LED vs CFL small grow tent

M

Mgrbys

New Member
Hey guys, I live out of the U.S and can't really get a decent LED light here, shipping is a problem because of customs and no local suppliers of the good products.
So I want to buy the light online, like ebay or something. I know it's Chinese and not such a high quality product, but that's what I can do.
So I've thought of maybe buying like 3x lower watt LED lights, or a few cfl lights - if anyone ever bought from someone on eBay and knows it's good, that would be very helpful because the variety is so big and I can't decide which one.
Or maybe go for a full spectrum LED panel, but those unbranded Chinese ones doesn't seem very legit.
like this one - 300W UFO LED Grow Light Lamp for Plants Hydroponic Organic Flower Full Spectrum | eBay
for example.

Also wanted to ask, whether I should take a 40x40x120 tent or a 60x60x160 tent. I want to grow like 1/2 plants, using scrog. Which one do you think is better for 1/2 plants?
For how much lumens do I need to aim, in such a tent?

Thanks guys, hopefully you can help me with my first grow ;)
 
Re: LED vs CFL small grow tent.

Hi and welcome. Im no expert (they will be along to help shortly) mars hydro make brilliant LED panels that are tried and tested. They ship all over the world and you only have to see the plants people are growing with them to see its a no-brainer investment if you want to go that route.
As for space, the floor area 40x40 should be ok but be careful height wise, dependant on strain. (remember you have to take into account how far the light will hang down and pot size). I grow 4 in a 80x80x160 space which works ok, i just have to make sure to switch at the right time to allow space for stretch during flowering. as your using scrog you should be able to manage plant height more effectively and fill the space.
As i said I'm no expert but i think generally you'll need to aim for between 5000-7000 lumens per sq ft.

Theres a wealth of knowledge in the forums here also which helped me a great deal when i started out. Also make a journal, that way people can see your progress and give you pointers should you go wrong.
 
Re: LED vs CFL small grow tent.

Hey Henry, thanks for the comment. I've seen marshydro's LED panels and wanted to order one, but as I said I live kinda far and can't really buy that and afford all the extra import fees. That's why I'm looking for cheaper yet good alternative. Have been looking locally but couldn't find anything. That's why I thought maybe I could use CFL instead, so I wouldn't need to pay any import fees.
 
Re: LED vs CFL small grow tent.

Ok well yeah I've seen people get decent results using cfl's. Obviously work out your area and lumen per lamp. Cfls come in different light colour spectrum. Blue through orange and red. You'll see it written in a number like 2200k, I can't remember exactly which corresponds to which but you can find that with a Google search. There will be journals of people using this method of growing so that could be a place to look.
 
Re: LED vs CFL small grow tent.

I have 2 of the reflector 48 series MZ 240,MH150
While they have performed well, they both have leds burned out now in under a year.
The MZ is only 6 months old and the MH just turned a year old.
I have tried to contact Mars regarding service and parts three times now and I am yet to
here from them.I was thinking about buying one of their more expensive lights in the Pro series
but with poor service response I am now considering other options.
In the mean time I will just have to wait to see if Mars responds.
 
Re: LED vs CFL small grow tent.

Thanks for that. I talked to mars privately and it doesn't fit, high shipping as well. So looking for some cheaper yet well performing chinise stuff, maybe a LED, maybe a CFL that someone have used and can recommend.
Have seen the ipower led, it is branded but I didn't find any info about it

iPower 300W Watt LED Grow Light Multi Spectrum for Plant Replacing HPS MH Kits | eBay

iPower 180W Watt LED Grow Light Multi Spectrum for Plant Replacing HPS MH Kits | eBay
 
Re: LED vs CFL small grow tent.

Hi Free Bird,May i know which email address you sent to? If you need to know anything you can send to sales18@lgledsolutions.com also.:high-five:
Free Bird said:
I have 2 of the reflector 48 series MZ 240,MH150
While they have performed well, they both have leds burned out now in under a year.
The MZ is only 6 months old and the MH just turned a year old.
I have tried to contact Mars regarding service and parts three times now and I am yet to
here from them.I was thinking about buying one of their more expensive lights in the Pro series
but with poor service response I am now considering other options.
In the mean time I will just have to wait to see if Mars responds.
Click to expand...
 
Hey Jim, I am still looking as well. Haven't found anything yet, I mean I have, but decided to wait a while with that.. I saw the Bestvaled - but it seems too low price and suspicious to me. There must be people here who tried something out of eBay/Ali-express.
Also I came to think that most of those branded LEDs are just Chinese with a name on it - they all look pretty much the same too and I don't think there's much difference here on these low-cost LEDS.
Still would love an answer from someone :)
 
sup bud. no expert on lights for sure but i think i can help you out. alot of those low cost ebay lights are NOT what they advertise. the current acceptable rate, from what i can tell, is 1/5th the actual wattage. so if it says 1000w, its actual pull is only 200. i have bought a few of these lights from ebay and they are ALWAYS crap. they may look the same, but they are not. the reason they all look so similar is because of the way construction is done. some companies jazz their housing case up to look different, but without alot of jazzing it will end up looking like all the other competitors. also with these lights, they do not put out the same amount of lumens per watt as name brands. i would advise to find a good name brand light and pay the extra bucks. theres a really good website that compares every stat on all lights and brands...but i'm having trouble finding it. they harshly criticized companies, and listed all the pros and cons of each light. mars hydro is the cheapest light compared to lumen/watt/dollar, which from what i can gather is your main concern. i use them. got a mars ii 1200 and fixing to order a pro series for the other side of my tent.
 
:bravo:We have our own factory and international warehouses,we can low down the costs,so that we can provide the lowest price as we can with a better quality goods.:high-five:
Jimdog said:
Seems marshydro is the place to go! I'm still fishing around as well have had a couple quotes from different company's and Mars still seems to be the best. A bit pricey for shipping ect but still the best!

Jimdogggy
Click to expand...
 
just a newbie but i started these (if i can post pictures) with 4-150 w cfl's i got from the orange store online. just switched to a 400w sodium hydroplanet system for flowering. learning as i go along as i have not done this in many, many yrs. and then i used fluorescent. energy used is minimum with the cfl's for the output imo. will try to post pics now.. good luck!
20160901_110227_1_.jpg
cfl7.jpg


hope these can be seen
 

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