315 cmh vs led

gr865

Well-Known Member
As my grows have progressed the lamps used, 400W HPS, Cal Lightworks SS400, (in a DIY 4X2.5 grow box. Switched to a 4 x 4 tent and continued the progression, Nanolux 315W CMH, a combo of the SS400 and the 315W CMH, and now I run two Nanolux 315W CMH NA's. I run both vertical and horizontal grows with these two lamps.
What I really like about these lamps is that I can remove the ballast and run them remote outside of my tent. This really reduces the heat in the tent. I had one ballast, after three grows, take a dump on me, took it back to my Hydro guy, he gave me a loaner, called the Co. and had one shipped right away. I lost no light period.
Another nice thing is the heat produced by the ballast. When that one lamp died and was supplied with a loaner, don't remember the name of the loaner, but the first night I ran that lamp I opened the door to the room where the ballast are it was hot in there. I got my laser thermometer and the temp of the Nanolux was 100 F and the loaner was 170 F. Both ballast are in the same room as the tent but the heat never really bothered me before. It did not affect the temps in the tent as I draw intake air from a different room and exhaust into a third room.
When I received the new ballast I returned the loaner to my Hydro guy and told him about the heat difference. After hooking the new ballast and running it for the night I checked the temp of the old Nanolux, 100 F and then check the temp of the new Nanolux, 80F.
This is not a review, just my opinion based on my growing experience, but I am very pleased with my lamps.

Vertical bare bulb grow
20181219_091104.jpg

Horizontal under two Nanolux hoods.
20190226_212031.jpg
 

Norml56

Well-Known Member
As my grows have progressed the lamps used, 400W HPS, Cal Lightworks SS400, (in a DIY 4X2.5 grow box. Switched to a 4 x 4 tent and continued the progression, Nanolux 315W CMH, a combo of the SS400 and the 315W CMH, and now I run two Nanolux 315W CMH NA's. I run both vertical and horizontal grows with these two lamps.
What I really like about these lamps is that I can remove the ballast and run them remote outside of my tent. This really reduces the heat in the tent. I had one ballast, after three grows, take a dump on me, took it back to my Hydro guy, he gave me a loaner, called the Co. and had one shipped right away. I lost no light period.
Another nice thing is the heat produced by the ballast. When that one lamp died and was supplied with a loaner, don't remember the name of the loaner, but the first night I ran that lamp I opened the door to the room where the ballast are it was hot in there. I got my laser thermometer and the temp of the Nanolux was 100 F and the loaner was 170 F. Both ballast are in the same room as the tent but the heat never really bothered me before. It did not affect the temps in the tent as I draw intake air from a different room and exhaust into a third room.
When I received the new ballast I returned the loaner to my Hydro guy and told him about the heat difference. After hooking the new ballast and running it for the night I checked the temp of the old Nanolux, 100 F and then check the temp of the new Nanolux, 80F.
This is not a review, just my opinion based on my growing experience, but I am very pleased with my lamps.

Vertical bare bulb grow
View attachment 4842892

Horizontal under two Nanolux hoods.
View attachment 4842891
woah! there are decent-looking buds at the bottom of that plant. which is literally impossible with CMH. this is fake news ;);)
 

DukeFluke

Well-Known Member
But now my instanity kicks in.
he is using 80 cri, wouldnt 90 be better. There are allegedly 99cri available. Do your lights have reds in the mix, or just straight.
I've got a mix of 90cri and 80 bud. I think it's like 50/50 or so. I think the 2700K I'm putting in in place of the 4000 are 90.

To help with your OCD and indecision, think of it like this, whatever light you get now will be a barometer. No light will ever be the perfect light and Led is always evolving. It's also possible to swap around and change your strips in the future. You could take your 80 CRI 3000s off after one grow, stick them on another aluminium frame with a 240w driver, use it as a clone and veg light and replace with some 90CRI 2700K and see how that compares to previous grows, or you can add in some different colour temps on separate drivers. It's really flexible as fuck.

As far as potency goes nothing's going to beat genetics and a healthy plant. You can't take a clone from a bog standard mum and turn it into something super medicinal because you grow it under a different light. Finding your keeper is the key to getting the effects you want from your plant and that's got nothing to do with lights so disregard it from the equation.

What I really like about these lamps is that I can remove the ballast and run them remote outside of my tent. This really reduces the heat in the tent. I had one ballast, after three grows, take a dump on me, took it back to my Hydro guy, he gave me a loaner, called the Co. and had one shipped right away. I lost no light period
Just a quick fyi, you can run your LED drivers in or out of the tent, and

Digikey ships from the US to UK in 24-48hrs. It's a great service.

You can also interchange your drivers with LED as long as they're the same voltage, and they're cheap enough to have one spare. There's a lot of flexibility to LED fixtures with the dimming as well. You can have yourself a square metre clone light and adjust it right through til flower.
 

rkymtnman

Well-Known Member
As my grows have progressed the lamps used, 400W HPS, Cal Lightworks SS400, (in a DIY 4X2.5 grow box. Switched to a 4 x 4 tent and continued the progression, Nanolux 315W CMH, a combo of the SS400 and the 315W CMH, and now I run two Nanolux 315W CMH NA's. I run both vertical and horizontal grows with these two lamps.
What I really like about these lamps is that I can remove the ballast and run them remote outside of my tent. This really reduces the heat in the tent. I had one ballast, after three grows, take a dump on me, took it back to my Hydro guy, he gave me a loaner, called the Co. and had one shipped right away. I lost no light period.
Another nice thing is the heat produced by the ballast. When that one lamp died and was supplied with a loaner, don't remember the name of the loaner, but the first night I ran that lamp I opened the door to the room where the ballast are it was hot in there. I got my laser thermometer and the temp of the Nanolux was 100 F and the loaner was 170 F. Both ballast are in the same room as the tent but the heat never really bothered me before. It did not affect the temps in the tent as I draw intake air from a different room and exhaust into a third room.
When I received the new ballast I returned the loaner to my Hydro guy and told him about the heat difference. After hooking the new ballast and running it for the night I checked the temp of the old Nanolux, 100 F and then check the temp of the new Nanolux, 80F.
This is not a review, just my opinion based on my growing experience, but I am very pleased with my lamps.

Vertical bare bulb grow
View attachment 4842892

Horizontal under two Nanolux hoods.
View attachment 4842891
bare bulb vert!!! nice work GR
 

rkymtnman

Well-Known Member
I've got a mix of 90cri and 80 bud. I think it's like 50/50 or so. I think the 2700K I'm putting in in place of the 4000 are 90.

To help with your OCD and indecision, think of it like this, whatever light you get now will be a barometer. No light will ever be the perfect light and Led is always evolving. It's also possible to swap around and change your strips in the future. You could take your 80 CRI 3000s off after one grow, stick them on another aluminium frame with a 240w driver, use it as a clone and veg light and replace with some 90CRI 2700K and see how that compares to previous grows, or you can add in some different colour temps on separate drivers. It's really flexible as fuck.

As far as potency goes nothing's going to beat genetics and a healthy plant. You can't take a clone from a bog standard mum and turn it into something super medicinal because you grow it under a different light. Finding your keeper is the key to getting the effects you want from your plant and that's got nothing to do with lights so disregard it from the equation.


Just a quick fyi, you can run your LED drivers in or out of the tent, and

Digikey ships from the US to UK in 24-48hrs. It's a great service.

You can also interchange your drivers with LED as long as they're the same voltage, and they're cheap enough to have one spare. There's a lot of flexibility to LED fixtures with the dimming as well. You can have yourself a square metre clone light and adjust it right through til flower.
you are making one huge assumption: that these guys or girls are able to deal with electricity. sometimes pre-built is worth the cost.
 

DukeFluke

Well-Known Member
woah! there are decent-looking buds at the bottom of that plant. which is literally impossible with CMH. this is fake news ;);)
Now now bollocks.. That's a vertical grow. Check yoself fool.

I've grown vertical a couple of times... I'm not gonna open that can of worms.
 

DukeFluke

Well-Known Member
you are making one huge assumption: that these guys or girls are able to deal with electricity. sometimes pre-built is worth the cost.
Then buy pre built. The only thing I'm assuming is they can do what I did - build an LED light with no previous experience of doing anything even similar. I'm only assuming that because anyone who wants it will have one to one guidance from more than one person on here. They'll tell you where to put every single wire and screw. It's a fantastic service, and it's free.

Edit: but you do raise a good point. If you're in doubt, just buy a kingbrite strip light and run that. Based on every grow I've seen under them you'll be more than happy.
 

rkymtnman

Well-Known Member
Then buy pre built. The only thing I'm assuming is they can do what I did - build an LED light with no previous experience of doing anything even similar. I'm only assuming that because anyone who wants it will have one to one guidance from more than one person on here. They'll tell you where to put every single wire and screw. It's a fantastic service, and it's free.

Edit: but you do raise a good point. If you're in doubt buy a kingbrite strip light and run that. Based on every grow I've seen under them you'll be more than happy.
i agree but DC amps in the wrong hands "can" kill somebody. carry on.
 

DukeFluke

Well-Known Member
Building is not for everyone.
It's definitely not. And if you don't want to do it, you've got loads of cheap options for Led strips these days so it's no biggie. But don't be put off by scare stories by people like him above. It's the choice of any grown man whether he trusts himself to wire up a plug, or change a light bulb. If Rikky wants to call in Mr Miyagi cause his fuckin toast won't pop before it's the wrong side of brown, that's fair enough.

If, like him, you think you'll fry your dick attempting the high stakes gamble of putting a positive wire one end of a strip and a negative the other, or you don't trust your IQ to handle the task of putting the right colour wires in the right place in the plug whilst being personally guided through the entire process, then for sure steer the fuck clear of this space age shit. Or if you just don't have the time, buy a Kingbrite, they're cheap enough.
Whatever you do, go for it and let us know how you get on
 

Norml56

Well-Known Member
Now now bollocks.. That's a vertical grow. Check yoself fool.

I've grown vertical a couple of times... I'm not gonna open that can of worms.
mmmm vertical bare bulbs now we're talkin. lol, I'm just stirring the pot because this thread has gone so sideways and I have a good buzz going.
 

Montanan

Member
It's definitely not. And if you don't want to do it, you've got loads of cheap options for Led strips these days so it's no biggie. But don't be put off by scare stories by people like him above. It's the choice of any grown man whether he trusts himself to wire up a plug, or change a light bulb. If Rikky wants to call in Mr Miyagi cause his fuckin toast won't pop before it's the wrong side of brown, that's fair enough.

If, like him, you think you'll fry your dick attempting the high stakes gamble of putting a positive wire one end of a strip and a negative the other, or you don't trust your IQ to handle the task of putting the right colour wires in the right place in the plug whilst being personally guided through the entire process, then for sure steer the fuck clear of this space age shit. Or if you just don't have the time, buy a Kingbrite, they're cheap enough.
Whatever you do, go for it and let us know how you get on
So, I know your shy about sharing your opinions, but just this once.. What, to you knowledge is the finest led on the market?
Osram? Samsung? Cree? Those are the only ones I can name.
PS: Over the years I have lost 3 men to the coroner from jobsite misshaps. Misshap is a kinder word that stupidiy.
 

gr865

Well-Known Member
He must work for the government, seems to know know what is best for you and your grow! I for one am damn impressed! :)
 

DukeFluke

Well-Known Member
So, I know your shy about sharing your opinions, but just this once.. What, to you knowledge is the finest led on the market?
Osram? Samsung? Cree? Those are the only ones I can name.
PS: Over the years I have lost 3 men to the coroner from jobsite misshaps. Misshap is a kinder word that stupidiy.
Don't over think it. There are people more up to speed than me regarding the technology and what's on the horizon.

As far as the dangers of electricity, you can parallel that with the dangers of growing weed indoors inside tents. It's a personal choice, like growing and smoking weed. Be careful, check everything twice, ask lots of questions. Post pictures and get help and you'll be fine. If you're in doubt, leave it and get a cheap strip pre built.
 
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