Emmie's Mars Hydro SP-3000 Bloom Room Test vs NextLight MEGA

[Ganjagrandaddy]

just make sure you shop around a bit. mars has a great budget line up, but the trade off seems to be longevity. the new series are a bit fresh to rush to judgement however. i want to be wrong. if it follows the life span of previous fixtures though, they will have a half life of about 3 yrs.

i notice more people upgrade more often under mars. they have a tendency to run hotter, and burn out or degrade sooner.

I did think they updated drivers to deal with this though ?. Having only used Mars and being fortunate in comps and good deals , I am biased in that respect bit...I know from my previous set up with 2 600w hps/metal halide lights , my changeover has been a success regards yield and bud density. While I have changed medium and other factors along the way, the lights have done as expected and a little more. Rhe budget has been a big factor in using the mars lights and I don't doubt there are better if you can outlay the initial costs. Not many things outlive their warranty periods nowadays but we have become accustomed to replacement and accepting it as normal sadly. I am impressed with the results I get and would love a generous sponsor to totally blow my loyalty out of the window with a mega brilliant light. lol

 

[PK]

Can you daisy chain the SP 3000 ‘s ?

i've made a post on how you can chain them up. ts1000 to Sp3000 PK Perpetual Grow Journal 2020

 

[Ganjagrandaddy]

This new SP 3000 line does not have a fan to remove heat, but it has one of the most robust heat sinks I have ever seen and I can't imagine this light getting hot enough to degrade the LEDs. I really like this color spectrum mix too... it is different than anything else in my rooms and the plants seem to love it. I had one plant on the edge between the MEGA and the 3000... and she was leaning toward the SP-3000... wanting to be under that light.

I ran a whole grow and hardly noticed any real heat build up from the driver. I ran at 8 inches a lot in flower too with no burn issues or intensity problems either. buds just tightened up into solid lumps full of trichs , no foxtailing either. Those extra reds and blues certainly help

 

[Northern Hydro]

i've made a post on how you can chain them up. ts1000 to Sp3000 PK Perpetual Grow Journal 2020

Thanks PK I still have a couple of Mars for backup ... I went with a non sponsored light that I really really love right now
just curious more than anything thanks !

 

[bluter]

Did you notice any light burn with the plants only a foot from the light vs the 18" it's at now?

led burn will show different. it normally looks like a genetic issue first, more than a heat issue.

This new SP 3000 line does not have a fan to remove heat, but it has one of the most robust heat sinks I have ever seen and I can't imagine this light getting hot enough to degrade the LEDs.

it is the addition of the sinks that make me hopeful for the new gen. they have a lot to overcome though, judging only by previous incarnations. part of mars business model is based on the want / need to constantly upgrade.

not all the new gen lights appear to have the same heat sinking.

I did think they updated drivers to deal with this though ?

mars is infamous for swapping chipsets and drivers. i would only trust the ones that leave the component manufacturer's name visible. have seen the same fixtures done both ways in the past.

if it doesn't say mean well on the driver or samsung on the chipset it may be a dog's breakfast.

a decent company would leave these visible as they are quality components that they should be proud of, and therefore would make sure the customer knows that is what has been used in the build.

 

[Emilya Green]

on the SP-3000 the Meanwell driver is clearly labeled and mounted and cabled for easy removal and installation outside of the grow area, and the extension cable to do this is included with the light! I see no attempt to cut cost on components here... even the dimmer box has an extra switch on it to lock out the dimmer knob and go to full strength... a switch that technically didn't need to be added to the design if they were looking to cut costs.

 

[bluter]

on the SP-3000 the Meanwell driver is clearly labeled and mounted and cabled for easy removal and installation outside of the grow area, and the extension cable to do this is included with the light! I see no attempt to cut cost on components here... even the dimmer box has an extra switch on it to lock out the dimmer knob and go to full strength... a switch that technically didn't need to be added to the design if they were looking to cut costs.

sounds like they've been learning. would not fair well if they gave you a tester that did not meet advertised specs. you're one of the few folk i would expect to notice immediately.

 

[Ganjagrandaddy]

on the SP-3000 the Meanwell driver is clearly labeled and mounted and cabled for easy removal and installation outside of the grow area, and the extension cable to do this is included with the light! I see no attempt to cut cost on components here... even the dimmer box has an extra switch on it to lock out the dimmer knob and go to full strength... a switch that technically didn't need to be added to the design if they were looking to cut costs.

I have always gotten the feeling they were more about maintaining the need of their customer base with playing keep up too. The thread here has a lot of input that seemed to drive some of the changed tech ect. found that approach to be refreshing from a value product supplier. I would love a no expense spared commercial fixture that wakes them up gradually and puts them to sleep too but the cost alone would be a killer .lol
seeing what Mars do for what I feel are manageable upgrades, allows me to keep budget friendly and progressive growing as the tech changes. One conversion i never regretted. slowly learning g to use them properly now.lol

 

[Emilya Green]

I am reminded in reading all of your comments just how close to the leading edge of the curve we exist on in this hobby, industry, or whatever you want to call it. We have clawed our way up to a very high level of understanding after being forced in the past to be totally clandestine and unable to share information, to today where almost half of the USA, all of Canada and many other progressive places in the world are now able to freely exchange information without fear.

Forums like ours have led the way in this informational exchange, allowing experimenters and professionals alike to share information, no matter where in the world they happen to be. As a cannabis culture, we are slowly figuring things out and dialing it in... not just with lighting, but with soils and nutrients and organics as well as grow methods and new and innovative techniques to get more out of each grow. We are all evolving right now, and it is a very exciting thing to witness, this slow move toward global legalization.

The LED technology is no different than any other aspect of our craft, other than it is being solely driven by free trade and the laws of supply and demand. We have seen this modern lighting system rise to prominence because of a demand from our community for cheaper and more efficient lighting. We have watched as the trends went from red and blue lights to full spectrum. The lights right now are evolving as fast as we are as we continue to experiment with the light spectrum, and indeed it can be seen that all of the manufacturers are responding to our wants and needs as we all dial it in together.

Continue to experiment and let these manufacturers know what you want to see in their products. I personally want to see more experimentation with UVA and UVB with the ability to turn it off and on for portions of the lighted day, and even more studies into the light response of our plants at various stages of the grow. I would like to be able to dial in the amount of blue or red I am producing at any point too, and it is my belief that as details like this become important to those of us on the bleeding edge, the manufacturers will respond, because they want to produce the items that we want to buy. We just need to let them know what it is that we want.

I see it as an amazing opportunity to be able to communicate directly to the manufacturers of this new tech, right here on our forum, and we have several leaders of the emerging industry represented as sponsors of our forum. Let them all know what you want and need out of these lights, and they will respond. The entire growing industry... not just lighting manufacturers, is listening to you, right now! You have never had such a direct contact with the shaping of a new industry as you have today, and this is why it is so important to journal and interact with the community at this time. Cannabis awareness is expanding exponentially at this moment in history, and you are a part of it. The manufacturers are trying to meet this new and very large emerging market, and you can be a very important part of shaping it.

 

[Ganjagrandaddy]

I am reminded in reading all of your comments just how close to the leading edge of the curve we exist on in this hobby, industry, or whatever you want to call it. We have clawed our way up to a very high level of understanding after being forced in the past to be totally clandestine and unable to share information, to today where almost half of the USA, all of Canada and many other progressive places in the world are now able to freely exchange information without fear.

Forums like ours have led the way in this informational exchange, allowing experimenters and professionals alike to share information, no matter where in the world they happen to be. As a cannabis culture, we are slowly figuring things out and dialing it in... not just with lighting, but with soils and nutrients and organics as well as grow methods and new and innovative techniques to get more out of each grow. We are all evolving right now, and it is a very exciting thing to witness, this slow move toward global legalization.

The LED technology is no different than any other aspect of our craft, other than it is being solely driven by free trade and the laws of supply and demand. We have seen this modern lighting system rise to prominence because of a demand from our community for cheaper and more efficient lighting. We have watched as the trends went from red and blue lights to full spectrum. The lights right now are evolving as fast as we are as we continue to experiment with the light spectrum, and indeed it can be seen that all of the manufacturers are responding to our wants and needs as we all dial it in together.

Continue to experiment and let these manufacturers know what you want to see in their products. I personally want to see more experimentation with UVA and UVB with the ability to turn it off and on for portions of the lighted day, and even more studies into the light response of our plants at various stages of the grow. I would like to be able to dial in the amount of blue or red I am producing at any point too, and it is my belief that as details like this become important to those of us on the bleeding edge, the manufacturers will respond, because they want to produce the items that we want to buy. We just need to let them know what it is that we want.

I see it as an amazing opportunity to be able to communicate directly to the manufacturers of this new tech, right here on our forum, and we have several leaders of the emerging industry represented as sponsors of our forum. Let them all know what you want and need out of these lights, and they will respond. The entire growing industry... not just lighting manufacturers, is listening to you, right now! You have never had such a direct contact with the shaping of a new industry as you have today, and this is why it is so important to journal and interact with the community at this time. Cannabis awareness is expanding exponentially at this moment in history, and you are a part of it. The manufacturers are trying to meet this new and very large emerging market, and you can be a very important part of shaping it.

well put and so true .

 

[Diatomacious]

I had one plant on the edge between the MEGA and the 3000... and she was leaning toward the SP-3000... wanting to be under that light.

That says it all right there.

 

[Diatomacious]

not just with lighting, but with soils and nutrients and organics

Hopefully the information gleaned from the organic side will trickle effect down to the farmers who grow our food... it is extremely hard to find actual authentic organic food in the United States of America. The older I get... the more "allergic" I seem to become to food grown with man made chemicals and not just the plants but the animals who eat the plants too (I eat them all ). Without plants we would have no food supply and I believe organics will be the next evolution in our agricultural system.

I've gotten 3 of the 4 SP 3000's delivered already and they look like very nice solid LED lights, one had to be shipped from LA and should be here tomorrow. Like Emilya said they have very nice heat sinks attached to the LED bar and they put out a very nice looking spectrum of light (super bright). Too much on my plate to set them up right now but in a week or two I'll put them to the real test.

 

[Northern Hydro]

That says it all right there.

Yes that tells me that the one she is leaning towards isn’t pumping out the same par’s and she is seeking more ... right ? I medicated ..

 

[Northern Hydro]

Yes that tells me that the one she is leaning towards isn’t pumping out the same par’s and she is seeking more ... right ? I medicated ..

Like when mine lean away or towards it means to me that I need to adjust the height of my light ...

 

[Diatomacious]

Yes that tells me that the one she is leaning towards isn’t pumping out the same par’s and she is seeking more ... right ? I medicated ..

If the plant is growing towards the light it is a sign that the plant finds that light more to it's liking... just like plants lean toward the sunny spot when grown outdoors.

 

[Diatomacious]

Continue to experiment and let these manufacturers know what you want to see in their products.

I would like to have the sun shine inside my grow room Actually that's it for me... as long as the spectrum is sufficient and the light bright enough for photosynthesis I'm happy as a clam. That and to have it hold up over time... no one likes to shell out a ton of money only to have a light that won't work when you need it.

 

[bluter]

I would love a no expense spared commercial fixture that wakes them up gradually and puts them to sleep too but the cost alone would be a killer

there are a number. any of the b type hlg mean well drivers and all elg mean well drivers come pre-packaged with dimming capable of exactly that. any mfgr using those drivers just has to spend the pennies to add a peripheral and make it happen.


i use burple 5050 smds on either side of my veg light sched on my self built cob for the same thing. it's easy peasy. most builders just can't be bothered to add it in as they don't feel folk would pay for it.

 

[Diatomacious]

I would love a no expense spared commercial fixture that wakes them up gradually and puts them to sleep too but the cost alone would be a killer

I've seen some nice timers that have a morning and evening function to gradually build the level of light in the grow room... I think it's just a lot of money for something that will probably not make much difference in the long run myself. Only time I would use the dimming function is if I'm lighting clones or the tops of the plants are burning and I can't raise the light any higher.

 

[Ganjagrandaddy]

Hopefully the information gleaned from the organic side will trickle effect down to the farmers who grow our food... it is extremely hard to find actual authentic organic food in the United States of America. The older I get... the more "allergic" I seem to become to food grown with man made chemicals and not just the plants but the animals who eat the plants too (I eat them all ). Without plants we would have no food supply and I believe organics will be the next evolution in our agricultural system.

I've gotten 3 of the 4 SP 3000's delivered already and they look like very nice solid LED lights, one had to be shipped from LA and should be here tomorrow. Like Emilya said they have very nice heat sinks attached to the LED bar and they put out a very nice looking spectrum of light (super bright). Too much on my plate to set them up right now but in a week or two I'll put them to the real test.

you won't be dissapointed by them at all D.

 

[Emilya Green]

Finally, I am able to start a true test comparing the NextLight MEGA directly against the MarsHydro SP-3000.
I have moved 3 clones of 3 different varieties over to be under the Mars light. Their twins remain under the MEGA. Two of the varieties have just started to bloom, one has been blooming for about a month. The lights have both been moved down to around 18 inches away from the top of the canopy and are at their maximum output.