How to choose the best LED grow light? 12 years LED manufacturing tells you the truth

[Mars Hydro]

As you can see, there are various led grow lights on the market looking the same - square-shaped multi-bar design, possessing 4, 6, 8 light bars. But are they really the same? How could I distinguish a truly good multi-bar LED grow light?

When the outside looks the same, we go to the inside. Today, we’re going to introduce you to 4 vital points to compare when you’re dithering among this kind of grow lights.



1.LEDs Brand.

Right now cultivators are highly recommended to Samsung LEDs. May it be possible that an 8-bar light declaring itself as Samsung lm301h/lm301b mounted while its price is only 300~400USD? Of course no.(Later we’ll introduce in detail how to identify real Samsung LED)

2.LEDs Quantity.

Both have 8 bars, both use real Samsung LEDs, then what’s the next to compare?The answer is LEDs quantity. The LEDs are the most costly components in a light and which contributes to the efficiency and brightness. Mars Hydro FC6500 mounted 2688pcs Samsung LM301B while some brands only 1000pcs LEDs, but same or even higher power draw? it’s sly! Next we’ll explain the defects of high power draw and less chips.

3.Uniformity of PPFD.

High PPFD in the middle and low PPFD on the edges can lead to uneven crop production with low yields at the edges.

4.Authentic Test Report.

First of all, Mars Hydro hereby promises that all our data is true. We can provide the original data test report. If you suspect that some brands exaggerated the data, ask for the original data test report.​

Now we’re here able to answer our initial question: how to define a truly good multi-bar LED grow light?

High-quality LEDs’ brand+Plenty LEDs+High & Uniform PPFD+Trustworthy Merchant = Efficient+Energy-saving+Long-lifespan+Productive & Uniform+Reliable LED grow lights



Learn more: Mars Hydro

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• Mars Hydro
• Jun 25, 2021

 

[Icemud]

Here are a few more very important factors to consider when choosing a light/company.

• Umol/Joule is a key performance indicator of a fixture...... higher the ratio, the more efficient the fixture produces light....

• Chip "BIN" is also a very important determining factor...... LED chips are sorted by BIN... the same brand chip, same type of chip may have vastly different outputs in efficiency, even being the same chip. For instance a single chip on a low bin my be 50% less efficient (puts out 1/2 the light) as the same chip of a higher BIN. So 2 companies offering the same LED chips in their fixtures, may be completely different in output efficiency if one uses low bin, vs high bin.

• UL listing/certification or another US NRTL (Nationally Recognized Testing Lab) certification is greatly important for commercial grows... generally either UL Listing or ETL are the 2 major ones in the US. If you are going commmercial, this will be very important when it comes to insurance as well as permitting from the local fire officials.

• WARRANTY: Greatly important for purchasing an expensive fixture.... What is the warranty, how long has the company been around (new companies with zero track record may not be around long enough to actually act on a warranty claim). How fast can a part or light be replaced? If its repaired, do they send you a "loaner" light to use while your light is being repaired? Do they have a warehouse or representation in the country you live in? or do you have to wait for a package to get through customs from another country? ..... all of these things are important as your plants need light to grow, and if a light fails, you need replacements quickly.....

• Waterproof or water resistant rating.... Some fixtures have IP ratings which will determine what "water resistance" level your Light can handle.... quite obviously plants need water as well as many times are sprayed with foliar sprays or other IPM treatments..... If your light has a IP rating or not will be an important consideration....

• Build design/modular replacement: Does your light have fans to cool it.... if so, you will most likely have to replace the fans at some point when the motors wear out, or dust/residue builds up.... which will require replacement...... Is this something you want to do? If this happens are parts easy to order and replace? How about your driver? in most LED failures, the driver typically is the weakpoint on many LED lights.... How easy is it to replace the driver? do you have to solder or is it a plug and play design. This is important in a decision, especially at a commercial level....

• Company Claims vs Proof: anyone who has been growing for a while and payed attention to the LED market knows that there are tons of false claims on what a light can do, or the stats/tech specs of a lights capabilities. Many LED companies have over time, spread bad information, claimed false claims on their products...etc.... so its important to check the LED manufacture on wild claims and ask for definitive proof of their claims.... I've seen companies advertise huge yields, huge power savings, huge reductions in heat production, false claims of having UV in their products, claims of increased THC and terpenes....etc..... and 9 times out of 10 these are loose claims with zero proof behind them.... check the companies website, check their history, check what others are saying..... and most of all, check the company on their claims to see if they can provide verifiable data to meet their claims or not...... you will be surprised what kind of BS happens in the LED market....

• Is the LED company a brand, or a manufacture....or both.... This is a huge deal when purchasing LED grow lights, as "most" LED grow light companies are Brands, who do NOT manufacture their own lights.... Why this is important is generally Brands buy lights at wholesale price, slap a logo on it, and resell it at a huge markup..... the problem with this is generally you are paying a high price for an inferior product...... and the "brand" is dependant on their longevity of that product line on the availability from the manufacture.... so if a driver were to fail 2 years down the road.... a manufacture most likely will have a replacement, but a wholesale "brand" most likely may not have supplies to help you repair your product....

Hopefully these additional recommendations will help people determine the right choice for their grow lights......



Also I have to disagree with the OP blog post saying "Gram per watt" is a good indicator of a grow light... I think that is very inaccurate...... and a very poor, way of judging a LED grow lights quality...

GPW has too many factors to be tied to the "quality of a light"........

• type of plants,
• quantity of plants,
• length of veg period,
• plant training,
• plant health,
• environmental factors like humidity,
• temp, VPD,
• intensity of the light,
• nutrients used,
• method of growing (scrog, sea of green, fluxing),
• Strains grown....
• Soil vs Hydroponics vs NFT...etc Huge differences in yield between organic grows and DWC...
• When was the harvest weighed? at what water level percentage?

All of the above factors can influence the Gram Per Watt of a grow...... therefore by claiming a light quality can be determined by Gram Per watt figures is flat out inaccurate and a poor KPI for picking a light.