Budget light suggestions for a single autoflower

The “budget light” for me would be build a strip build. Strips, constant driver, cookie sheet cord. $100-200 depending on where you live(tariffs) arrow, digit key. Wherever. I do 3000k on my
Builds but let price pick it. If 3500 or 4000 are cheaper get those. PM me for details.
That’s for if you can erector set something. If not you can buy led bulbs and pop off the dome and use as many as watts needed for your space cluster them together. Menards and Lowes has them on sale all the time. Get 20watt bulbs 2700k or whatever you want. Amazon has the multi bulb plugs
 
Whether or not the spectrum is predominantly red and blue AKA blurple or whether it's so called white has little to nothing to do with quality or quantity of the grow.
The biggest difference is light intensity and efficacy.

Can a Blurple light of 4 to 5 years ago produce the same quantity and quality as a brand new LM301B light?

Yes and no.

Watt for watt, no.
But even that is subjective and dependent on several factors.
A straight 5000k light with LM301B of 200w vs an old 200w Blurple probably wont be much if any difference because they would get a great veg but probably not much better because I have fairly decent blue spectrum, but even though their efficacy is better at like 2.3 vs mine which I think is 1.8 that's not going to make up for the lack of red spectrum in flower.
PPFD on a single of mine is 675 in center and average 400 PPFD at the edge of 2' at 18" away.
That's really close to what a HLG 135 is.

My light draws 185 watts and I am not sure if the HLG 135 only draws 135 or if its 150w kinda confusing but if the numbers are for 135w then theres a 50w difference which is the efficacy doing its thing.

So a Quantum board can get roughly the same PPFD with 50w less power draw which is great.
But still doesn't make the HLG 135 grow any better than my old 185w Blurple.

It just quite obviously does the same thing using quite a bit less power.

Even the Quantum boards have figured they need to add more red and blue spectrum.
The best set ups today that use the LM301B chips all add 660 red and the best to me are the ones that use 3000k and 5000k for the better blue and add the 660nm red for an overall fuller spectrum.

So while not Blurple they are definitely Whinked (white pink red).
They have a distinctive pink hue to them.

There are definitely advantages to a Quantum Board or any LM301B set up.
They are clearly more efficient and they run cooler because of it.

So as a Rider of the Blurple sage I have to work just a bit harder to combat heat and pay about 25% more in energy cost.

That's really the only two major things that make the new tech better.

I can easily compete with someone using 3 HLG 135s , I just have to burn an extra 175w to do so and be able to compensate for the extra heat caused by that 175 watts which I can do rather easily.

So yes, newer more efficient lights are better, buts it's not like the old Riders of the Blurple sage cant grow good bud because we most certainly can.
 
Nunyabiz said:
Whether or not the spectrum is predominantly red and blue AKA blurple or whether it's so called white has little to nothing to do with quality or quantity of the grow.
The biggest difference is light intensity and efficacy.

Can a Blurple light of 4 to 5 years ago produce the same quantity and quality as a brand new LM301B light?

Yes and no.

Watt for watt, no.
But even that is subjective and dependent on several factors.
A straight 5000k light with LM301B of 200w vs an old 200w Blurple probably wont be much if any difference because they would get a great veg but probably not much better because I have fairly decent blue spectrum, but even though their efficacy is better at like 2.3 vs mine which I think is 1.8 that's not going to make up for the lack of red spectrum in flower.
PPFD on a single of mine is 675 in center and average 400 PPFD at the edge of 2' at 18" away.
That's really close to what a HLG 135 is.

My light draws 185 watts and I am not sure if the HLG 135 only draws 135 or if its 150w kinda confusing but if the numbers are for 135w then theres a 50w difference which is the efficacy doing its thing.

So a Quantum board can get roughly the same PPFD with 50w less power draw which is great.
But still doesn't make the HLG 135 grow any better than my old 185w Blurple.

It just quite obviously does the same thing using quite a bit less power.

Even the Quantum boards have figured they need to add more red and blue spectrum.
The best set ups today that use the LM301B chips all add 660 red and the best to me are the ones that use 3000k and 5000k for the better blue and add the 660nm red for an overall fuller spectrum.

So while not Blurple they are definitely Whinked (white pink red).
They have a distinctive pink hue to them.

There are definitely advantages to a Quantum Board or any LM301B set up.
They are clearly more efficient and they run cooler because of it.

So as a Rider of the Blurple sage I have to work just a bit harder to combat heat and pay about 25% more in energy cost.

That's really the only two major things that make the new tech better.

I can easily compete with someone using 3 HLG 135s , I just have to burn an extra 175w to do so and be able to compensate for the extra heat caused by that 175 watts which I can do rather easily.

So yes, newer more efficient lights are better, buts it's not like the old Riders of the Blurple sage cant grow good bud because we most certainly can.
Click to expand...

Some good info here.

I'll be honest... When I started researching lights a week ago. I was made aware of pretty much "Led grow lights and the old lamps people used that cost a bomb to run"...

Now I've been opened up to Led panels, COB, quantum boards, CFL lights and the rest...

Honestly it's all been a bit of a confusing learning curve aha.

I'll get there though.


All I do know right now... Is my 14w LED grow light bulb won't get past a seedling stage lol
 
Nunyabiz said:
Whether or not the spectrum is predominantly red and blue AKA blurple or whether it's so called white has little to nothing to do with quality or quantity of the grow.
The biggest difference is light intensity and efficacy.

Can a Blurple light of 4 to 5 years ago produce the same quantity and quality as a brand new LM301B light?

Yes and no.

Watt for watt, no.
But even that is subjective and dependent on several factors.
A straight 5000k light with LM301B of 200w vs an old 200w Blurple probably wont be much if any difference because they would get a great veg but probably not much better because I have fairly decent blue spectrum, but even though their efficacy is better at like 2.3 vs mine which I think is 1.8 that's not going to make up for the lack of red spectrum in flower.
PPFD on a single of mine is 675 in center and average 400 PPFD at the edge of 2' at 18" away.
That's really close to what a HLG 135 is.

My light draws 185 watts and I am not sure if the HLG 135 only draws 135 or if its 150w kinda confusing but if the numbers are for 135w then theres a 50w difference which is the efficacy doing its thing.

So a Quantum board can get roughly the same PPFD with 50w less power draw which is great.
But still doesn't make the HLG 135 grow any better than my old 185w Blurple.

It just quite obviously does the same thing using quite a bit less power.

Even the Quantum boards have figured they need to add more red and blue spectrum.
The best set ups today that use the LM301B chips all add 660 red and the best to me are the ones that use 3000k and 5000k for the better blue and add the 660nm red for an overall fuller spectrum.

So while not Blurple they are definitely Whinked (white pink red).
They have a distinctive pink hue to them.

There are definitely advantages to a Quantum Board or any LM301B set up.
They are clearly more efficient and they run cooler because of it.

So as a Rider of the Blurple sage I have to work just a bit harder to combat heat and pay about 25% more in energy cost.

That's really the only two major things that make the new tech better.

I can easily compete with someone using 3 HLG 135s , I just have to burn an extra 175w to do so and be able to compensate for the extra heat caused by that 175 watts which I can do rather easily.

So yes, newer more efficient lights are better, buts it's not like the old Riders of the Blurple sage cant grow good bud because we most certainly can.
Click to expand...

heat makes it better. i have heat issues my tent went to 95 f when ambient temp was 70 F without when using all three of the chinese leds.

i spent 275 on a vipar
430 for a platinum led
300 for a canagrow
and 50 on a no name 300 “watt”

returned all to amazon except the no name.
i called walmart.com and told them i wanted to return it, the lady told me to gift it to someone i know and REFUNDED ME MY MONEY, so this wasnt the first time it had happened!!!

point being, none of these lights were “cheap” other than how they were built and their quality. i shouldve bought a QB from the start and saved myself the trouble of wasting 2 months buying and returning these lights through the mail
 
Worst one was the Platinum LED
They try to inflate their PAR by concentrating the lenses they use toward the center.
Makes it hot and very uneven coverage.

I haven't had any issues with mine which is two Mars Hydro 96s and one Viparspectra 450.
The Mars are heavy on red and the Viparspectra is heavy on blue, combined they blend into a good overall spectrum.

I usually run at 81 degrees in middle of Summer grow and winter grow I am usually about 74 degrees.
A Quantum board would certainly be preferable in your situation.
 
Highbrixbotany2018 said:
Ppfd of 600 in every square inch should be the goal. Most qb, cob, strips etc hit 800. Vipra (I had 2, modified them
Into cob/strip lights ala growmau5) etc usually don’t in very large area. Remember it’s not how bright the light is(lumens) is how much usable
Light the plant can receive
Click to expand...
i measure the light at the highest point of the plant as reference. obviously try to keep an even canopy but at the high point you know nothing is getting that much light.
 
Nunyabiz said:
I beg to differ.
Been using nothing but 3 cheap blurples for 4 years and I've done 9 grows with them and 10th is 6th week in flower.
I just added up those 9 grows and came to 149 oz or 5.3 pounds from 18 plants for an average of 8.3 oz per plant.
My 10th grow looks like it may up that average a little bit.

Now granted if I had the same "wattage" which is 600w of any of the newer LM301B chips that would probably be closer to 9 oz per plant because of the greater efficacy but that's probably about it.
I paid $450 total 4 years ago and only trouble was a few months ago I had to replace 4 diodes on one light that took me 30 minutes to do and they sent me the diodes for free.

I assume these 3 create more heat than the new chips but iam not in a tent so my temps stay around 80 degrees 13" under the lights in the summer time.
In the winter grow my temps stay about 76.

So, yes the newer chips are better overall but the old blurples are simply not as bad as virtually everyone is making them out to be.
If you have to use them because of cost, which I did at the time because 4 years ago 600w of non Blurple LED would have cost well over $1000 even if I built it myself. Obviously it's much lower cost now so it does make the newer chips a more viable option now.
But the blurples work just fine in a pinch.

20170907_210112.jpg
20160917_101920.jpg


20170907_210240.jpg
20170503_084900.jpg
Click to expand...
Not saying they can't grow weed mate. I've dropped a 22oz auto with 480w of 10 year old marshys. Just that they don't grow as good weed as hps or cobs etc and the penetration is pish so to get the good yields you really gotta keep that canopy flat and put the effort in.
 
Highbrixbotany2018 said:
Also if you go qb or
Strips put the driver outside the tent.
Click to expand...


running cob and have no need for external drivers. one of the advantages to qb/cob/samsung strips are the onboard drivers. unless you live on the sun it's really not necessary to make them external. there is not one single prebuilt cob or qb with an external driver.

you do have the option of running it external tho if you really desire.
 
I agree the prebuilt hlg put them on top. But a remote driver takes a lot a lot of heat out of my sealed room.
bluter said:
running cob and have no need for external drivers. one of the advantages to qb/cob/samsung strips are the onboard drivers. unless you live on the sun it's really not necessary to make them external. there is not one single prebuilt cob or qb with an external driver.

you do have the option of running it external tho if you really desire.
Click to expand...
 
Hdinkleman said:
heat makes it better. i have heat issues my tent went to 95 f when ambient temp was 70 F without when using all three of the chinese leds.

i spent 275 on a vipar
430 for a platinum led
300 for a canagrow
and 50 on a no name 300 “watt”

returned all to amazon except the no name.
i called walmart.com and told them i wanted to return it, the lady told me to gift it to someone i know and REFUNDED ME MY MONEY, so this wasnt the first time it had happened!!!

point being, none of these lights were “cheap” other than how they were built and their quality. i shouldve bought a QB from the start and saved myself the trouble of wasting 2 months buying and returning these lights through the mail
Click to expand...
What was the problem with the platinum mate? Never seen a bad word about those ones.
 
Drivers are power supply controllers.
For led systems, they are usually attached to unit, with hps/hid et el, they tend to be stand alone units.
They can get very hot, some, extremly so.

My understanding is they are neccessary to ensure a continual measured voltage is supplied to the lamp part of unit while protecting against surges etc.
I could be wrong though.
 
A driver is essentially a ballast, or close enough for our purposes but for LED lights it's called a driver.
 

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