Led PAR reflection test

Alrighty then, first post, coming from the other side of the pond (there is my excuse for any spelling errors), where we started this whole lets make weed somewhat legal craze

This is a simple PAR test i did to test some cheap alternatives to the more expensive reflective diamond mylar or whatever they call it. I am working on a grow room and dont have (or want to spend) the budget for these marked up pieces of foil (i might completely change my mind when i get my hands on it and see the difference..)

The PAR meter is a SenEye, something i use for my saltwater aquarium. They are supposedly quite good, considering the price, compared to more professional meters. Also, this test is just about the difference between materials, so i guess a rubbish meter would work as well.

This is just to share my experience, dont take anything i say or show too seriously. Most info here might already be known to most. Just wanted to test some stuff for personal use, share it on here, and make my first post something more elaborate than the standard introduction. If you dont agree with my rigorous testing methods, and elaborate laboratory setup, ill start a gofundme, so i can get some better materials. I wont spend it on beer, promised!

Here is the light, i think its a 10w china special super powerfull 128723 lumen Mega watchtower edition.


Ive put it inside a cabinet in the garage with the sensor underneath, where it wont receive any direct light. The white plate is aluminium with a white coating. All the tested materials will be taped on this thing.


Results:


Then i cleaned the sheet, to see the difference with and without a dirty surface.


Result with clean alu sheet material, no real difference, so not worth my time in the future i guess


Then some underfloor insulation that is used for laminate floors. Got it for 1 dollar a m2.


Result with insulation alu foam stuff, big difference with the white sheet.


Then some alu wrapping paper i found at the dollar store, its very shiny, and a bit thicker than alu/tin foil so it wont crease as fast.




Results with alu wrapping paper, not bad, but the floor stuff is slightly better.


Then regular tin foil (we call this aluminium foil, as i believe thats whats its made of dull side first:




Then the shiny side.


Both are not bad, but read till the end...


After that a piece i cut out of a grow tent, this is made for one purpose so it must be good right?


Not really, same as all the other white stuff basically..


And last but not least, standard black and white foil.


Ok maybe it is last and least after all



Continued in the next post due to pic limit.

Next up on the microphone: some thicker paper/cardboard with a matte white coating that builders use to protect the floor. We call it stucloper, but you have no idea what that means i guess, somebody will know what im on about...


Nothing special compared to the aluminium options.


Next up in the ring: some white thick foil i had laying around. Its has a matte finish, and some sort of dimples. No idea whats its used for or where it came from, found it, so tested it.




And the results, better than the grow tent. A matte finish seems to outperform the shiny white options, i guess they use the shiny white in the tents because it cleans easier?




So in the end, the underfloor insulation performed the best. Tin foil will do a pretty good job but as soon as there is a crease it will create a hotspot and burn some sh%t. Ive tested multiple times and got vastly different readings, sometimes 180% of the original test. Also i think it will oxidize, tear etc. Basically not a real option.

Everything white will do the job, matte is better than shiny, but 800 vs 1200 lux for the alu options is a 50% difference, and thats with cheap materials. So im never using white again.

The wrapping paper (which looks an awful lot like mylar to me) performs quite well and is cheap as chips, i payed around 30 cents a m2. But i still get better result from the floor insulation, and that has the advantage of...insulation! It will block some sound and heat, which might be useful in certain situations.

Hope this is of help to anyone, or is at least somewhat interesting

Pretty cool light meter. I like how it shows the spectrum.

Very cool test. I used a fire saftey /emergency blanket (that’s what we call it in Canada anyways) in my grow cabinet. It’s made of Mylar and it is relitivly cheap.

Not the exact one but very similar https://www.canadiansafetysupplies.com/Emergency-Mylar-Rescue-Blanket-p/350001.htm?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIiK242smF4AIVTb7ACh2vSAewEAQYBSABEgLkTvD_BwE

Would be interested to see how it stands up against the others

Cheers! And happy growing