Are cheap LEDs any good?

[SlimPikins]

Areeet ? newest newbie here, iv got a 200w CFL 6500k for veg and have just bought cheap LEDs for flowering, any body know if they are any good or a waste of coin ? I do have 3x small warm white as back up.

any input would be gr8

 

[martymcfly]

I have a 150watt LED growing over one plant, and let me tell you, I have to raise it every second day because of the growth, as for what kinda bud it's going to produce, I'm not there yet. I paid 72$ on eBay for my LED. Welcome!

They grow differently, the leaves really point upwards as you can see

 

[SlimPikins]

thanks missmouse, I separated one if my girls off and put under LED to test out. she has now started growing three leaves per node, :-S confused.com. you heard of anything like this before ?

 

[Lady Cannafan]

Just my two cents here, I bought 2 panels of cheap LED lights from Ebay. Less than $70.00 for the pair. I tried them and there was not enough light penetration to get to the entire plant. The plants did nothing as far as growth. I used them to try to reveg, and again nothing. I put the plants under CFL's and now I have new growth starting.
I will be utilizing the LED's for seedlings, but I won't waste time or energy for flowering or larger veg stage.
Just my experience.

 

[tokersmokeg]

cheap and good doesnt go hand in hand in life.you have to choose cheap or good..Imagine if you were gone and youre light malfuntctioned and left them in the dark for hours during flowering..i have no experience with led lights or brands but i dont buy anything cheap and expect to get alot out of it.Id go with what others are using on the forum that are consistently working and producing results.Dont try to find the cheapest light to get going.save some greenbax till you can afford the best!!just my 2c

 

[martymcfly]

Just my two cents here, I bought 2 panels of cheap LED lights from Ebay. Less than $70.00 for the pair. I tried them and there was not enough light penetration to get to the entire plant. The plants did nothing as far as growth. I used them to try to reveg, and again nothing. I put the plants under CFL's and now I have new growth starting.
I will be utilizing the LED's for seedlings, but I won't waste time or energy for flowering or larger veg stage.
Just my experience.

Where they full spectrum? Because a lot claim to be but are not.

 

[martymcfly]

thanks missmouse, I separated one if my girls off and put under LED to test out. she has now started growing three leaves per node, :-S confused.com. you heard of anything like this before ?

Hmm, I didn't have that happen, but I noticed that the leaves stand up higher.

 

[Java]

So far i have been having really good luck with my cheap ass LED light i got off ebay. It is 10 band full spectrum 300 watt ( 192watt real watts ) LED panel. Cost me 146 Bucks and got it from a reputable seller that ships from the USA.

Color Nm Beam Angle Led.qty.
Yellow 580 90 5
Orange 610 90 5
Red 630 90 60
Red 660 120 10
Blue 460 120 10
Blue 430 120 4
White 14000 120 2
White 2800k 120 2
UV 410 120 1
IR 730 120 1
100
I walked into a retail Weed store the 1st of Jan and bought 4 clones( 2 Strawberry cough sativas 1 EL auquavista and 1 Candy Kush that are Indicas) . But my Led light didn't get here till the 6th So this picture is my plants in veg. after one month one day under the LED.

This is my first grow so i am still working threw some issues like finding the right height for the light. Had some stretching issues. I just super cropped to even out the canopy also got me some pro silicate to add to the feedings. Had one of my sativas locked out on me( top left). Should have caught it sooner, But after a good flush she has started growing again.

Since i am a cheap bastard i will veg for another week or so and cut me some clones before I put them in Flower. Then when these are done flowering the clones will be ready to go to the flower room. So i hope to get a harvest every 2 months and a week. Going to beat the hell outa having to go to the weed store and paying 80 90 bucks for a 1/4 oz

The cheap newer mutliband LED's seem to be doing a good job for me. I would stay away from the LED lights made with 1 watt LED's they are junk. Also you want to stay away from older model lights.

misc info:
5 gallon smart pots
Royal Gold Tupur ( coco, peat , perlite and clam shells)
GH 3 part Flora Series
cal mag
pro silicate
Myco Madness (beneficial bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi)with Black strap molasses every two weeks.
Rootamentary ( root stimulator)

 

[martymcfly]

HI! Nice plants you have there ... I use an LED 150w that I bought from ebay for 70$ and it works great, I love it.

 

[SlimPikins]

x2 of these and really seem to be doing the trick, will sort photos regarding the tri node business, using them lights with a 200w CFL veg light.

 

[mussh]

recently picked up a top led mars II 700w. for $300.00
has to be the best deal in town. my plants love it.

- musshy

 

[Dr Cannabis]

I have currently experimented with cheap LEDs, first a 12W LED, then a 15W LED and now a 90W UFO..

My plants are doing the same thing as MissMouse's, i.e. pointing the leafs upwards. Perhaps not all that easy to see here, but you get the general idea.

And in natural colors..

My grow journal - on how I wasted a few bucks on cheap LEDs:

 

[martymcfly]

I will also be upgrading to all LED

 

[Dr Cannabis]

I read an interesting article on 1W LEDs vs 3W LEDs a few days ago. Surely worth a read, and the comments below are equally interesting now and then.

The funny thing about LED, is that the more you read about it, the less you end up knowing about it. The diverse stories and data place you in doubt unless you have an agenda to root for one or the other type of light, lumens, heat, whatever. But I think a vital clue when you read about these things, is to ask yourself if the arguer is trying to sell you something - whether it's HPS, LED or the Sun. Cannabis is a weed after all, a pretty good survivor. I've had cannabis grow nicely under a simple white-warm Philips bulb in a closet many years ago. It became a bit tall tho, but I'm sure my cat got a fair high when he ate it in the end.

Without further ado, here's the article: 420 MAGAZINE ®

 

[martymcfly]

Ive seen some great led lights but hps is great if its aircooled.

I thought that HPS is good for veg. stage and LED good for flowering, think I read that somewhere ...

 

[Dr Cannabis]

I thought that HPS is good for veg. stage and LED good for flowering, think I read that somewhere ...

I've read somewhere, that cannabis can and will take any light source and convert the light to whatever it needs. Dunno if that's true, but the guy who wrote the article was very persistent, that's for sure. And I guess it also makes some kind of sense, when you think of all the different light types people grow under with success. Who knows how a cannabis plant would respond to non-red/non-blue colors in the spectrum, tho. Maybe I should make that experiment one day.

 

[Buckshot]

Areeet ? newest newbie here, iv got a 200w CFL 6500k for veg and have just bought cheap LEDs for flowering, any body know if they are any good or a waste of coin ? I do have 3x small warm white as back up.

any input would be gr8

what LED panels/fixtures did you get?