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

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kombucha20

kombucha20

Well-Known Member
Thanks alot for the info I think I'll go with the Hans panel for my first led its a little cheaper and has a little more coverage, I think my grow will be more bushy then tall and then when I buy another panel I'll try the sgs
 
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Eraserhead

Well-Known Member
I am pretty excited about the upgrade. The upgraded version will cost the same as the current model too. No price increase.

I'm also considering making upgrade/replacement parts for people's crapped out Apollo's and other failed Chinese lights. If I had a nickel for every email I got about someone complaining about their Apollo or Blackstar knockoff that has some problem or another and asked me if I could help them fix it, I'd have, well, a lot of nickels. Probably be a good project to work on once the 2014 SGS models are out in October.

puffenuff said:
Sounds good to me! I'll probably jump on the upgrade parts when they are available. Please keep us posted.
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I think you'll be happy with the Han's panel, I haven't heard of any unhappy customers yet. Good luck.

kombucha20 said:
Thanks alot for the info I think I'll go with the Hans panel for my first led its a little cheaper and has a little more coverage, I think my grow will be more bushy then tall and then when I buy another panel I'll try the sgs
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kombucha20

kombucha20

Well-Known Member
Does the Hans panel have any warranty, I didn't notice it saying anything on the website but I could of missed it, and another quick question a little off thread topic, is there any recomedation on a certin strain that grows well with Hans panel and the size of my grow box,
Thanks again for all the help, this forum is great
 
Beefbisquit

Beefbisquit

Well-Known Member
kombucha20 said:
Does the Hans panel have any warranty, I didn't notice it saying anything on the website but I could of missed it, and another quick question a little off thread topic, is there any recomedation on a certin strain that grows well with Hans panel and the size of my grow box,
Thanks again for all the help, this forum is great
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For any LED grower, I suggest short, fat, strains, (Indica dom) that respond well to LST and training methods. You will maximize your yield that way.
 
El Tiberon

El Tiberon

Active Member
kombucha20 said:
Does the Hans panel have any warranty, I didn't notice it saying anything on the website but I could of missed it, and another quick question a little off thread topic, is there any recomedation on a certin strain that grows well with Hans panel and the size of my grow box,
Thanks again for all the help, this forum is great
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1 year warranty
 
J

jcmjrt

Well-Known Member
lospsi said:
I didn't get good results cause i'm a noob and made terrible mistakes such as light leaks during flowering, got up in the defoliation thing (during flowering also),no perlite in the soil, so i don't think it was the blackstar,I think it did a hella of a job during veg, many tight nodes and no stretching at all, i lsted and made a beautiful bush,unfortunately i screwed up in flowering.. That's why i believe that with another ufo and improving my skills will have a descent yield,not sure about what kind of light though.
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The learning curve is always fun but at least if you are paying attention it's almost straight up. :)

Blackstars are really best known for being cheap and breaking within a year. It doesn't take much to veg so I wouldn't be too impressed with good veging.

You haven't said anything (or I missed it) about your style/size of grow but Hans and area51 are generally good fixtures...,of course, there are others...just don't waste your money on cheap (false economy) that doesn't grow well and won't last. You can always supplement your current panel (as long as it lasts) with fluorescent until you can afford a good one.
 
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lospsi

Active Member
"Blackstars are really best known for being cheap and breaking within a year." Is this statement really true?
 
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loveinfinity

New Member
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]hi, i am still new to cultivation / led's and have been reading around a lot / shopping for prices

i have come to a few options i have been looking at (still open to suggestions)

1st: bysen helios 210w for $360 USD (including shipping) (is that even a good deal for helios 210w? i got this offer from ebay)

http://www.bsled.com/led-grow-light/h160d-210w.html

2nd: Cidly Apollo 10

3rd: HTG 432 w

they are all around the 350-400 dollar range so i was just wondering which one would be the best deal?

also have been considering the area51 sgs-160 but its just a lil over what id like to pay for now but i do realise its going to last longer + better leds [/FONT]
 
FranJan

FranJan

Well-Known Member
lospsi said:
"Blackstars are really best known for being cheap and breaking within a year." Is this statement really true?
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Original Blackstars are so poorly designed that their cooling is basically an afterthought. Their diodes degrade very quickly, especially the cheap protective caps. And BS Chromes are basically not much better than anything you can get in China. They're good for about a year and then, depending on your environment and how much you've been running them, just start to go to shit. They are a pain in the ass to fix and not easily upgradable. You'll make your money back on them, but they're no long term investment. Still in their defense Gotham Hydro will always honor their warranty and always have parts, so they're better than a lot of Chinese panels with their shit warranties.
 
Beefbisquit

Beefbisquit

Well-Known Member
I've had original BS panels for over 2 years and they all work fine... lol

Don't get me wrong, they're still shit, but they're not THAT bad... lol They will grow bud, but usually not up to peoples expectations and certainly not up to anyone who has grown HPS buds expectations.
 
K

Kyanite393

Member
I grew out a pretty good Woppa cut with my BS Chrome 180 got over an ounce off the woppa and the bud was nice and dense not bad first indoor LED grow... the "quality" lights are just way too overpriced there is absolutely no reason for an LED panel to be 1,000+ dollars the lights and materials/time are no where near that amount and I will not pay that

I'm sure they are better, but 1000% better? no
 
Beefbisquit

Beefbisquit

Well-Known Member
Kyanite393 said:
I grew out a pretty good Woppa cut with my BS Chrome 180 got over an ounce off the woppa and the bud was nice and dense not bad first indoor LED grow... the "quality" lights are just way too overpriced there is absolutely no reason for an LED panel to be 1,000+ dollars the lights and materials/time are no where near that amount and I will not pay that

I'm sure they are better, but 1000% better? no
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Look at the cost of top quality chips.

http://www.ledgroupbuy.com/cree-xm-l2-white/

Almost $9 each without shipping or duty fees etc. 5W LED's run @ 2.5W are pretty norm to keep efficiency high. For a 200W panel, that's 80 diodes @ $8.77 each, or ~$700. Add the case, power supplies, heat sink, cord, fasteners, fans, soldering, shipping costs, and a little profit and you can see why top quality panels are priced they way they are.

You can't be upset that companies that sell these products don't sell them at cost.

Is a Ferrari 458 1000% faster than a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo? No, but the quality is better - it's faster, has more features, and usually some sort of innovation. The LED market is no different than any other market, if you only need a Ford Festiva to get from point A to point B, that's cool too.
 
tags420

tags420

Well-Known Member
If you keep trying around the price of quality lights then you will never get quality results(and that includes quantity).

The best cree's are still $1.25+/chip when buying in bulk 2000chips+. So if you were looking to build one panel for your self you will pay $3/chip. And with a panels that have over 75-100 chips that price adds up...and that many still really only covers 2.5x2.5+/-.
Then you need...
-Circuit boards
-Lens/reflectors/some kind of protection
-Drivers
-Heat sink(s)
-Housing
-Fans, fan power
-To wire it all together in an efficient way...not soldering by hand or some thermal paste and stars


And by the time you have done all that you could have just paid the same or less for a good quality american panel that you probably based the DIY on in the first place.
To make LED light that truly competes with hps in intensity and coverage takes a good amount of money no matter if you are a company or DIY'er.

EDIT:
Everytime I make a long post, by the time I hit post someone else has answered. Beef knows what's up
 
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danielJackson

New Member
Hello everyone,

I am curious to know what panels around have their LEDs more spread out, like the Hans Panel. It seems these would be ideal for surround a Tree. I was thinking maybe 5 panels for a 3 ft tree? Thank you
 
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