Lighthouse Blackstar 240w LED.... Any good?

fssalaska

Well-Known Member
Just order a 240 blackstar I have 2 90 UFOs by sunshine but I wish I would of known about lighthouse before I bought them :sad: on paper the 240 watt blackstar is just one bad a$$ light ! cant wait to use it..
I payed 435 each for the crappy UFOs "in Alaska" I think there only 2 band not 100% sure, anyways I got the blackstar 240 for only 250 bucks those 3 watt chips look really nice..
 

forestbud

Well-Known Member
Just order a 240 blackstar I have 2 90 UFOs by sunshine but I wish I would of known about lighthouse before I bought them :sad: on paper the 240 watt blackstar is just one bad a$$ light ! cant wait to use it..
I payed 435 each for the crappy UFOs "in Alaska" I think there only 2 band not 100% sure, anyways I got the blackstar 240 for only 250 bucks those 3 watt chips look really nice..
Crazy! Return both crappy UFO and get a BlackStar 500 watt version and save your another 300-400 dollars. BlackStar is indeed the shit!
 

BflexNJshore

Well-Known Member
Yo not for nothing but I live local to Victor, and saw that add on ebay, I am about to visit him in person and he said he has LED lights there to setup...hrmm, He has a hydroponics shop in Suffern that he is just starting, he doesn't just sell LED he sells HID as well as nutes and other such stuff. I'll probably see him this weekend, but he is a real person in a real place, I can confirm that.
I too can confirm. Just purchased one yesterday

-signed...a rollituo noob
 

TshirtNinja

Well-Known Member
my 2 panels should have been here monday...... but anyway im gonna stick 4 of the 240's in a 4x4 tent and have fun with sog in the summer.
 
Will finally come online to deal with some of the mis-information regarding a few issues. I am not sure where you got the idea that card information is stored but it is not stored for phone, amazon or ebay orders. In fact, Gotham does not get any card info from Amazon or Ebay purchases so if you are concerned about that, simply purchase online.

Thanks for that. Victor sounds ok by me. But I can tell you, this is the first time in years I've not had the option to decline having my credit card info stored.

I don't like it a bit.

edit: Something else for the record, Procyon and (I've heard) Haight Solid State LED lights are assembled in America. I would bet there are others.
 

Viagro

Well-Known Member
Will finally come online to deal with some of the mis-information regarding a few issues. I am not sure where you got the idea that card information is stored but it is not stored for phone, amazon or ebay orders. In fact, Gotham does not get any card info from Amazon or Ebay purchases so if you are concerned about that, simply purchase online.
When I ordered from Gotham, online, beside the cc# window it read (stored). That's pretty clear. You are the one misinforming.

edit: I don't know if it has been changed, but my info was accurate at the time.
 

TshirtNinja

Well-Known Member
Will finally come online to deal with some of the mis-information regarding a few issues. I am not sure where you got the idea that card information is stored but it is not stored for phone, amazon or ebay orders. In fact, Gotham does not get any card info from Amazon or Ebay purchases so if you are concerned about that, simply purchase online.
I will say that i ordered from victor and sean over the phone with a cc and dont feel like im gonna get my id stolen or tipped off to the popo. Yall need to stop being so flipping paranoid that everyone wants you to go to jail esp when its a person that would want you to prosper so that you return for more business.
 

ThaiBoy

Member
When I ordered from Gotham, online, beside the cc# window it read (stored). That's pretty clear. You are the one misinforming.

edit: I don't know if it has been changed, but my info was accurate at the time.
I just ordered my 7th GH LH LED light. I am now self sufficient! :) At first I ordered the lights online through Ebay, but for my last 4 orders I called the company direct. I recommended this option because you will get a slightly better deal than an online order, and can chat with Victor or Sean about whatever you want. Each time I ordered over the phone they emphasized that they do not store CC information and each time I had to repeat my CC info to make place the order. They DO store address information for phone orders and were able to look up my address by name when I placed an order today to speed the order.

I am aware that GH has their own online order site independent of Ebay and Amazon at http://www.gothamhydroponics.com/ If their online commerce site is typical, it would allow you create an account and store CC information with that account for future orders. I don't recommend using their online site for ordering, but it does give some useful information for some of their lights including "Coverage Area For Maximum Yeild", "Maximum Suggested Coverage Area", and "Optimal Distance To Canopy".

-ThaiBoy
 

ChucklesD

Well-Known Member
I have 2 240 veg models and they work great. I just ordered 2 flower models. They really need to update their site to make themselves look more legit. I do think that they need to get rid of the whole "growboys" award crap, especially since the growboys.com website is obviously fake and is registered to them....
Gotham address:

Gotham Hydroponics
33 Park Ave
Suffern, New York 10901

Growboys.com:

Registrant Info: (FAST-13908454)

Sean Stockmeyer
57a Lafayette Ave - Suite 4
Suffern, New York 10960
United States
Phone: +1.9146611018
Fax..:
Email: [email protected]
Last modified: 2010-07-27 22:08:48 GMT


I don't know if it is the same Sean who works at Gotham that someone had mentioned before.
 

MariJuanita

Well-Known Member
Couldn't help but notice this thread on the Blackstar LED. A couple of my patients recently got burned badly on LED grow light purchases. I wish they would have talked with me first. So... I think it's important to share what my experiences have been and what I've learned.

I've been using LED grow lights for almost two years now. The first LEDs I purchased were from eBay - three 90 watt UFO's using 1 watt Bridgelux bulbs. A few months later I purchased two more from eBay for a total of FIVE from three different vendors -- LED Wholesaler, Hydroponics Hut, and a ebay/store no longer in business. I did some flowering with them, but used those for vegging, mostly. See photo below:


After watching the technology progress and improve in these lights, I purchased three more UFO types - but using2 watt CREE bulbs, producing more LUX for better canopy penetration. Two of these I purchased from GOTHAM (for flowering, and touted as the 'Grow Boy Winner'), and one from Hydroponics Hut (6 band high output).

By the time I received the 3 new 90 watt lights, some of the original 90 watt UFO's had half of their LEDs go out. I still had the receipts, and followed the directions for contacting the various companies' customer support and service. One company it turns out had NO valid email or telephone number. The ONLY vendor that offered service or even replied BACK, for that matter, was Hydroponics Hut. By this time HydroponicsH had stopped selling the 1 watt Bridgelux-powered UFOs because of the problem I had - bad power supplies. But they instructed me to send the broken lights back to their repair center, and I did. About two weeks later, Fed Ex delivered the lights back to my doorstep, REPAIRED. At no charge. I put them back in service, and they are working today

Since then, I've purchased two more high output grow lights - from Hydroponic Hut - the Pro Grow 180 watt, and Pro Grow 550 watt. Photo below is the 550 watt - notice the two green button switches...


These lights are the only LED grow lights on the market that I know of that offer On/Off switchable spectrums. You can run just the vegging spectrum, or the flowering spectrum, or both spectrums at once. I LOVE this aspect, as I can take plants from seedling through vegging and flowering to finish -- in the same room using the same light. You can see the switches on the top of the 180 watt in photo below.
The lights (fans) are quiet for the size of these units. And, of course, when you're only using the vegging spectrums, or only using the flowering spectrums, the lights' power consumption drops to half of what it's full power rating is. For example, the 180 watt in photo on left would use 90 watts if just the vegging spectrum is turned on.

Since I actually purchased LED lights from several vendors now -- INCLUDING Gotham hydro (Victor likes to talk) -- I can say from experience that LED grow lights are NOT created equal and you DO need to do your due dilligence and THEN some. Some of these companies either don't know the first thing about LED techology OR they hope you don't OR both. These guys will say things that SOUND awesome. But...

You need to make sure you actually GET what you're being told you're paying for, and you need to be careful you're not being sold a bill of goods (ie: #anything much more than 2 watt (led/chipset) is not readily/fully absorbed by the plant. #There's no method to adequately cool 3 watt, 4 watt and higher chipsets so lights using them willl have a much shortened life expectancy. #More than 7 spectrums is also a waste because the light spectrums become so close together plants can't differentiate.)

Lights manufactured in China versus the US... I've not had good experiences with lights I've purchased that were 100% manufactured in China. China is famous for cutting corners and using substandard parts with less stringent control -- I would always opt for a 100% made in the USA light. But if part of the light came from China and part manufactured in US - know WHAT parts are from China as those will likely crap out on you and possibly not be warrantied or more difficult to get parts for.

Pay attention to these things AND check for warranty.

Here's a photo I've taken for a grow journal I'm doing right now using the 180 watt Pro Grow LED - Onyx, start to finish


For your nay-sayers and bomb throwers on the forum PLEASE NOTE that I am just an ordinary person who has been growing ganga for 35+ years (yeah, I'm an OLD woman :clap:)

I AM a licensed, certified medical marijuana grower in my state.

I am NOT affiliated in any way with ANY LED light company or vendor.

I am a customer/consumer who's purchased at least a couple $1000s worth of LED grow lights over the last couple years to use in my own grow labs.

I'm just trying to do my part to help -- by sharing my personal/grower experience in navigating the often dangerous waters of LED Grow Light brands and companies.
 

TshirtNinja

Well-Known Member
Couldn't help but notice this thread on the Blackstar LED. A couple of my patients recently got burned badly on LED grow light purchases. I wish they would have talked with me first. So... I think it's important to share what my experiences have been and what I've learned.

I've been using LED grow lights for almost two years now. The first LEDs I purchased were from eBay - three 90 watt UFO's using 1 watt Bridgelux bulbs. A few months later I purchased two more from eBay for a total of FIVE from three different vendors -- LED Wholesaler, Hydroponics Hut, and a ebay/store no longer in business. I did some flowering with them, but used those for vegging, mostly. See photo below:


After watching the technology progress and improve in these lights, I purchased three more UFO types - but using2 watt CREE bulbs, producing more LUX for better canopy penetration. Two of these I purchased from GOTHAM (for flowering, and touted as the 'Grow Boy Winner'), and one from Hydroponics Hut (6 band high output).

By the time I received the 3 new 90 watt lights, some of the original 90 watt UFO's had half of their LEDs go out. I still had the receipts, and followed the directions for contacting the various companies' customer support and service. One company it turns out had NO valid email or telephone number. The ONLY vendor that offered service or even replied BACK, for that matter, was Hydroponics Hut. By this time HydroponicsH had stopped selling the 1 watt Bridgelux-powered UFOs because of the problem I had - bad power supplies. But they instructed me to send the broken lights back to their repair center, and I did. About two weeks later, Fed Ex delivered the lights back to my doorstep, REPAIRED. At no charge. I put them back in service, and they are working today

Since then, I've purchased two more high output grow lights - from Hydroponic Hut - the Pro Grow 180 watt, and Pro Grow 550 watt. Photo below is the 550 watt - notice the two green button switches...


These lights are the only LED grow lights on the market that I know of that offer On/Off switchable spectrums. You can run just the vegging spectrum, or the flowering spectrum, or both spectrums at once. I LOVE this aspect, as I can take plants from seedling through vegging and flowering to finish -- in the same room using the same light. You can see the switches on the top of the 180 watt in photo below.
The lights (fans) are quiet for the size of these units. And, of course, when you're only using the vegging spectrums, or only using the flowering spectrums, the lights' power consumption drops to half of what it's full power rating is. For example, the 180 watt in photo on left would use 90 watts if just the vegging spectrum is turned on.

Since I actually purchased LED lights from several vendors now -- INCLUDING Gotham hydro (Victor likes to talk) -- I can say from experience that LED grow lights are NOT created equal and you DO need to do your due dilligence and THEN some. Some of these companies either don't know the first thing about LED techology OR they hope you don't OR both. These guys will say things that SOUND awesome. But...

You need to make sure you actually GET what you're being told you're paying for, and you need to be careful you're not being sold a bill of goods (ie: #anything much more than 2 watt (led/chipset) is not readily/fully absorbed by the plant. #There's no method to adequately cool 3 watt, 4 watt and higher chipsets so lights using them willl have a much shortened life expectancy. #More than 7 spectrums is also a waste because the light spectrums become so close together plants can't differentiate.)

Lights manufactured in China versus the US... I've not had good experiences with lights I've purchased that were 100% manufactured in China. China is famous for cutting corners and using substandard parts with less stringent control -- I would always opt for a 100% made in the USA light. But if part of the light came from China and part manufactured in US - know WHAT parts are from China as those will likely crap out on you and possibly not be warrantied or more difficult to get parts for.

Pay attention to these things AND check for warranty.

Here's a photo I've taken for a grow journal I'm doing right now using the 180 watt Pro Grow LED - Onyx, start to finish


For your nay-sayers and bomb throwers on the forum PLEASE NOTE that I am just an ordinary person who has been growing ganga for 35+ years (yeah, I'm an OLD woman :clap:)

I AM a licensed, certified medical marijuana grower in my state.

I am NOT affiliated in any way with ANY LED light company or vendor.

I am a customer/consumer who's purchased at least a couple $1000s worth of LED grow lights over the last couple years to use in my own grow labs.

I'm just trying to do my part to help -- by sharing my personal/grower experience in navigating the often dangerous waters of LED Grow Light brands and companies.
switchable spectrum is a poopoo gimick...... your cutting off half your lighting bro
 

MariJuanita

Well-Known Member
switchable spectrum is a poopoo gimick...... your cutting off half your lighting bro
Not so. If this were true, then why have lights specific for flowering and other lights specific for vegetation been such a mainstay for indoor cannabis grow opps... The ability to switch between either of these balanced light spectrums PLUS use both at the same time, with one and the same light, does NOT limit light or light spectrums -- it ENHANCES a grower's ability to utilize them across the varying growth phases. And a grower can do it without switching light fixtures or adding light fixtures -- Convenience, Efficiency.

Anyway, what I usually do with these Pro Grow LED grow lights is keep both flower and vegging spectrums turned ON up until the last few weeks of flowering (depending on the strain's time to complete flowering). For the ONYX grow, for instance, I have both spectrums on and won't switch to just the flowering spectrum till the last 2 1/2 - 3 weeks.
 

jdizzle22

Well-Known Member
Not so. If this were true, then why have lights specific for flowering and other lights specific for vegetation been such a mainstay for indoor cannabis grow opps... The ability to switch between either of these balanced light spectrums PLUS use both at the same time, with one and the same light, does NOT limit light or light spectrums -- it ENHANCES a grower's ability to utilize them across the varying growth phases. And a grower can do it without switching light fixtures or adding light fixtures -- Convenience, Efficiency.

Anyway, what I usually do with these Pro Grow LED grow lights is keep both flower and vegging spectrums turned ON up until the last few weeks of flowering (depending on the strain's time to complete flowering). For the ONYX grow, for instance, I have both spectrums on and won't switch to just the flowering spectrum till the last 2 1/2 - 3 weeks.
I don't think there is any reason to go with an LED that can 'switch' which lights it used. In general I think its best to have full spectrum LED panels just like I think most people might as well go pure HPS instead of MH/HPS (if it involves separate equipment besides bulbs)
 

Spuzzum

Well-Known Member
Here's the thing that really picks me about led "dealers".. misleading advertising.

240w Blackstar Ultra Violet LED Grow Light Cree 3 watt LED's

This is the 7th upgrade to the bestselling LED in the business. It's decendant was the original model that won the Growboys LED competition and was named "Best LED Growlight in the business" in September 2009. Since then, the LED's have been upgraded 6 times. It was the first grow light to use 425nm blue LED's and was also the first grow light to use 2 watt LED's.


The BLACKSTAR line uses 2w and 3w chipsets, delivering the most powerful LED's in the world. Penetration of the canopy is unmatched, we use a combination of 60deg LED's and 120deg LED's for the perfect ballance between penetrating power and coverage area.


There are now the optimum ballance of spectrums for flowering. The majority of the LED's are 630nm and 660nm but this light also has 730nm infrared, 380 Ultraviolet, 425nm deep blue, 450nm blue and 12,000k Cree white chipsets. This light can be used from start to finish during a grow but they are especially useful for flowering. Our grow tests and reviews from shops and customers tell us that due to the huge red wavelength concentration, flowering is induced several weeks earlier using this light. If you are looking for a light just to be used in Veg/Clone, take a look at our High Output series.

http://www.gothamhydroponics.com/grow-lights/gotham-hydro-led-grow-lights/blackstar-240w-led-grow-light-3w-cree.html
180w Lighthouse Blackstar LED Grow light 2w LED's


6 Band LED
Red LED: 630-660nm
Deep Spectrum Blue: 425nm
Ultraviolet: 380nm
Infrared: 730nm
HO White Cree: 12k

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280641425513&ssPageName=STRK:MEBOFFX:IT
If you watch the videos for the 180w model, the guy brags about how they use Cree led's. But when you look at which spectrums are being used... Cree doesn't make 660nm, 730nm, or 380nm. They do make the Cree White Ho's, 425nm, 450nm, and 630nm. But where's the 470nm?? It's one of the peaks needed ;).

And Cree doesn't make 2w diodes.. XP-E max out at 1.61W, and XR-C max's out at 1.68W.. those are the reds. XP-E whites and blues max out at 3.5W, and XP-G whites max out at 3.3W.

So, if you look at it again.. it's only "guaranteed" to have Cree Whites. Although they make the blues and 630nm red.. Cree's aren't cheap, so I highly doubt if they're included in a $200 - $300 panel. And as for the 180w ufo.. it only has 1 Cree White at that!

Misleading/false advertising.

THIS is what's screwing the led community, making people think they're crap. Why don't these guys just tell the f#'n truth?!

Same as ledgirl/guy/whatever, and his/her/it's "hydrogrowled".. google enough, and you'll find a rant about how "1w are better than 3w", and then he/she goes on to say that's all he/she uses in his/her product.. 1w. Yet.. look at the "pro" series.. he/she uses 3w!! Well.. wtf??

Crap like that is what's screwing this technology................




Cheers
 

yesum

Well-Known Member
You said it Spuzzum. We are the guinea pigs with this stuff. Like those Russian cosmonauts in early days.... I am having good luck with my HGL 1 watt units btw.
 
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