, their rudeness came as a bit of a shock, and they clearly don’t really care if I’m satisfied or not. It’s great to be proud of your product, it’s not so great to turn a blind eye to any information contrary to what you’d like to believe. I've joined the ranks of many nay-sayers who point out that they're hand picking their "competition" and have readings and results that don't seem to be believable. There are a lot out there if you look. Don't fall for the hype.
Let me start by saying that I really like the Spectrum King. It’s sealed, and has no fan or moving parts. This is a huge plus for anyone who needs their grow to be quiet for stealth (or just because you don’t like noise.) It’s also cleanable with water, which could be a huge plus. Not dust or resin inside. And also no bugs inside! The Spectrum King also has a very pleasant light. It looks like sunlight to the eye, and feels like sunlight on the hand. I liked the promo material/videos for this light enough that I bought it new from the manufacturer. The other two lights I purchased used. If I had to sit in a grow space all day, the Spectrum King would be the light I would want to be used. The other lights, particularly the Magnum, are very funky to look at, hard on the eyes, and make assessing plant condition more difficult.
Let me first point out flaws I am aware of in the testing methods used.
- First, each light got a sample size of one. Though clones from the same mother, genetic abnormality could be at play here. From a statistics stand point, this might be the most significant flaw in the test. However, the throw of all three lights is not sufficient to flower a larger surface area than I used in my SCROG. Each light did approximately 6-7 sq feet, with some overlap. (see below)
- Second, all three plants were grown on the same screen, in an industrial rack that is slightly larger than 6’ by 2’. The SCROG growth ended up being about 3 feet wide and 7 feet long, as the plants tend to hang out of the defined space. This should have given the Spectrum King a slight advantage, as it was the middle light. Each of the end plants got their assigned light, plus a bit of bleed from the Spectrum King. But the middle plant got the full Spectrum King, and bleed over from lights on BOTH sides.
- Third, the Spectrum King was 4” higher (22 inches vs 1
than the other two lights, as measured from the glass. The inverse square law indicates that it will of course have somewhat diminished power if further away. However, I placed the lights at the manufacturer’s recommended minimum distance, and the Spectrum King has the highest rated light wattage (and highest draw at the wall.) My e-mail requests for clarification of the height measurement (glass vs LEDs) were unanswered by Spectrum King on installation, so I measured to the glass. Measuring to the LEDs would be difficult due to the shape of the housing. In the interest of fairness, I lowered the Spectrum King slightly to 22” vs 24”- Fourth, the Spectrum King was new out of the box, the Diamond was used, but the “current” version, and the Magnum was used, but one version behind. (Should have been another advantage for Spectrum King.)
- Fifth, it is possible that the Spectrum King could flower a larger area if raised up (thus getting more bang for your buck), whereas the Magnum and Diamond clearly would not. But, the manual for the Spectrum King indicates a flower illumination of about the size I used at the specified height.
Those are the only significant flaws I am aware of. All other conditions were identical. Thus, even if the conditions weren’t ideal, they were uniformly not ideal and should have provided a good baseline for testing the lights.
I will also mention that the spectrum king has all 200+ LEDs in a puck about 4” square, vs the other two lights having their lights spread out over a much larger surface area. It seems that that would make it brighter in the middle, dimmer on the edges, and cause it to cast more shadows; perhaps not giving as uniform of illumination as the other two lights. However, there was no noticeable difference in bud formation or plant height over the entire area of illumination, so it seems the reflector is doing its job very well. Additionally, at ground level, the Spectrum King was the only light making significant penetration to the soil, and even to the floor below. It is entirely possible that SCROG is the kind of grow least suited for Spectrum King, and that it would/will do better in a regular vertical grow.
I will not claim to be a pro, as this is only my 5th grow, but I have a very green thumb. Spent my youth farming, and manage to very successfully grow more than 100 species of plants in my yard in California. I get plants.
Summary: In my grow, the Spectrum King just wasn’t cost effective. Not only was the Spectrum King the most expensive to operate in terms of power consumption, it had the highest MSRP and produced the lowest yield in my test. (Your growing style/technique may yield different results) I was hoping for superior results, but could have lived with just equal results because of the light’s other advantages. This was a huge disappointment for a light I really wanted to love. (Because I do spend a lot of time in my grow room, and hate the purple light the other lights put out.)
All wattages were measured at the wall (using a Kill-a-watt meter), and bud weights are dried and trimmed.
The Magnum 357, drawing 334 watts, produced 210 grams of dried/trimmed bud. (0.63 grams/watt)
The Spectrum King 400, drawing 491 watts, produced 175 grams. (0.36 grams/watt)
The Diamond XML 150, drawing 148 watts, produced 220 grams. (1.49 grams/watt)
The huge surprise here was the almost 1.5 grams/watt produced by the inexpensive and low power Diamond XML 150. In addition to being the most cost efficient, the diamond also has two dimmer switches, allowing the greatest versatility in light output. It runs amazingly quite compared to other LED lights I’ve used as well.
We did not weigh the trim from each plant separately, but we got about 170 grams of sugar leaf trim combined (dry weight). That’s a total weight of 775 grams (27 oz / 1.7 lbs). So, an average of half a pound per plant. I’m pretty happy with that.
A last note about SpectrumKing. Bigger than the disappointment in my grow was how SpectrumKing treated me when I asked to return the light. Their sales lead (yes, Brendan from the on-line videos) said my claims were unbelievable, and when presented with my grow log and final weights, simply stopped answering my e-mails. Diamond offers a 90 day risk free guarantee, which is long enough to flower plants and see how the light performs, and a 3 year warrantee. SpectrumKing, on the other hand, says they want you to be “completely satisfied with your purchase” yet offer only a 30 day return window, which of course is not enough time to see how it handles a grow. I was outside the 30 day window (obviously) by the time I harvested, and didn’t necessarily expect them to take the light back. However, their rudeness came as a bit of a shock, and they clearly don’t really care if I’m satisfied or not. It’s great to be proud of your product, it’s not so great to turn a blind eye to any information contrary to what you’d like to believe. I've joined the ranks of many nay-sayers who point out that they're hand picking their "competition" and have readings and results that don't seem to be believable. There are a lot out there if you look. Don't fall for the hype.
Kind Sir
Well-Known Member
I have a 4x4 tent that I want to put an LED in to save electricity and help combat heat issues.
Im somewhat weary about LED, as I have no knowledge except for others grow journals and opinions/experiences which can vary widely due to variables.
What are the high end brands. Enlighten me with your knowledge on LED!!
Thanks guys.
Im somewhat weary about LED, as I have no knowledge except for others grow journals and opinions/experiences which can vary widely due to variables.
What are the high end brands. Enlighten me with your knowledge on LED!!
Thanks guys.
David Stans
Member
Hello sir, I have a high end led it is the solar storm 880, which covers a 4x4 area in flowering or even higher for veg. Later today I plan on putting some pictures of some flowers in progress along with some previously harvested ones. It is high end and though I paid 1800 for mine I believe it increases the potency and is less expensive than a 1000 watt HID, but because of how big it is it takes about 680 watts on full power (including UV)
cherokee420
Member
I am considering LED for two 9x9's and a 4x8 veg room, was just wondering what's out there? What are the proven brands? Definitely interested in built in UVB.
JimmyIndica
Well-Known Member
Do u have any pics of those 1/2p girls?Spectrum King vs the competition. (Magnum 357 and Diamond XPS 150) - Surprising Results
Let me start by saying that I really like the Spectrum King. It’s sealed, and has no fan or moving parts. This is a huge plus for anyone who needs their grow to be quiet for stealth (or just because you don’t like noise.) It’s also cleanable with water, which could be a huge plus. Not dust or resin inside. And also no bugs inside! The Spectrum King also has a very pleasant light. It looks like sunlight to the eye, and feels like sunlight on the hand. I liked the promo material/videos for this light enough that I bought it new from the manufacturer. The other two lights I purchased used. If I had to sit in a grow space all day, the Spectrum King would be the light I would want to be used. The other lights, particularly the Magnum, are very funky to look at, hard on the eyes, and make assessing plant condition more difficult.
Let me first point out flaws I am aware of in the testing methods used.
- First, each light got a sample size of one. Though clones from the same mother, genetic abnormality could be at play here. From a statistics stand point, this might be the most significant flaw in the test. However, the throw of all three lights is not sufficient to flower a larger surface area than I used in my SCROG. Each light did approximately 6-7 sq feet, with some overlap. (see below)
- Second, all three plants were grown on the same screen, in an industrial rack that is slightly larger than 6’ by 2’. The SCROG growth ended up being about 3 feet wide and 7 feet long, as the plants tend to hang out of the defined space. This should have given the Spectrum King a slight advantage, as it was the middle light. Each of the end plants got their assigned light, plus a bit of bleed from the Spectrum King. But the middle plant got the full Spectrum King, and bleed over from lights on BOTH sides.
- Third, the Spectrum King was 4” higher (22 inches vs 1
- Fourth, the Spectrum King was new out of the box, the Diamond was used, but the “current” version, and the Magnum was used, but one version behind. (Should have been another advantage for Spectrum King.)
- Fifth, it is possible that the Spectrum King could flower a larger area if raised up (thus getting more bang for your buck), whereas the Magnum and Diamond clearly would not. But, the manual for the Spectrum King indicates a flower illumination of about the size I used at the specified height.
Those are the only significant flaws I am aware of. All other conditions were identical. Thus, even if the conditions weren’t ideal, they were uniformly not ideal and should have provided a good baseline for testing the lights.
I will also mention that the spectrum king has all 200+ LEDs in a puck about 4” square, vs the other two lights having their lights spread out over a much larger surface area. It seems that that would make it brighter in the middle, dimmer on the edges, and cause it to cast more shadows; perhaps not giving as uniform of illumination as the other two lights. However, there was no noticeable difference in bud formation or plant height over the entire area of illumination, so it seems the reflector is doing its job very well. Additionally, at ground level, the Spectrum King was the only light making significant penetration to the soil, and even to the floor below. It is entirely possible that SCROG is the kind of grow least suited for Spectrum King, and that it would/will do better in a regular vertical grow.
I will not claim to be a pro, as this is only my 5th grow, but I have a very green thumb. Spent my youth farming, and manage to very successfully grow more than 100 species of plants in my yard in California. I get plants.
Summary: In my grow, the Spectrum King just wasn’t cost effective. Not only was the Spectrum King the most expensive to operate in terms of power consumption, it had the highest MSRP and produced the lowest yield in my test. (Your growing style/technique may yield different results) I was hoping for superior results, but could have lived with just equal results because of the light’s other advantages. This was a huge disappointment for a light I really wanted to love. (Because I do spend a lot of time in my grow room, and hate the purple light the other lights put out.)
All wattages were measured at the wall (using a Kill-a-watt meter), and bud weights are dried and trimmed.
The Magnum 357, drawing 334 watts, produced 210 grams of dried/trimmed bud. (0.63 grams/watt)
The Spectrum King 400, drawing 491 watts, produced 175 grams. (0.36 grams/watt)
The Diamond XML 150, drawing 148 watts, produced 220 grams. (1.49 grams/watt)
The huge surprise here was the almost 1.5 grams/watt produced by the inexpensive and low power Diamond XML 150. In addition to being the most cost efficient, the diamond also has two dimmer switches, allowing the greatest versatility in light output. It runs amazingly quite compared to other LED lights I’ve used as well.
We did not weigh the trim from each plant separately, but we got about 170 grams of sugar leaf trim combined (dry weight). That’s a total weight of 775 grams (27 oz / 1.7 lbs). So, an average of half a pound per plant. I’m pretty happy with that.
A last note about SpectrumKing. Bigger than the disappointment in my grow was how SpectrumKing treated me when I asked to return the light. Their sales lead (yes, Brendan from the on-line videos) said my claims were unbelievable, and when presented with my grow log and final weights, simply stopped answering my e-mails. Diamond offers a 90 day risk free guarantee, which is long enough to flower plants and see how the light performs, and a 3 year warrantee. SpectrumKing, on the other hand, says they want you to be “completely satisfied with your purchase” yet offer only a 30 day return window, which of course is not enough time to see how it handles a grow. I was outside the 30 day window (obviously) by the time I harvested, and didn’t necessarily expect them to take the light back. However, their rudeness came as a bit of a shock, and they clearly don’t really care if I’m satisfied or not. It’s great to be proud of your product, it’s not so great to turn a blind eye to any information contrary to what you’d like to believe. I've joined the ranks of many nay-sayers who point out that they're hand picking their "competition" and have readings and results that don't seem to be believable. There are a lot out there if you look. Don't fall for the hype.
JimmyIndica
Well-Known Member
I would rec heavenbright 5k for veg or optic120s 5k.
JimmyIndica
Well-Known Member
Do you think CLW used to much wattage for the size of the case? What do u think of the optics on that? Does that have optics?
littlejacob
Well-Known Member
f! Even in treads around RIU you can see photos of great yields (I use many forums and ways to contact ppl not just RIU), a guy says he gots 150 grams from a mars 700 each time and that sounds great to me.
Bonjour
150gr with a mars 700 lol...am I the only one who thinks that it is a very low result!?!
If I skip to cob it is to get gr/w in soil, in fact if I look at the efficiency of the 3590 + more light spreading I should aim for 1.5gr/w (we will see that in November)
Have a great day★
Bonjour
150gr with a mars 700 lol...am I the only one who thinks that it is a very low result!?!
If I skip to cob it is to get gr/w in soil, in fact if I look at the efficiency of the 3590 + more light spreading I should aim for 1.5gr/w (we will see that in November)
Have a great day★
DazeTheHipHopJunkie
Member
So I have a 4x4x7 I'm using as a flower tent air cooled hood 600w Hps 6"exhaust fan and carbon air filter plus the portable a/c to master the temperate in my room and it's growing big but I'm in need of a veg tent as I want to keep the cycle growin I was thinking of another 4x4x7 but im looking for cooler lighting so I won't need to add another portable ac or exhaust fan I'm thinking of just running the lights 16/8 or maybe if you guys know of a cost efficient light I'll go 24/0 for veg?so I'm looking for cooler lights with great results for vegging thank you for the advice in advance
Hey All,
I am absolutely new to thins scene but am going to have some fun with my first build.
My Plan:
2' x 2' x 4' mylar pre fab tent
4" 170 CFm fan and filter kit
starting with auto's and following a soil guide
I'm stuck on lighting. I am electrically handy and would like to do a cob (CXA3070) build. I'm not sure how many I will need for my small area with the recommended 1.4amp driver/ cpu cooler from SupraSPL. Supra seems to tinker with other colors as well, will the 3000k cobs be fine on their own?
plan to buy from digi-key
any help would be great!
I am absolutely new to thins scene but am going to have some fun with my first build.
My Plan:
2' x 2' x 4' mylar pre fab tent
4" 170 CFm fan and filter kit
starting with auto's and following a soil guide
I'm stuck on lighting. I am electrically handy and would like to do a cob (CXA3070) build. I'm not sure how many I will need for my small area with the recommended 1.4amp driver/ cpu cooler from SupraSPL. Supra seems to tinker with other colors as well, will the 3000k cobs be fine on their own?
plan to buy from digi-key
any help would be great!
Budzbuddha
Well-Known Member
There will be some key concerns for your light choices :
Heat / Exhaust concerns ( will you be able to control grow room temps )
Electricity usage : running HID all day compared to LED
( although most LED systems state a particular power rating but are lower in actual
power )
Grow area coverage : 4x4 tent ( 400w / 600w )
Some light choices :
New HPS/MH systems with a basic digital ballast can be had for a couple hundred bucks , plus bulb costs.
Pros : high lumen output ( strong growth ) / good for photos and Auto Strains
Consistent yields and quality / deep plant penetration
Available in various designs , Batwing / Hooded / Cool Tube / etc.
Cons : heat ( both direct and ambient ) - needs proper venting and cooling
Bulbs can degrade / some vary in pricing
Temps can be high in enclosed areas
LED : various manufactures / USA and Chinese
Power LED ( on board ) 3w or 5w
Multi spectrum or color band specific ( deep red or Blue ) - UV / IR BAND
Panel systems / strips / spot bulbs
Pros : LED can combine VEG/FLOWER use ( or separate for stages needed )
Nominal power draw / internal heat sinks / built in fans
Portable / easy to move into and from tents as needed
Good grow results between 18"-24" height over canopy
No warm up time / instant on
Long life ( depending on brand and use )
Pricing can vary to a few hundred on up in price.
New versions are moving into COB ( circuit on Board ) designs
Good lumen outputs ( depending on brand and LED WATTAGE )
- There is no filament to burn so LEDs have longer bulb times of 50,000 to 60,000 hours versus HIDs which start dropping output considerable at 2,000 to 3,000 hours;
And some great panels like G8. All are available in various power outputs ( 300 watts - 900 watts or more as an example ). They are very efficient.
Cons : There are some shit no name chinese systems that are junk. You need to read grower reviews and actual grow pics to help decide on which maker you like .
Buyer Beware ! You need to buy the best you can afford.
There are some heat issues with these also. Most have fans and side exhaust. But require less work to cool properly. Some panels can become defective ( burnout or bad parts ). If you drop it , you can damage it.
COBS : Newest kid on the block. Best to build your system to suit.
Requires proper heat control but provides some of the highest light power available. Rivals most HID SYSTEMS. Can be configured with both VEG AND FLOWER spectrum. Each COB module can provide up to 10000 lumens per or more. Needs driver modules. Depending on driver characteristics , it can be highly efficient. Designs for buildup is almost limitless ( open frame / board mount / trellis , etc )
Cree / vero modules are the growers choice for now. Technology is changing rapidly.
These are extreme systems and grow phenomenal plants. Deep light penetration.
Bad Karma
Well-Known Member
Those no name LED panels that you have listed as Cons, are the same thing as the panels you have listed above them as good middle of the road LED's (Mars Hydro, Apollo, etc), and none of them are efficient. They are all in the same class of LED light, which is DON'T BUY.
At least you threw in that line about COB's at the end, I liked that.
Budzbuddha
Well-Known Member
Although LED grows exist as an option , most will have to look at real world grows done by others. It depends on what the grower wants ( muti plant or small closet grows ).. LEDS are a good choice for budget / small grows . It's better to see the plants from growers yo decide if this is the option that BEST FITS their needs.
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