Sun Systems LEC 315 - Reviews?

Canadian4meds said:

Hello i am pretty new here just trying to set up my first grow and just have a quick question for you if you don't mind. I've watched a video on YouTube where someone grew under identical conditions with a LED (not cree cob's) a gavita and and a 315w cmh and the thc levels were tested at 18.9, 18.5, and 22.5 respectively. I was wondering if you have noticed any loss of thc under your cob led compared to the cmh? I think it has to do with the UV produced by the cmh. I am trying to set up a small grow for my own medical needs so I don't need need a huge yield, I'd prefer quality over quantity which light would you recommend for me?

YouTube video link

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I'd say the Sun System LEC315 3100K fixture is the best easiest thing to do.

It does depend on what size space you are trying to light up and your budget for new equipment. You can do nicely with 400W of HPS or even MH, or get a gavita 6/750 Flex in case you want a 4'x4' to yield. The quality would not be limited that much by that lighting. You really have to study your space and make sure you create a good environment/air quality, that's probably the number one thing you should worry about. Having said that, everyone seems to agree that the LEC315 3100K is what you want for quality over quantity. One 315 is perfect for a 3'x3' space and could do as much as 4'x4', depending. Not everyone needs rock-hard nuggets like you get from really drenching plants with light. In addition, since the LEC315 doesn't get too hot it's easier to work with and ensure good air quality, versus a hot HPS.

I'd buy the Sun System model because it's got the best Phillips ballast and Phillips bulb, it will give you the spectrum and brightness you want compared to cheaper units. If you want to save a little, get the SunSystem 315 Commercial fixture, but you'll need at least 240V power, they don't make a 120V model of that.

People claim to get impressive quality from good LED. I'd avoid most of the junk on the market. I'd check out Pacific Light Concepts, Northern Growlights, or tasty LED. It can get expensive up front, but promises energy savings, and no bulb replacement for the life of the fixture. It's also possible to do make your own fixture similar to the ones those guys sell, and get a lot for your money and your time. You could spend forever geeking out on RIU how to make a cob DIY fixture and you might not get what you want. The three companies LED companies I mentioned make good stuff, priced reasonably, just a bit more than if you built it yourself.

Still, I'd say that compared to the LEC315, a nice LED fixture wouldn't make a huge difference for a small personal grow, in terms of quality or yield or cost.

Thank you so much for your informative reply. That's exactly what I was looking for thank you. I am pretty much building my space around my lighting pick I'm looking at picking up 3 315w cmh, one for a 3x3 veg and 2 for maybe a 3x6 ish flower. I was going to go for the Phantom 315w unit to save a few bucks but i do see your point about a Phillips ballast paired with the Phillips bulb. I'm in canada and the Phantom goes for $600 reg on for $550 and the sun system I can find on sale for $750 so I will have to think about it some more. I agree about the LED also i worry about a pre fab unit but have no experience with putting together a cob system I'd have to spend a lot of time researching before I did that but if the juice would have been worth the squeeze I'd do it lol. Thanks again for taking the time to answer my question.

yeah the Sun System LEC315 are cheaper in the US. I edited my reply it has more info about LED you could use. I think the 315 is great for veg at the 4200K.

And I don't think you sacrifice a lot going with the Gavita 6/750 Flex, people get outstanding results with those. If you put one on a 3x6 you might want a light-mover.

SaltyNuts said:

And I don't think you sacrifice a lot going with the Gavita 6/750 Flex, people get outstanding results with those. If you put one on a 3x6 you might want a light-mover.

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Thanks for the info. I looked into the gavita but in the end i was worried about my 8ft ceilings being an issue as I read of people getting bleached tops from the intense light. And right now all I have is a 8 x 10 spare room I'm going to build my grow area around my light choice, whatever is optimal.

And you could just as well use a 400W MH to veg. Get the Hortilux Blue MH 400W and a decent digital ballast and you will be vegging like a boss.

Canadian4meds said:

Thanks for the info. I looked into the gavita but in the end i was worried about my 8ft ceilings being an issue as I read of people getting bleached tops from the intense light.

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yes that bleaching that can happen with a too-bright light source. If you use a mover it would probably be fine. You can also dial it down to 600W if your plants get too tall. Either way the main problem will be the heat it generates.

Canadian4meds said:

Hello i am pretty new here just trying to set up my first grow and just have a quick question for you if you don't mind. I've watched a video on YouTube where someone grew under identical conditions with a LED (not cree cob's) a gavita and and a 315w cmh and the thc levels were tested at 18.9, 18.5, and 22.5 respectively. I was wondering if you have noticed any loss of thc under your cob led compared to the cmh? I think it has to do with the UV produced by the cmh. I am trying to set up a small grow for my own medical needs so I don't need need a huge yield, I'd prefer quality over quantity which light would you recommend for me?

YouTube video link

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I haven't noticed any significant differences in potency running both, they both produce quality bud. I'm Canadian and haven't been able to get tests done, under the new med program you can get samples tested, going to get a hook up and do that with a few strains I'm running.

What I've seen is the COBs have a noticeable effect on terpenes when running the same strains under both, that's easy to pick out without testing. That I think gives them an edge in quality with what I've seen so far. Running a couple of more strains right now that I've run under 315's before to see if that's consistent.

As far as choosing between them I'd personally favour the COBs but that also has to do with space, I can run more or same COB wattage in the same space with less heat. Also gives me more height if I've over vegged or get a big stretcher, less overhead with the COBs and more forgiving. With the 315's I can run 2 maximum in a specific config/footprint, the COBs give me some flexibility to run any size footprint with the 100w/150w bar format and run just the wattage I need at that time. Mid winter I'll likely run both for some extra heat from the LEC's, right now the COBs keep me dialed in.

Thanks a lot for your reply I appreciate it. I am also canadian and that new med program is what bring me here today now that me and the wife can finally legally grow for ourselves. In the video prior to the one I posted while still flowering he actually talked about how much better the terpene development was with the led he had. 3 people were there and all were blown away by the terpenes and could tell the difference just smelling one under the cmh and the other under the led. I might go with cmh just out of simplicity there's so many variables with diy leds and i do not have the know how without lots of research. By the sounds of the responses I don't think I'll be disappointed. thanks again for taking the time to help!

YouTube video link. They talk about the terpenes around 14:20

I'm sure the LEC315 will kick plenty of ass for you! People do praise the LED for terps. If you want help picking out some prebuilt LED lights or making your own, I've been looking into it and would be happy to share what I know. The new cobs are hitting the market and it's getting pretty affordable to make your own LED fixture, competative with LEC315 at US prices.

SaltyNuts said:

I'm sure the LEC315 will kick plenty of ass for you! People do praise the LED for terps. If you want help picking out some prebuilt LED lights or making your own, I've been looking into it and would be happy to share what I know. The new cobs are hitting the market and it's getting pretty affordable to make your own LED fixture, competative with LEC315 at US prices.

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Hey thanks a lot that is awesome of you. I'm still a little scared to do a diy setup but I'd be interested to hear your recommendations on pre fab units.

check these out:
http://www.pacificlightconcepts.com/product/cxp-420/

SaltyNuts said:

check these out:
http://www.pacificlightconcepts.com/product/cxp-420/

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That's not a bad price for that at all. Just wondering how much do you think it would cost for for a diy version of that? 799 usd still converts to $1050 canadian which is about 500 more then the cmh fixture I'm not sure if I'm ready for that kind of investment or not. ... just out of curiosity how do you think of the solarsystem 550 by California light works which apparently has some UV spectrum would hold up against the PLC cxp 420? They are the same price and both around a 400w draw but the solarsystem uses Osram LED? not sure what that is. Link for solarsystem 550
https://californialightworks.com/product/solar-system-550/

Canadian4meds said:

Thanks a lot for your reply I appreciate it. I am also canadian and that new med program is what bring me here today now that me and the wife can finally legally grow for ourselves. In the video prior to the one I posted while still flowering he actually talked about how much better the terpene development was with the led he had. 3 people were there and all were blown away by the terpenes and could tell the difference just smelling one under the cmh and the other under the led. I might go with cmh just out of simplicity there's so many variables with diy leds and i do not have the know how without lots of research. By the sounds of the responses I don't think I'll be disappointed. thanks again for taking the time to help!

YouTube video link. They talk about the terpenes around 14:20

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Yeah you really can't go wrong with these. I went with them about 2 1/2 years ago as I needed something better to flower with and COBs weren't quite there yet. No regrets here and I'm sure i'll be running them through mid winters for the extra bit of heat they put out. it's a good option for getting started as they produce well, produce very good quality and are basically plug & play, 15 minutes out of the box and running. PM me if your pricing gets out of hand, I bought them from the US as there was only one source I found in Canada and they wanted $700+ taxes/shipping each, even with exchange (first one was great because we were at par) it was cheaper to buy them, got some from growershouse.com and bghydro.com as they had the best prices at the time for the Sun Systems 315's. 220/240v units are a bit cheaper and draw less if you have 220/240v available for your room. Cheers.

GroErr said:

Yeah you really can't go wrong with these. I went with them about 2 1/2 years ago as I needed something better to flower with and COBs weren't quite there yet. No regrets here and I'm sure i'll be running them through mid winters for the extra bit of heat they put out. it's a good option for getting started as they produce well, produce very good quality and are basically plug & play, 15 minutes out of the box and running. PM me if your pricing gets out of hand, I bought them from the US as there was only one source I found in Canada and they wanted $700+ taxes/shipping each, even with exchange (first one was great because we were at par) it was cheaper to buy them, got some from growershouse.com and bghydro.com as they had the best prices at the time for the Sun Systems 315's. 220/240v units are a bit cheaper and draw less if you have 220/240v available for your room. Cheers.

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Thanks for all the great info. I'm thinking I'm probably going with the cmh for now but I may look into maybe adding some cree cob led supplemental lighting later on then maybe maybe a full switch. Right now I'm paying over $7000 a year at medical dispensaries on medication so after I start getting some harvest I'll be in a better financial situation. Thanks again for sharing your hands on experience.

Canadian4meds said:

Thanks for all the great info. I'm thinking I'm probably going with the cmh for now but I may look into maybe adding some cree cob led supplemental lighting later on then maybe maybe a full switch. Right now I'm paying over $7000 a year at medical dispensaries on medication so after I start getting some harvest I'll be in a better financial situation. Thanks again for sharing your hands on experience.

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No problem, good luck. You can save yourself all that cash + some. I run about 20 sq. ft of veg and up to 32 sq. ft. of flowering in 2 tents, a room and a cabinet for ~$200-$250/month all-in. That generates way more bud, sift, edibles, and seeds than I can consume on my own. Well worth the effort and a great hobby

Agreed, the LEC315 is still the most economical and easiest way to go when shooting for premium quality.

As far as the LED thoughts and in answer to your question, I don't know anything about the SolarSystem 550, except what it says. I like that it can be used in a greenhouse, and the remote controller, and they can be networked, pretty cool. Notably, the cob-based LED fixtures exist because it's an easier way for a small company or individual to gain entry into the market, mid-tier. That Pacific Light Concepts is the shining example. Their fixtures are the coolest designs in that market segment. The cost is about 25%-50% more than DIY, depending on your area and parts prices. Reasonable, and good value for the ease of installation and dope design.

Canadian4meds said:

Thanks a lot for your reply I appreciate it. I am also canadian and that new med program is what bring me here today now that me and the wife can finally legally grow for ourselves. In the video prior to the one I posted while still flowering he actually talked about how much better the terpene development was with the led he had. 3 people were there and all were blown away by the terpenes and could tell the difference just smelling one under the cmh and the other under the led. I might go with cmh just out of simplicity there's so many variables with diy leds and i do not have the know how without lots of research. By the sounds of the responses I don't think I'll be disappointed. thanks again for taking the time to help!

YouTube video link. They talk about the terpenes around 14:20

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That guy is a pathetic grower, I could harvest everything he harvested under 1 gavita and he used like 10 lights, just look how shitty those plants look super small and spindly, I wouldn't bother even paying attention to those noobs until they learn to grow.

Yodaweed said:

That guy is a pathetic grower, I could harvest everything he harvested under 1 gavita and he used like 10 lights, just look how shitty those plants look super small and spindly, I wouldn't bother even paying attention to those noobs until they learn to grow.

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it's not a very impressive looking grow, and the video is not very informative. I wouldn't draw any conclusions from these three guys stony subjective senses from one lit corner of one growroom once.Good or bad.

GroErr said:

No problem, good luck. You can save yourself all that cash + some. I run about 20 sq. ft of veg and up to 32 sq. ft. of flowering in 2 tents, a room and a cabinet for ~$200-$250/month all-in. That generates way more bud, sift, edibles, and seeds than I can consume on my own. Well worth the effort and a great hobby

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How many 315's in veg and how many in flower? I'm guessing one in veg 4x5, and two in flower 4x8?