LED/HPS/CMH - Which to get?

[supanugs]

After all my research I've come to some conclusions but I'm still feeling a bit unsure, I'd really love to get some expect advice from you guys.

My setup is 4x4ft - My budget $400.

Here we go..

LED
+ Low Power, Red + Blue light good for end-bud development
- Poor canopy penetration, mixed reviews on final results

HPS
+ Proven to work
- Higher power usage, Put off by the thought of buying a new bulb, Digital Ballasts give off radio frequencies which is a problem.

CMH
+ Low Power, Read great things about the light these give off, early harvests + huge nugs!
- When the light blows, it blows! Glass over the nugs -nothx, bulbs are expensive


With the HPS is it worth getting the Dominator XXXL or similar with a 600w bulb, or is it better to have 2x400w?

How strong are the radio signals given off of the ballasts? I understand the wire acts as an antenna, I don't want any issues with the cable companies.

How often do the CMH bulbs really blow?

Are the budget LEDs strong enough to give real results?

I'd love to hear some feedback from anyone, please correct me if my advice is misinformed.

Peace and love

 

[0V3RS33R]

Hey Supa,

I ran a 360 true watt LED which was great for veg, but didnt perform as well as the 315w CMH for flower, due to penetration. Now I use the LED for Veg and the CMH for flower in two 3x3ft's, and this works perfect. If you are going with one light I suggest CMH, though please note, I never used HPS so someone else should comment. The CMH runs the room hotter by 5 deg Celsius ever the LED and i vent right over top of it, so if you think you might run into temp issues then LED might be the way to go. I way prefer the CMH though if I had a choice between the two. By the time you need a replacement bulb for it, the prices should be much cheaper IMO. Pretty sure there is an article that says the single 600w is far superior to the double 400w with the HPS you mentioned as well.

Good luck!

 

[Nismo12]

We have all three choices on our grow room. We have the MH in veg and the HPS in flower. MH is more of the blue spectrum of light and that's what the plants like for the vegetative stage. The HPS is does better in flower since it is more red spectrum like the color of the sun in the fall. Only bad thing about these bulbs is heat. If you can't get rid of the heat then you will be ok. Oh and the chances of a bulb breaking is slim to none. Just don't touch the bulb and if you do, make sure to clean all of the oil from your hands off of the bulb or wear gloves to change it.


LEDS are quite awesome as well. We have 4 LED panels and they do everything we want them to and more. We just harvested one and we got .8 GPW. 371 grams and 450 watt LED.


So the choice is yours. Pay more upfront but save on power cost...led. pay less upfront and more in power...HPS and mh. Both are great options so whatever you choose will grow some great cannabis.

 

[supanugs]

Thanks for your replies, notes taken

Which budget LED systems give off the best spectrum of light?
How effective are the new COB modules?

I could really use some advice on which LED brands to look out for/avoid, there's so many on the market it's hard to tell which are effective.

 

[Mars Hydro]

You can check out our Reflector192,coverage 4'x4'. mars hydro led grow light -reflector 192

After all my research I've come to some conclusions but I'm still feeling a bit unsure, I'd really love to get some expect advice from you guys.

My setup is 4x4ft - My budget $400.

Here we go..

LED
+ Low Power, Red + Blue light good for end-bud development
- Poor canopy penetration, mixed reviews on final results

HPS
+ Proven to work
- Higher power usage, Put off by the thought of buying a new bulb, Digital Ballasts give off radio frequencies which is a problem.

CMH
+ Low Power, Read great things about the light these give off, early harvests + huge nugs!
- When the light blows, it blows! Glass over the nugs -nothx, bulbs are expensive


With the HPS is it worth getting the Dominator XXXL or similar with a 600w bulb, or is it better to have 2x400w?

How strong are the radio signals given off of the ballasts? I understand the wire acts as an antenna, I don't want any issues with the cable companies.

How often do the CMH bulbs really blow?

Are the budget LEDs strong enough to give real results?

I'd love to hear some feedback from anyone, please correct me if my advice is misinformed.

Peace and love

 

[Icemud]

After all my research I've come to some conclusions but I'm still feeling a bit unsure, I'd really love to get some expect advice from you guys.

My setup is 4x4ft - My budget $400.

Here we go..

LED
+ Low Power, Red + Blue light good for end-bud development
- Poor canopy penetration, mixed reviews on final results

HPS
+ Proven to work
- Higher power usage, Put off by the thought of buying a new bulb, Digital Ballasts give off radio frequencies which is a problem.

CMH
+ Low Power, Read great things about the light these give off, early harvests + huge nugs!
- When the light blows, it blows! Glass over the nugs -nothx, bulbs are expensive


With the HPS is it worth getting the Dominator XXXL or similar with a 600w bulb, or is it better to have 2x400w?

How strong are the radio signals given off of the ballasts? I understand the wire acts as an antenna, I don't want any issues with the cable companies.

How often do the CMH bulbs really blow?

Are the budget LEDs strong enough to give real results?

I'd love to hear some feedback from anyone, please correct me if my advice is misinformed.

Peace and love

For your budget, pick up a 1000w HPS system, which out of all 3 options will provide you with amazing results and give you the best coverage for your tent.

 

[KeifKeith]

What Icemud said ... if heat isn't a problem.

 

[TheEEngineer]

Wouldnt a 1000 hps if you aircooled it get past the budget of $400?

 

[Icemud]

Wouldnt a 1000 hps if you aircooled it get past the budget of $400?

Not for a cheaper brand one... He could get a package with hood, bulb, and ballast for around $250-300 and a 6" fan for about $100.

 

[TheEEngineer]

You are correct, off the top of my head i was thinking it was more expensive. My fault sir!

 

[Graytail]

For your budget, pick up a 1000w HPS system, which out of all 3 options will provide you with amazing results and give you the best coverage for your tent.

Word.

I ran a 600 watt hps in a 4x4 and had results as good as 1000 watts of LED. 1000 watts of hps in a 4x4 will be ideal - no need for more light at all. But it'll make some serious heat, so you'll need to account for that. If you can keep the intake air down around 70F you can do it fairly easily. I'd expect more than a 10F rise even with great airflow.

So if you can manage that, the big hps in a cooltube is a no-brainer, for cost/value.

 

[Icemud]

You are correct, off the top of my head i was thinking it was more expensive. My fault sir!

You made me look it up too, as I 2nd guessed my first reply...lol and actually in the process I thought of a suggestion that I left out too He will most likely need a carbon scrubber which for that size tent will run him around prob $150 or so... so yea it would actually be more like around 500$ unless he can find it 2nd hand on CL or another popular auction site.


To the OP.. If you do go the 1000w HPS route, make sure that the air cooled hood you get is either a cool tube, or a wide hood, as they make some of the air cooled hoods pretty boxy which don't spread the light as easily as a wider hood or a cool tube.