Led Users Unite!

take a look at my journals before ya give up ... my first run was pretty good despite some hiccups and this run is gonna be even better .... like me and sensi say there are good companies out there ya just gotta spend the time to do yourhomework and figure which one best suits what ya need and dosent seem like a huge rippoff.

I am getting limited in my scope of what I see as a good option.... I like the Vipar 300 definitely and could see two of those working wonders your grows look beautiful....Or I could go advanced and get the 800w diamond series... it is actually 1200w but a true close 800w here are the specs....
400 3W high output leds single chip for a 758w usage.

I think I may end up getting the Vipars because they are one of the few ones that actually state they use the 60degree angle penetration for their lights.

You're getting hung up on all the wrong shit. The veg blackstars are great.. i'm vegging all my plants under one 240w now results are comparable to 400w MH without as much heat buildup and electric use. Don't worry about the 60 degree thing. Results are what counts. Stop reading marketing hype on their websites. Find grows you like with LEDs in your price range and pick one -- that's really all there is to it I don't know of anything wrong with Vipars but I have also not seen a lot of completed grow threads on'em either. I don't read every led thread either tho. As far as advances... i'm not sure there's much need mine grow great plants. The only advances I'd like to see is for them to get even cooler, more efficient and cheaper.

illtoxic said:

After looking at the blackstars they look like a decent buy for wattage per dollar. Especially these new 2013 models they market as being 30degrees cooler and more efficient.

I understand this is a hypothetical question because many of you I assume have not tried the VEG blackstar light but do you think it would be more efficient than a high wattage MH?

I am really liking the Raptor from Black Diamond as well...

Click to expand...

just read your post there curly and i couldnt agree more there are a shit load of companies out there that are just fucking people hard , cammie of coarse has been called out on many occaisions in many different industries about ripping people off then disapearing (even had a sex change???) but like you said too it does not stop with her. i agree also that california lightworks is a joke charging rediculous mark up and i like what someone said about the grow feed back program cause that is a fucking joke! also i was looking into advanced leds and i came across some what i would cal hilarious but some might call interesting info. so i went on there page and looked around for a while , page is kinda shitty looking but whatevs look around and ya prices are ok but im already well aware of the fact i can get these same lights for much cheaper direct , then i take a look at there comapany info and this is where it gets good. i look at there contact info and at the bottom of the contact us page is a company name and address

MARKET SMART ,PO Box 527, Bentonville, AR 72712-0527

HMMMM, market smart , sounds like they might be good with markets or marketing products perhaps then huh? i know if i was gonna start an led company i would not call it market smart , that is suicide haha. so i go ahead and do a search on market smart and the adress given and i get a link to the BBB i look over the page and they have an ok rating a B overall with a half dozen complaints on there products as well as shippig and warranty but then something catches my eye , i notice that right under market smart in big letters at the top of the page is a little heading saying additional phone numbers / web addresses. And what is it i saw under that heading ????

http://www.helpyourpets.com/

BAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA!!!!! they also sell something called doggy stairs!!!! BAHAHAHAHAHAHA! it actually almost made me fall over i was laughing so hard , so for those of you that might be a bit lost ill break it down for ya:

this company called "MARKET SMART" who i might bet based on there name are good with markets and marketeering products to people are selling led grow lights which according to them are the best on the market using "cree" chips and all that crap but then they also sell doggy stairs??? fuck what a fucking joke of a company and seriously curly was right when he said that companies like this are ruining the industry plain and simple. i wouldnt be suprised if advanced is not the only marketeering company that is pulling these tricks in the led industry but man they sure did a piss poor job of covering there tracks. please people do some real research on these led companies before you buy from them or you will be helping market smart and other shit marketeering companies like this get rich of us good natured stoner folk

not only that illtoxic they are the only lights on the market that use 60 degree primary lenses ..... kinda cool

im beyond happy with my vipars after making a few purchases from a few other companies i wish i didt ...... oh well learned from my mistakes

Only thing about the blackstars that sort of shy me away is the thread where one of them broke down and had to be replaced with a hps..I forget who but I just do not want to buy something that is going to break...I believe his was a 2011 model...And their 2013 is supposed to be way more efficient. But they I feel are a little over priced... they advertise their 540w at 800 almost....and that is the max wattage not the true wattage compared to the Vipar300 which is 300 true watts 540 watts max at 500euro..I could buy 2/3 vipars for a cool 900watt and then use a blue veg led to veg.

A question I hope you might be able to answer it might have been overlooked previously....

1. will a 5w or 10w diode be better than the 3w?

illtoxic said:

Only thing about the blackstars that sort of shy me away is the thread where one of them broke down and had to be replaced with a hps..I forget who but I just do not want to buy something that is going to break...I believe his was a 2011 model...And their 2013 is supposed to be way more efficient. But they I feel are a little over priced... they advertise their 540w at 800 almost....and that is the max wattage not the true wattage compared to the Vipar300 which is 300 true watts 540 watts max at 500euro..I could buy 2/3 vipars for a cool 900watt and then use a blue veg led to veg.

A question I hope you might be able to answer it might have been overlooked previously....

1. will a 5w or 10w diode be better than the 3w?

Click to expand...

I think your thinking of tmu's (thatsmessedup) grow. His BS500 broke and he is finishing his current grow with a HPS.

His BS500 was bought second hand with no warranty though. If he has a warranty (and didnt remove the glass) he had more than enough time to have that unit fixed. We were talking about his burning diode for weeks before it finally failed. I had the same problem with my BS240 and sent it in for a warranty claim and it has been fixed.

But blackstars only have a one year warranty and after that your plain fucked it they break. But that can be said about anything.

Amaximus said:

I think your thinking of tmu's (thatsmessedup) grow. His BS500 broke and he is finishing his current grow with a HPS.

His BS500 was bought second hand with no warranty though. If he has a warranty (and didnt remove the glass) he had more than enough time to have that unit fixed. We were talking about his burning diode for weeks before it finally failed. I had the same problem with my BS240 and sent it in for a warranty claim and it has been fixed.

But blackstars only have a one year warranty and after that your plain fucked it they break. But that can be said about anything.

Click to expand...

Good info... the way I look at it is for the cost of the other units, I can buy a replacement blackstar should any one of my units fail. Because I have 6 if one fails it's not the end of the world in terms of waiting for a replacement or getting a new one... if i only had one I'd be fucked. IMO the price of the other units with the better warranties includes the cost of the replacement... so yeah it has a better warranty... you're paying for a replacement in the original cost. I look at it this way. I have 6 lights. If one a year breaks I pay a bit over $250 to get it replaced (assuming it's outside warranty) -- I think I can afford $250-300/year in lighting costs -- and i'll get a brand new light out of the deal, instead of a fixed old one. If all 6 failed the first year and I had to buy new it'd still be less than the cost of the other units.

5w and 10w is new -- if you want to be on the bleeding edge, expect to be on the bleeding edge of dealing with issues with the light. they should provide better intensity and penetration.

I should buy one and try but it is going to be until June before I am able to start any sort of grow when I get out to CO...So I am trying to get all my bases covered and be ready...I know I am going to do supersoil and add teas when necessary. Go with a nice tent. good ventilation and what not. Maybe there will be more info on the 5w and 10w available next year..and definitely a lot more journals to read through and compare. I appreciate all the good info from yall for sure.

ill - if you move to the Denver area, drop me a line

Word, I am thinking about the springs area but Denver is not but a drive away! I look forward to the day to go balls to the wall with this hobby. You could definitely consider me a connoisseur.

I was checking out the California Lightworks website earlier today.... Ulm... When did they change their warranty from 3 years to 2 years?

"HOW LONG IS THE PRODUCT WARRANTY ON SOLARSTORM AND SOLARFLARE LIGHTS?
California LightWorks warrants that SolarStorm and SolarFlare grow lights will be free from defects in material and workmanship for a period of 2 years from the date of purchase."


Also I was checking out the grow logs on their forums and they're all fucked up. The start dates of the grow logs are newer than the most recent posts. There is a thread called "Solarstorm Grow 2nd go around!" that says it was started on July 30th with the last post in the thread on August 13th. When you click the most recent post it is actually dated January 24th, As is every other post in the thread.

There are a whole bunch of threads on that forum that are all fucked up like this. What gives? What is going on at CLW?

And while we're on it, Where is Hydroponics Hut? The website has just vanished. Gone. Been a few days now. Pro-Grows all gone? lol.

Amaximus said:

I was checking out the California Lightworks website earlier today.... Ulm... When did they change their warranty from 3 years to 2 years?

"HOW LONG IS THE PRODUCT WARRANTY ON SOLARSTORM AND SOLARFLARE LIGHTS?
California LightWorks warrants that SolarStorm and SolarFlare grow lights will be free from defects in material and workmanship for a period of 2 years from the date of purchase."


Also I was checking out the grow logs on their forums and they're all fucked up. The start dates of the grow logs are newer than the most recent posts. There is a thread called "Solarstorm Grow 2nd go around!" that says it was started on July 30th with the last post in the thread on August 13th. When you click the most recent post it is actually dated January 24th, As is every other post in the thread.

There are a whole bunch of threads on that forum that are all fucked up like this. What gives? What is going on at CLW?

And while we're on it, Where is Hydroponics Hut? The website has just vanished. Gone. Been a few days now. Pro-Grows all gone? lol.

Click to expand...

Pro grow website is working now...

Just started my first Led grow in a 65" TV check it out lmk what you think D's 65" Stow N Grow TV its a

• Haight 180 Watt LED Grow light PPF-800
  Picked it up off craigslist for $150 ​
  
  
  
  

newworldicon said:

Pro grow website is working now...

Click to expand...

yeah looks like they upgraded with a new 260x model, or at least playing catchup with last years improvements (lenses, switches, etc)

newworldicon said:

Pro grow website is working now...

Click to expand...

puffenuff said:

yeah looks like they upgraded with a new 260x model, or at least playing catchup with last years improvements (lenses, switches, etc)

Click to expand...

Ah, Yes. There we go, It's back. Thanks guys.

Yeah that 260 x-lens is a "filling the range model". The X5 300W looks to be decent though, pity I don't trust them any more!!

I've had positive experiences w/ Ben and PG. I don't necessarily buy into the hype of higher diodes being more effective as you'll have to increase the height from the canopy to avoid burning your girls. I run a small closet perpetual grow (see journal) and now have 1 PG 550, 1 Pg 250 (old school 2010 model), 3 of the PG 180s, 1 PG 90 (ufo - no longer sold), and a blackstar 50w ufo. I use the ufos on the sides to fill in any areas that the top lights aren't effectively covering and prefer this set up as it's totally modular.

I've used BS, GLH, and some cheap Chinese shit - have since sold off everything but the BS50. I realize some people have reported being burned by Ben and truth be told I haven't had to call in a warranty on any of my lights so I can't vouch for that but am supremely happy with his lights and the price at which they are available.