Might also want to check out Blue Planet Nutrients. A sponsor here and the owner is VERY active on these forums giving support and education in growing our plants. Really priced right too. I love them and have had great results. Blue Planet Nutrients
Stevehman's LED Buyer's Guide
- Thread starter SteveHman
- Start date
I'm trying to decide on a third LED light, I have two Advanced LEDs. My closet space is 2'x6'x8' of which I use 1/2 for plants. The light I want has a 3' x 3' core which is what prompts my question; Is it a waste to have a light that has core coverage larger than my space, in this instance 50% wider than I need. I can easily go a little longer in my space but my width is restricted by walls. Assuming I get another light I would use the two lights I currently have somewhere else.
I want to increase my watts/ square foot .... Would I be better off getting a smaller light and using that along w/ my others to get a light that fits the width better ?
I want to increase my watts/ square foot .... Would I be better off getting a smaller light and using that along w/ my others to get a light that fits the width better ?
If it fits in the space and you use reflective walls, you won't be wasting light with the light having a larger core coverage. You will increase yield. Not such a bad thing right?
That was my initial thought but then I read that Reflected LED light was very weak compared to direct LED light ... Would you recomend Mylar or Diamond surfaced Mylar for the walls ?
Any reflection is more.
Personally I don't have any experience with them since I use a tent with reflective walls and have panda film for anything else. But I would think diamond mylar has much less chance of hotspots. Though with led I wouldnt think that be an issue either.
Personally I don't have any experience with them since I use a tent with reflective walls and have panda film for anything else. But I would think diamond mylar has much less chance of hotspots. Though with led I wouldnt think that be an issue either.
millstb1
New Member
Hello ....
I just joined the 420 grow club forum and got to this thread. I've done a bit of research on the LED's currently discussed in this thread. I was heading in the Advanced LED direction but kept on looking asnd found these units sold and sourced by Gotham Hydroponices. I'm looking at a 270 watt ( 90 3 W LEDs - probably 200 - 210 watt draw) It's a 6 band ( 425, 460, 630, 660, 680 and 12000K white) ...
Here's my own grow journal; still in the seedling stage.
Milz' Incredible
cheers milzzzzzzzzzzzz
I just joined the 420 grow club forum and got to this thread. I've done a bit of research on the LED's currently discussed in this thread. I was heading in the Advanced LED direction but kept on looking asnd found these units sold and sourced by Gotham Hydroponices. I'm looking at a 270 watt ( 90 3 W LEDs - probably 200 - 210 watt draw) It's a 6 band ( 425, 460, 630, 660, 680 and 12000K white) ...
Here's my own grow journal; still in the seedling stage.
Milz' Incredible
cheers milzzzzzzzzzzzz
SGL D
New Member
Mack daddy thread full of great info on LEDs, I'm glad I stumbled on to it 
Personally I wouldn't touch them with a 10 foot pole. Most importantly however is to know the area, type of grow you're going to do, budget obviously, and then figure roughly the min-,ax amount of watts you want to cover that area. Then I'd look at lights fitting those needs. I still like my Grow Stealth LED 600w pro-bloom. But I also have to adjust my methods to get full use of it.
2001vettez06
New Member
Hi Borg, sorry I don't read the forums too often, and I'm a bit paranoid to post who grow journals at this time. Anyway, I've had 2 complete runs with the original Area51 lights I purchased early this year. Only having the Blackstars and T5's to compare to I cannot say how they compare to other good brand LED's ie Advanced, Grow Stealth etc... What I can tell u is I invested alot more $ into some new products they have, the AF600's, I got 2. Jeff, and I assume the other's are constantly testing new spektrums and ratios. You can customize how you like, but they will recommend what they feel is best, and let u decide what you want.... Mine work very well, at least the old ones, and the new ones are getting put to the test right now setting up a run... Although poorly on my part lol...
From what I'm told, they used the same cases supplier E-shine and Advanced used, in their original lights. They have moved from those as that case design is no longer offered through that manufacturer
They are NOT made at the E-shine factory, and per what I'm told and I do believe them, they use higher quality drivers, LED's etc... They are upfront and honest, at least that is my impression from talking with them on the phone, and seeing/using the product and I've taken them apart too to investigate build quality, I'm convinced they are a good quality product for the $.... Are the the absolute best, I wouldn't go that far. Are they comparable to Advanced and GS etc... I can't say for sure, but my impression is they are, with a better warranty(assuming they don't flake out as a company) and cheaper price vs competitors.
I called and talked to all the companies. I'll be honest, I got some shady impressions from some of them. Snake oil type sales pitches and evasive answers to questions I posed. Advertisements listing US LED chips when later proved to be China LED's etc... That said, they obviously work well and many happy customers. Grow stealth was my next choice as he seemed legit and honest too. Maybe whomever I talked to at Advanced and I just didn't click for w/e reason, but I didn't get a good vibe from him. HOWEVER, I cannot say anything bad about their performance as there are ALOT of grow journals using them and they WORK WELL. My reason for choosing another company came down to pricing and what I felt I was getting from an informational/support, and bang for the $ standpoint. For me it was like getting Advanced type performance(or so I hoped lol) with Blackstar pricing.
Blackstars work, but feel cheap and fragile compared to the Area51's and the spektrum difference is very evident. I'd LOVE to have tons of free time and $ to do comparison grows, b/c I could very well be wrong about the Area51's being as good as the Advanced and GS lights... Personally, I doubt it, but again w/out testing them side by side in a controlled environment it's all speculation based off of specs, information, and gut feeling...
I'll try to get a journal going with my new setup. 2x AF600's in a 4x8 tent(each draw 551w per my meter--supposed to be closer to 595W so I'm a bit down there :/) I also have 2 of my older lights, for reference I had 2 x AF100(3w x100 diodes) draws about 185w true power, and 2x AF150's -draws @260-280 from what I recall; those drew at or slightly above what was quoted to me at the time of purchase. I think I have pics somewhere I posted with my power meter, but I'm too lazy to look for those right now. Anyway, the 2 smaller lights are now in a 2x4 tent with a SOG setup as I'm trying to learn that method on top of learning to grow in general as I'm still super new at this...
Steve/Bassman,,, sorry I don't mean to step on your toes... I'm not trying to bash other products and if I came off as such I apologize. I'm just trying to give my rationale for my choice as to how I personally saw things at purchase time....
Peace!
CascadianDank
New Member
I just received my 300W Quantum LED Grow Light | Grow Stealth LED | 3W LED Grow Lights if anyone is interested you can follow along here
RV Shower Multi Strain 300w LED Organic Grow
The link will take you straight to the new lights arrival but there is 8 pages before It got here too. I ordered this light because it is from a sponsor and due to space requirements I felt it was the best option for me rather than HPS and cooling equipment which would have cost close to the same amount but also would have put more draw on my single 30amp breaker.
I did have some issues with my order which I chalk up to sometimes shit happens and its nobodies fault. The guy at Grow Stealth took care of the problem and a light made it here although it isnt the probloom one I ordered which somehow disappeared or went to someone else. I am supposed to be refunded the 100$ difference but havent been yet
*EDIT*
I forgot to mention that when I ordered I was expecting my light to come from Michigan where the website says Grow Stealth is located. The ProBloom was shipped from China and never arrived I was given a tracking number but it was someone elses tracking number. The light I did receive was shipped from Pennsylvania.
RV Shower Multi Strain 300w LED Organic Grow
The link will take you straight to the new lights arrival but there is 8 pages before It got here too. I ordered this light because it is from a sponsor and due to space requirements I felt it was the best option for me rather than HPS and cooling equipment which would have cost close to the same amount but also would have put more draw on my single 30amp breaker.
I did have some issues with my order which I chalk up to sometimes shit happens and its nobodies fault. The guy at Grow Stealth took care of the problem and a light made it here although it isnt the probloom one I ordered which somehow disappeared or went to someone else. I am supposed to be refunded the 100$ difference but havent been yet
*EDIT*
I forgot to mention that when I ordered I was expecting my light to come from Michigan where the website says Grow Stealth is located. The ProBloom was shipped from China and never arrived I was given a tracking number but it was someone elses tracking number. The light I did receive was shipped from Pennsylvania.
Penn is where they normally come from.
Perfect Sun LED
Well-Known Member
Great post. I decided to get all ballsy and order a 300 watt, true 3watt diodes, from Ebay. The company seems reliable. They are the actual manufacturer, researchers of their product line, so you get a huge discount, not having to go through a reseller. They seem to use all good parts in their LED kits. $237 is not bad.
If you wish to check it out and investigate them, see what you think, they name is ledgrowlightfactory, I think. I will let you know the effectiveness of the light after I use it. I just hope one is enough for the Rain Forest.
I might end up needed two.
If you wish to check it out and investigate them, see what you think, they name is ledgrowlightfactory, I think. I will let you know the effectiveness of the light after I use it. I just hope one is enough for the Rain Forest.
I might end up needed two.
Purple Goose
New Member
Well just wanted to get a few opinions as I am rebuilding my grow room well my whole home due to a fire and not from my old grow room 
. Anyways I have decided due to the fact that I am installing a very nice high efficiency furnace I don't want to mess around with throwing of the Energy loss rating of the home so my new flowering room will be using led lighting. So Was wondering if anyone has had any experience of the new lumigrow penetrator 336x pro's which seem perfect for a 4 x 4 drip table. I was wondering in a 6 x 6 x 7 room which I plan to seal completely and supplement with co2 should I run into any heat problems? As I also plant to run 3 quantum T5 HO 240w lights and 2 125w cfls in an adjoining 5 x 4 area which is separated from the flowering section by the front section of an old grow tent I had lying around which also has 2 air vents in it still to circulate air between the two growing areas. I am mainly hoping to find someone who has used this model and can back up lumigrows claim that this light running in a 4 x 4 x 6 tent with an ambient temp of 78 only had a temp increase of 4 degrees over 6 hours?
. Anyways I have decided due to the fact that I am installing a very nice high efficiency furnace I don't want to mess around with throwing of the Energy loss rating of the home so my new flowering room will be using led lighting. So Was wondering if anyone has had any experience of the new lumigrow penetrator 336x pro's which seem perfect for a 4 x 4 drip table. I was wondering in a 6 x 6 x 7 room which I plan to seal completely and supplement with co2 should I run into any heat problems? As I also plant to run 3 quantum T5 HO 240w lights and 2 125w cfls in an adjoining 5 x 4 area which is separated from the flowering section by the front section of an old grow tent I had lying around which also has 2 air vents in it still to circulate air between the two growing areas. I am mainly hoping to find someone who has used this model and can back up lumigrows claim that this light running in a 4 x 4 x 6 tent with an ambient temp of 78 only had a temp increase of 4 degrees over 6 hours?Cateros,
I have no experience with Lumigrow. I am looking at their website, been there numerous times over the last year. They leave so many vague omissions imho. Now the website only indicates Pro 325 and Pro 650 models, so I don't know where you're seeing a 336x, unless that's an older unit.
Personally, I wouldnt buy any LED without more disclosure. Real par values rather than ranges. How many LED's per unit, what chips? Just to name a few. Times may have changed in the last year, but in all honesty I seriously doubt there is a 325w unit anywhere on the planet that truly replaces a 1000w hid. And I'm a fan of LED! I love my GrowSteathLED 600w pro bloom. But I'm not using it in my current style of growing because I need area coverage and depth for my style. I will be plugging it back in though for a hempy grow that I'm about to start. And I know it's going to do a great job for me. I know however, that my 600w doesnt fully cover 4x4 area. Close, but not fully. So how is it a much smaller unit (Lumigrow) is going to cover your 4x4 table? I don't see it personally.
Again, just my opinions. But based on some experience using a good quality unit. Though not Lumigrow.
I have no experience with Lumigrow. I am looking at their website, been there numerous times over the last year. They leave so many vague omissions imho. Now the website only indicates Pro 325 and Pro 650 models, so I don't know where you're seeing a 336x, unless that's an older unit.
Personally, I wouldnt buy any LED without more disclosure. Real par values rather than ranges. How many LED's per unit, what chips? Just to name a few. Times may have changed in the last year, but in all honesty I seriously doubt there is a 325w unit anywhere on the planet that truly replaces a 1000w hid. And I'm a fan of LED! I love my GrowSteathLED 600w pro bloom. But I'm not using it in my current style of growing because I need area coverage and depth for my style. I will be plugging it back in though for a hempy grow that I'm about to start. And I know it's going to do a great job for me. I know however, that my 600w doesnt fully cover 4x4 area. Close, but not fully. So how is it a much smaller unit (Lumigrow) is going to cover your 4x4 table? I don't see it personally.
Again, just my opinions. But based on some experience using a good quality unit. Though not Lumigrow.
DormGrow.com
Active Member
Well just wanted to get a few opinions as I am rebuilding my grow room well my whole home due to a fire and not from my old grow room
Sorry to hear about your home fire Cateros. Here is another recommendation for you to consider. G8LED makes a 240 Watt BLOOM light which draws 180 Watts. Each of these lights covers 6 square feet.
240 Watt LED Grow Light BLOOM | For Flowering Stage | Dorm Grow
You will get adequate coverage for your 6'x6'x7' flowering area by putting four of the G8-240B lights in that area due to cross coverage. Total cost is $1154.83, shipping included within the continental US.
yooper rex
Well-Known Member
Well here goes, hope this can help. My grow room is built in a corner of my garage. Inside measurements are 7'x7'x7', fully insulated. We have winter here, need heat. Summer we need cooling off. After about 6 months of research and several change of plans I decided to use Advanced Diamond Series 300 x 2. I use the back half (3.5'x7') for growing. Room is painted ceiling white, good reflection. Even the LED`s gave me a heat problem. Solved with a larger exhaust fan and having the incoming air pass over frozen gallon jugs. Have harvested 2 small grows. #1-yielded 5 oz from one and 4 oz from the second young lady. #2-ended up with only 1 pretty girl. She gave me 4.5 oz. All this is dried and cured. Will only use femenized seeds from now on. IMHO LED`s will rock your socks off. Can`t imagine the heat problems with other lights. Steve and Bassman know thier shit...believe em, I do.
Peace & Great Growin`
YR
Peace & Great Growin`
YR
Milly C
New Member
How's it going,
Milly C here from OZ,
Just started my third & fourth plant off in my bedroom wardrobe. I'm using Auto flowering breeds now, (got tired of the start
stop, restart, of veg to flower photo period in a 1 room setup. As I do not have the funds or the space to have a separate
area for veg/flowering. Tried a tent (from China) but that lit up my b/room like a fantasia lamp it was so poorly constructed.
So back to my wardrobe I went. Started 2 plants, (AutoMazing), I'm using 1 GS300 grow light, and got excellent results
in veg, and they are now budding up a storm.
2 weeks after the first two went to bud, I stared 2 more, (1 AutoMazing, and 1 Amnesia), off in much smaller pots to keep the
light distance about the right height from the buds and seedlings. Both the adults are tied down and bent around a bit
to maximize bud growth, and are happily producing copious amounts of bud. Meanwhile the two young seedlings are vegging
away just as happily. All under 1 light @ 18/6 ratio. With no fans, just an open door policy during day time. It's great.
I LOVE LED's. (And Auto Flower breeds). I am estimating a yield of 60+ grams dried per plant.
Might upgrade to a 600 watt pro bloom one day, but for now, I'm as happy as a pig in shit.
Good Luck With Yours.
Milly C here from OZ,
Just started my third & fourth plant off in my bedroom wardrobe. I'm using Auto flowering breeds now, (got tired of the start
stop, restart, of veg to flower photo period in a 1 room setup. As I do not have the funds or the space to have a separate
area for veg/flowering. Tried a tent (from China) but that lit up my b/room like a fantasia lamp it was so poorly constructed.
So back to my wardrobe I went. Started 2 plants, (AutoMazing), I'm using 1 GS300 grow light, and got excellent results
in veg, and they are now budding up a storm.
2 weeks after the first two went to bud, I stared 2 more, (1 AutoMazing, and 1 Amnesia), off in much smaller pots to keep the
light distance about the right height from the buds and seedlings. Both the adults are tied down and bent around a bit
to maximize bud growth, and are happily producing copious amounts of bud. Meanwhile the two young seedlings are vegging
away just as happily. All under 1 light @ 18/6 ratio. With no fans, just an open door policy during day time. It's great.
I LOVE LED's. (And Auto Flower breeds). I am estimating a yield of 60+ grams dried per plant.
Might upgrade to a 600 watt pro bloom one day, but for now, I'm as happy as a pig in shit.
Good Luck With Yours.
Milly C
New Member
G'day Lemonflex,
I have used both HPS & Metal Halide lights in the past, and they obviously work.
But LED's work better in my opinion, with reduced heat and power consumption.
I am using 1 Grow Stealth 300. Great light, great results, so far. I will be purchasing
a GS600 Pro Bloom in the near future just for the extra grunt during flowering.
Go for the LED's you won't be disappointed.
Regards,
Milly C
I have used both HPS & Metal Halide lights in the past, and they obviously work.
But LED's work better in my opinion, with reduced heat and power consumption.
I am using 1 Grow Stealth 300. Great light, great results, so far. I will be purchasing
a GS600 Pro Bloom in the near future just for the extra grunt during flowering.
Go for the LED's you won't be disappointed.
Regards,
Milly C
