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

rocknratm · Mar 5, 2016

MCOB said:
@Hybridway I see what you are doing on this thread so I will leave you to it.

I'm not opposed to third party endorsements.

When you've tried at least 30 different brands in side by side grow trials for more than 2 years then I would be fine with your 'advice.'
Other than that, for that price, people are better off building their own for 1/5 the cost. I would think that 95% of the people on this forum have a budget that would make them lean more towards the 1/5 price instead. The convenience of having it already built for me is not worth an extra $500+ just saying.

Scientists and theory on grow lights are fine. Use lots of jargon that the average grower (95% of the buyers) don't understand to make it sound good. I just don't like seeing new growers being taken advantage of by things they don't understand or need to understand. It is the same thing with people who sell scammy online marketing services to companies that don't understand it.

I'd be happy to run multiple side by side comparisons with the Amare's to show the extra cost is not worth it.

you know id love to build one, and there is lots of info on this site, but what would be helpful is someone making a list of matching drivers and cobs (a list of possible combinations). Maybe its here and I havent found it. Im worried about ordering parts and then having them not work together. Also how many parts do you need? Driver, cob, heatsink, case, reflectors and?

I pay someone to fix my car if I cant do it. And thats probably about the same 1/5 of the cost for me to fix it, but if I cant or dont have the time, I pay someone.

I would totally try a build if someone layed out everything I needed to build say a 4x 3070, or a 2 or 4x 3590 build. I am but a humble grower, when it comes to tech stuff I need step by step instructions for a build, and an exact part list. Thats where i'm at with the build your own argument, so I order prefab ones....
I know people will say im lazy, all the info is here, but man its hard for me to put it together in a usable form
Rant done. Thanks

The Dawg · Mar 5, 2016

rocknratm said:
you know id love to build one, and there is lots of info on this site, but what would be helpful is someone making a list of matching drivers and cobs (a list of possible combinations). Maybe its here and I havent found it. Im worried about ordering parts and then having them not work together. Also how many parts do you need? Driver, cob, heatsink, case, reflectors and?

I pay someone to fix my car if I cant do it. And thats probably about the same 1/5 of the cost for me to fix it, but if I cant or dont have the time, I pay someone.

I would totally try a build if someone layed out everything I needed to build say a 4x 3070, or a 2 or 4x 3590 build. I am but a humble grower, when it comes to tech stuff I need step by step instructions for a build, and an exact part list. Thats where i'm at with the build your own argument, so I order prefab ones....
I know people will say im lazy, all the info is here, but man its hard for me to put it together in a usable form
Rant done. Thanks

The Thread Your looking For (Matching Cobs To Drivers) Is Currently 10 Thread Below This 1 :eyesmoke:

bggrass · Mar 5, 2016

Hybridway has been on grasscity for some time and over there people talk about amare like it's the best you can ever get and how great their warranty is and all that shit that all of them have bought in. I tried to voice an oppinion at some point but it's pointless. It's just how it goes there. "Dude, buy an amare it's the best choice I ever made"...... Let's face it, most people don't understand how they can build their own, better light. That's why they opt out for premade and buy into the flashy websites that advertise their "canna specific spectrum".

Growlem · Mar 5, 2016

GreenLogician said:
When you progress passed 'new member' status, you'll be able to click like in the bottom right corner of any post
I think it's when you have about 20 'likes' on your messages.

Thanks for the info. And it seems like I just passed that treshold.

Okay, since I'm about to order 4 Cree CXB 3070 COBs and the MeanWell HLG-120H-C1050B Driver now, I'm also thinking about ordering holders and reflectors.

Given my 4 COBs (that I might put together so I can place them individually in my box, instead of one big panel) in a 2 feet x 4 feet x 4 feet or 4 feet x 4 feet x 5 feet box, is it a good idea to put reflectors like Ledil F13838 Angelina-XW on them? And if so, the Ideal 50-2100AN would be good holders for these reflectors, right? Or wouldn't they fit?
For the actual COB-Holders I'm getting the Ideal 50-2234c which seem to be the go-to standard.

Edit: If I have a sufficient airflow and ventilation in my grow box - the kind that you need to give the plants some motion - would that be enough to cool the COBs if they are combined with passive aluminium cooling? Or do I need active-cooling via pc fans, or rather; is it a good idea to have active cooling either way?

Edit2: Is it smart to just order 3500k COBs as allrounders, or should I order 2 3500ks and 2 5000ks?

Hybridway · Mar 5, 2016

Abiqua said:
I shared why I thought that Amare is overpriced garbage.....Old diode tech that is above New Diode Tech top dollar pricing. They are gimmicky, don't have a foundation in cannabis growing and seem out of touch with new tech.

Price per Par Watt, speaks for itself yo!

They switched from CXA's to CXB's right away with the 450 upgrade from the 350. I thought it was gimmicky to when they first came out because of the little UVB tube @ only 15watts. I thought that was a mktg thing personally & haven't tried mine yet to offer an opinion on it. It does have a separate plug just for that though. Really looks & feels quality In My hands & my plants are loving it. I've been judging it based off the plants reaction to it vs. my Hydroponics Hut which has a very nice spectrum IMO. It's a nice broad curve of red with a blue spike & almost 20% green, making it almost a white on the pink side. Also comparing it to my HPS grow. The growth is off the wall & the stems got thick as hell. Also running the SunCloak with its 22K spectrum. It's like a DE spectrum but is filled in broad rather than spikes. Just it being broad makes a difference I think. The Amare is pricey & yeh, I'd love to build some as I am a builder by trade. I never checked their efficency #' which is rare for me but it's not very hot & is growing my plants better then any light I've ever used & being Hybridway, I've tried all types accessible as supplemental & to grow in my little world of Popcornery under the trellis.

Abiqua · Mar 5, 2016

I still feel the same 15 minutes later......

Abiqua said:
Whatever happened to running a light for a year or so AND then making claims to substantiate that light....People are making absurd claims on a lot of different lights and I still have yet to see single runs produced, wtf!!!!!

Most of the light reviews recently seem like pre-ejaculation imho....

Hybridway · Mar 5, 2016

Abiqua said:
I still feel the same 15 minutes later......

Yeah, I still have yet to flower. Just started a thread on the Amare & HH so others can see Wazup. I was speaking only from a so far perspective. We'll see how the buds turn out & then poeple can see for themselves, me included.

REALSTYLES · Mar 5, 2016

rocknratm said:
you know id love to build one, and there is lots of info on this site, but what would be helpful is someone making a list of matching drivers and cobs (a list of possible combinations). Maybe its here and I havent found it. Im worried about ordering parts and then having them not work together. Also how many parts do you need? Driver, cob, heatsink, case, reflectors and?

I pay someone to fix my car if I cant do it. And thats probably about the same 1/5 of the cost for me to fix it, but if I cant or dont have the time, I pay someone.

I would totally try a build if someone layed out everything I needed to build say a 4x 3070, or a 2 or 4x 3590 build. I am but a humble grower, when it comes to tech stuff I need step by step instructions for a build, and an exact part list. Thats where i'm at with the build your own argument, so I order prefab ones....
I know people will say im lazy, all the info is here, but man its hard for me to put it together in a usable form
Rant done. Thanks

I have a thread that does just click on my signature

Abiqua · Mar 5, 2016

Hybridway said:
Yeah, I still have yet to flower. Just started a thread on the Amare & HH so others can see Wazup. I was speaking only from a so far perspective. We'll see how the buds turn out & then poeple can see for themselves, me included.

and.....that justifies hyperbolic claims?

Hybridway · Mar 5, 2016

Abiqua said:
and.....that justifies hyperbolic claims?

What I don't understand is if so many are CREE White COB fans & know exactly how good the results are, then why do poeple doubt Amare when they even went a step further then most DIY's & utilized both reflector cups & real lenses (solid glass), and even the infomous 5 watt Monos? Plus the MeanWell drivers big heatsinks, top-bin, up to date CREE, thick plug wire, thick housing, good spacing for a commercial unit, not to hot, quite enough, great service & warranty. I don't get it. It appears to be everything a good DIY build would want to have minus the price which is decent IMHO if you were to compare it to most top of the line lights. What's a BudMaster cost? Even the nice all white COB lights that are advertised hear aren't that much cheaper. But Amare doesn't advertise here, so their shit. I have no reason to defend them aside from I want to know? I get nothing from them except their service I pay for & a light I hope to be happy with at the end of flower to as long as it lasts. Amare themselves make no claims. Actually told me once they saw I was doing a thread comparing it to the Hor vice-versa really, Victor said: "We make no claims, our results will speak for themselves". And I agree, there's not much out there for accomplished GPW. I don't know why when there's plenty of success stories using white COBs. Mostly DIY from what I've seen. Just a new light owner sharing his experience & opinions hoping that it may help someone me when I learned. Wanna see some outraged claims, go to the Hydroponics Hut site & read closely. That's exactly exactly why I bought it. To see how bad this shit really is but with a company that claims to be professional horticultural lighting rather then a Cheap panel. And I'm using my Amare as a standard hoping the best for both but the white COBs seem to be killing it. Both are COBs with surrounding 5watters, but one is RQE & one is PAS. A wise man once told me about this & it seems to be dead true!

bggrass · Mar 5, 2016

Hybridway said:
What I don't understand is if so many are CREE White COB fans & know exactly how good the results are, then why do poeple doubt Amare when they even went a step further then most DIY's & utilized both reflector cups & real lenses (solid glass), and even the infomous 5 watt Monos? Plus the MeanWell drivers big heatsinks, top-bin, up to date CREE, thick plug wire, thick housing, good spacing for a commercial unit, not to hot, quite enough, great service & warranty. I don't get it. It appears to be everything a good DIY build would want to have minus the price which is decent IMHO if you were to compare it to most top of the line lights. What's a BudMaster cost? Even the nice all white COB lights that are advertised hear aren't that much cheaper. But Amare doesn't advertise here, so their shit. I have no reason to defend them aside from I want to know? I get nothing from them except their service I pay for & a light I hope to be happy with at the end of flower to as long as it lasts. Amare themselves make no claims. Actually told me once they saw I was doing a thread comparing it to the Hor vice-versa really, Victor said: "We make no claims, our results will speak for themselves". And I agree, there's not much out there for accomplished GPW. I don't know why when there's plenty of success stories using white COBs. Mostly DIY from what I've seen. Just a new light owner sharing his experience & opinions hoping that it may help someone me when I learned. Wanna see some outraged claims, go to the Hydroponics Hut site & read closely. That's exactly exactly why I bought it. To see how bad this shit really is but with a company that claims to be professional horticultural lighting rather then a Cheap panel. And I'm using my Amare as a standard hoping the best for both but the white COBs seem to be killing it. Both are COBs with surrounding 5watters, but one is RQE & one is PAS. A wise man once told me about this & it seems to be dead true!

Where do they state the bin they use?

Resinhound · Mar 5, 2016

This is by no means me knocking the light,but ive run an amare panel for a few cycles and they performed well for me but I did have some issues.Namely bleaching and hot spots under the lenses.When I contacted amare Victor advised me NOT to run without the lenses and it requires 20" for the monos/cobs to converge to work as Its supposed to.He claims you need 22-24" from the canopy for this to happen.Thats alot of prime realestate for some small time growers like myself.I wasnt uphappy with growth under them,just not for me.

Resinhound · Mar 5, 2016

Im currently running an at200 with 14°lenses at 12inches with more trichome proliferation than ive seen in the past under amare...but time will tell how this works out for me.

Abiqua · Mar 5, 2016

hmm....I also use Vero dilligently and Phillips too and Cree nm's, so there goes that argument.....

you write long unintelligible PM's about "understanding" PPF and PPFD and using that to make the choice for what you buy? That was an outright lie on your part sir/maam!

No one is running 145 lumens/ watt as top bin, that was 18 months ago unfortunately....Heck, us white fan boys can run white Cree @145 lumens/watt in the same Kelvin for comparison and probably spend less than $800 for the same coverage....

If we gloss over the power loss, then value stands out.....Very clearly

I said PAR per Watt cost earlier, but is really should be a umol/s per joule / cost....because two similar PAR readings can have a different PPF/YPF right?

Just like the 145 lumens/watt is just about as useless a figure as well....

Hybridway · Mar 5, 2016

bggrass said:
Where do they state the bin they use?

Ask the owner, Victor. He'll tell you anything you want to know, including PAR #'s. The 450 & even the 350 had higher #'s then the BlackDog that uses twice the wattage. That's averaging the area too, not just centered. I think he could offer more info on the site myself but he does openly answer any question.

Resinhound said:
This is by no means me knocking the light,but ive run an amare panel for a few cycles and they performed well for me but I did have some issues.Namely bleaching and hot spots under the lenses.When I contacted amare Victor advised me NOT to run without the lenses and it requires 20" for the monos/cobs to converge to work as Its supposed to.He claims you need 22-24" from the canopy for this to happen.Thats alot of prime realestate for some small time growers like myself.I wasnt uphappy with growth under them,just not for me.

Weren't you running 2, 220's or 250's
w/ lenses over one little plant w/o a medium? I think your grow style may do better with the Apache you bought. But growing big, I'm hoping the Amare will do the trick. I'm trying to replace 600-1000 HPS with mine.

bggrass said:
Hybridway has been on grasscity for some time and over there people talk about amare like it's the best you can ever get and how great their warranty is and all that shit that all of them have bought in. I tried to voice an oppinion at some point but it's pointless. It's just how it goes there. "Dude, buy an amare it's the best choice I ever made"...... Let's face it, most people don't understand how they can build their own, better light. That's why they opt out for premade and buy into the flashy websites that advertise their "canna specific spectrum".

I agree about poeple loving their Amare so much their words almost sound like advertising. It's borderline but an open forum. Also, most poeple are aware they can make a panel just as good or better c. But if they can't or won't then they want the next best thing. That's why the COB companies here do so well. They sell White Top-Bin COB lights with quality components similiar to what a DIY'er would want but manufactured, tested, & approved. Good things cost money brogham.

Resinhound · Mar 5, 2016

Hybridway said:
Ask the owner, Victor. He'll tell you anything you want to know, including PAR #'s. The 450 & even the 350 had higher #'s then the BlackDog that uses twice the wattage. That's averaging the area too, not just centered. I think he could offer more info on the site myself but he does openly answer any question.

Weren't you running 2, 220's or 250's
w/ lenses over one little plant w/o a medium? I think your grow style may do better with the Apache you bought. But growing big, I'm hoping the Amare will do the trick. I'm trying to replace 600-1000 HPS with mine.

I agree about poeple loving their Amare so much their words almost sound like advertising. It's borderline but an open forum. Also, most poeple are aware they can make a panel just as good or better c. But if they can't or won't then they want the next best thing. That's why the COB companies here do so well. They sell White Top-Bin COB lights with quality components similiar to what a DIY'er would want but manufactured, tested, & approved. Good things cost money brogham.

Yes I have 2 220.I went way overkill to start.But eventually just used 1 of the panels for the most part.Id use the other panel with the cobs off to veg little ones...I may still use it for that we'll see.But ya in your case I can see where the light would be good.But im wondering..if you have plenty of head room,why remove the lenses If amare says not to.

bggrass · Mar 5, 2016

Hybridway said:
Ask the owner, Victor. He'll tell you anything you want to know, including PAR #'s. The 450 & even the 350 had higher #'s then the BlackDog that uses twice the wattage. That's averaging the area too, not just centered. I think he could offer more info on the site myself but he does openly answer any question.

Weren't you running 2, 220's or 250's
w/ lenses over one little plant w/o a medium? I think your grow style may do better with the Apache you bought. But growing big, I'm hoping the Amare will do the trick. I'm trying to replace 600-1000 HPS with mine.

I agree about poeple loving their Amare so much their words almost sound like advertising. It's borderline but an open forum. Also, most poeple are aware they can make a panel just as good or better c. But if they can't or won't then they want the next best thing. That's why the COB companies here do so well. They sell White Top-Bin COB lights with quality components similiar to what a DIY'er would want but manufactured, tested, & approved. Good things cost money brogham.

I don't care about talking with Victor about his overpriced cob lights. You made a statement that amare uses top bin cobs meanwell drivers and big heatsinks. Do you mind popping that light so we can see if any of that is true? At what amps are the cobs driven?

You're probably in the wrong forum to talk and highly recommend amare, suncloak or whatever junk premade lights are out there.

Suncloak by the way is the biggest light scam I've seen.

Hybridway · Mar 5, 2016

Abiqua said:
hmm....I also use Vero dilligently and Phillips too and Cree nm's, so there goes that argument.....

you write long unintelligible PM's about "understanding" PPF and PPFD and using that to make the choice for what you buy? That was an outright lie on your part sir/maam!

No one is running 145 lumens/ watt as top bin, that was 18 months ago unfortunately....Heck, us white fan boys can run white Cree @145 lumens/watt in the same Kelvin for comparison and probably spend less than $800 for the same coverage....

If we gloss over the power loss, then value stands out.....Very clearly

I said PAR per Watt cost earlier, but is really should be a umol/s per joule / cost....because two similar PAR readings can have a different PPF/YPF right?

Just like the 145 lumens/watt is just about as useless a figure as well....

I was learning as you suggested & PM'd you to talk about it as I learned like you said I was welcome to do. Sorry if it sounded long & unitelligable. Probobly was. But that's why I was talking to you instead of openly on the forum, so to gain knowledge. Learn more everyday. 145 lumens a watt? I read umol/j when deciding on a light nowadays. Don't even know what Amare gets. No one said you only use CREE. just an example statement. I'm very aware of numerous other companies that are quality. I thought this was an informative thread on picking an LED if your new? Well it seems to me if one doesn't suggest a white COB light advertised here then you're an outright dummy. But when I ask why, no ones got an answer. I ask again-Why does some poeple here Hate on Amare? Competition? I like the lights advertised here too. But bought an Amare, & I did this through learning from you & the other knowledgable peeps here. Not through exact refferal of course as no-one here that builds there own or promotes a DIYers manufactured build has ever suggested it, but through listening to the details. They all added up to that light being a good choice for me. So, aside from the cost, again, why not an Amare?????? I see tons of great results with them & plenty of happy purchasers on GC & other places. So, instead of stating things I have no knowledge from experience about, I bought one to find out for myself. Here's a guy more then happy with his 350's. Just one of many.

Hybridway · Mar 5, 2016

bggrass said:
I don't care about talking with Victor about his overpriced cob lights. You made a statement that amare uses top bin cobs meanwell drivers and big heatsinks. Do you mind popping that light so we can see if any of that is true? At what amps are the cobs driven?

You're probably in the wrong forum to talk and highly recommend amare, suncloak or whatever junk premade lights are out there.

Suncloak by the way is the biggest light scam I've seen.

HA! Really. Reaching for straws a lil but don't ya think. I'm at the wrong forum for you maybe but are you a new guy trying to buy LED for the first time? I am but did my research. So, unless you want to suggest or forcefully advertise HB, GG, PLC, A-51 or the other companies that I fully agree are some of the best but not what I bought & I have absolutely nothing bad to say about, then you're here just telling me my educated suggestions (meaning I may know more then a guy buying for his first time) to new poeple are not wanted here. It may be that I'm less educated in some topics as some others but I'm far from a slouch & have been reading on this stuff all year. And am continuing to learn. I don't know it all but hope to by talking to folks that do. I learn from the hating just as much, as long as someone backs up their argument. I think my SunCloak is the shit. I hope it works out because it provides my plants with full illumination. Do you have anything against full illumination? I gained a 1/4 lb. a plant by adding a 4 bulb 4' T-5. All good bud. We're wasting so much plant only growing from above. That's why I open em up n drop my HPS right on-top to grow the whole plant as best I can. Tell me more BS please. I shouldn't be here. That's redic.

bggrass · Mar 5, 2016

Hybridway said:
HA! Really. Reaching for straws a lil but don't ya think. I'm at the wrong forum for you maybe but are you a new guy trying to buy LED for the first time? I am but did my research. So, unless you want to suggest or forcefully advertise HB, GG, PLW, or the other companies that I fully agree are some of the best but not what I bought & I have absolutely nothing bad to say about, then you're here just telling me my educated suggestions to new poeple are not wanted here. It may be that I'm less educated in some topics as some others but I'm far from a slouch & have been reading on this stuff all year. And am continuing to learn. I don't know it all but hope to by talking to folks that do. I learn from the hating just as much, as long as someone backs up their argument. I think my SunCloak is the shit. I hope it works out because it provides my plants with full illumination. Do you have anything against full illumination? I gained a 1/4 lb. a plant by adding a 4 bulb 4' T-5. All good bud. We're wasting so much plant only growing from above. That's why I open em up n drop my HPS right on-top to grow the whole plant as best I can.

More power to you buddy. This ain't grasscity though. You might hear oppinions you don't like.

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

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