Box lights (Cheap lights) - Real Expectations

For those considering cheap box lights from amaz. - here's something you may want to see.
These lights get bashed a lot - for a lot of good reasons.
BUT - most of them grow plants - some of them well.

Summary of below - if you're planning on buying one of these based on price - consider that you will most likely need more than one.

I'd read enough to have pretty low expectations about these lights, but the Vipar was what my covid budget allowed - and I wasn't (quite) let down.
Viparspectra VA-1200 dimmable.
My grow mentor came over to check out my setup - "Come over to my place tomorrow, your gonna need a more." (2)
Those three lights have worked well up to now - starting week 4 of flower.
He looked again the other day and lent me a bar.

I now have a very pretty, very unevenly lit tent. --- IF I continued with the Vipar 1200 (265w true); I would want 4-6 in my 4x4. (I'm not)

Vipar Va-1200 Dimmable - VERY bright and grows well in a pretty narrow cone - would cover a 2x2 imho. Dimmers at 100% since week 2 veg - pointless.
(usual irritating marketing - "lights a 4x4 tent" and featuring a square PAR map for this rectangular light. They DO have 265w true listed.
White boxes (2) - loaner units, both are supposed to be 300w, but the left side is considerably dimmer, but less red. The right side might actually be 300w.
Bar is a White Rose - loaner - I know very little about this, but noticed it has lime green diodes listed in their mix. It was hung yesterday, so I have no comment other than having to hang it lower to the canopy. I think I'll like it.

Here's my tent in it's full rainbow glory! Depending on how the bar performs, I may scoop 4-6 of them for the next run. The Vip will go in a veg tent.

Sorry for the long post - I just hope that it spurs other newbs like me to do their own due diligence.

You can get a 240w Chinese quantum for 150

Gemtree said:

You can get a 240w Chinese quantum for 150

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That's the other option - just make a ceiling of them and hang em low.

Lockedin said:

That's the other option - just make a ceiling of them and hang em low.

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You’d just need 2 240w lights. That’d be more than enough for a 4x4 area. With new QBs, I think 30w/ft^2 is pleeenty.

That said I run an older 2017 blurple Mars “600w” because I already have it. It’s produced some Very solid plants over the years. Many harvests of jalapeños and Thai chilis.

Cinco said:

You’d just need 2 240w lights. That’d be more than enough for a 4x4 area. With new QBs, I think 30w/ft^2 is pleeenty.

That said I run an older 2017 blurple Mars “600w” because I already have it. It’s produced some Very solid plants over the years. Many harvests of jalapeños and Thai chilis.

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That's my point about these lights - (Some of) these lights grow great plants! The dishonest advertising and misleading claims lead to frustration, but the units themselves often perform well if you maintain realistic expectations. Everyone has their own budget for this hobby - some like me bought in cheap to see if it's worth investing as much as I do in other hobbies.

For me, I'm blessed to have a friend on a different grow cycle than me - he doesn't need the loaner lights back for another month.
But following this grow, I feel I have a better grasp of my upgrade wants / needs thanks to my experience with cheap lights.
The Viparspectra will be getting it's own 2x2 veg tent.

To be honest ... your setup is clean and your light placement covers very well. Your setup also will give you some insight on bars vs. Panels ..... I’m thinking that bar light will show better flowers.

And if so .... I would say adding more of those .

Lockedin said:

That's my point about these lights - (Some of) these lights grow great plants! The dishonest advertising and misleading claims lead to frustration, but the units themselves often perform well if you maintain realistic expectations.

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Agreed completely. I think it seems like the advertising and specs are at least coming around now, even the otherwise sketchy companies are listing actual watts and framing it as a benefit (only 200 watts consumed.

It’s just older tech... When I bought the light 3 years ago, it was well reviewed. Now all blurple lights are called trash, but plenty of us out there have pulled pounds from them in the period between “sweet new light” and “shitty blurple”.

I’d buy something else for my money now (like you said). But can’t complain when the results are there.

Budzbuddha said:

To be honest ... your setup is clean and your light placement covers very well. Your setup also will give you some insight on bars vs. Panels ..... I’m thinking that bar light will show better flowers.

And if so .... I would say adding more of those .

Click to expand...

Thanks! - Depending on results, that is the plan (my buddy had a really nice grow with it!)
Looks like I accidentally ended up doing a bar vs burples comparison grow! lol

I think this is a more realistic picture of cheap light's performance.

I now have 5 "cheap" lights in the tent - every light in the top row will tell you that it will flower in a 4x4.....
The white boxes go around $80-$100 USD - The Vip was $140, the bar is just over $100.
Lowest cost would be roughly $600 --- just about the price of a "good" light.

The bar is a Carambola White Rose, 105w. I'm considering 6 of these for the next run. (but they also make qbs - decisions....)

Interesting to note that despite having 4 lights, the back of the tent appears slightly dimmer --- I think my phone's sensor may be responsible for this; deep reds and blues are tougher for CMOS sensors to capture than white/green; filtering to B&W exacerbates that effect.


***Yes, I noticed and tightened up the fan strap - then tied a safety knot below the buckle.