Which LED grow light Brand?

[Rosco917]

I'm setting up a small vegetation room 3x4 closet, I want to go the LED route for the light. What are some of the brands you guys feel are best. There are so many manufactures out there, it can get mind boggling. Every company says they have the best light.

Any input would help me.

 

[Hosebomber]

Is price a factor or are you wanting the best possible light out there? I personally wouldn't recommend any of those listed.

If price matters the cheapest is TopLED. IntellegentGrow has some good grows here, as does Platinum, and Advanced.

If price is of no concern then Advanced XTE or Budmaster GOD series

 

[Rosco917]

thanks, I'll check those out.
I'm looking to spend $450-500. I hate to buy junk and then have to replace the light later or get poor results. At that price point I should be able to buy a decent LED Light for a small veg room.

There is no shortages of LED light debates out there, like do you want 3 watt diodes or 5 watt diodes, which is best? And who manufactures the better diodes...which companies? (Light building companies do not manufacture there own LED light diodes.)
I know the diodes made in Taiwan are not great quality, but some of these light companies don't even know which diodes are in there light system.

I will check out your suggestions.
thanks

 

[PlatinumLED]

Hey Rosco..

Good choice on wanting to get some quality equipment! Your grow lighting is the single most important purchase when setting up your grow and trying to cut corners on a cheaper light will only cost you dearly in time and money with decreased yield, heat issues, etc.

Now.. that being said.. how about the fun part already?

For a 3x4, we could offer a couple of different options that would work incredibly. For a 4' run, the best option is to use either 2 units such as 2 x P300s or one long one such as the P600.

The P300 :: Platinum Grow Lights is a 100x3w light that draws 185w and covers a 3 x 2.5 area with very high intensity using a 19" x 9" panel. You could stretch it to more.. but if that's all you're requiring from it, than it will absolutely kill it. 2 of these with forum discount of 5% would run you $701 with free shipping and 5 year warranty.

The P600 :: Platinum Grow Lights is a 200x3w light that draws 368w and covers a 6 x 3 area with extremely high intensity as well using a 36" x 9" panel. It's basically 2 x P300s put together. With forum discount, you would be looking at $626 with free shipping and 5 year warranty.

Either one of these solutions would do incredibly in that space and far pay for themselves over a cheaper light on your very first run. If you think about it in terms of how much extra you would have to yield to cover the cost, you'll see that it's an easy decision as you're talking maybe an ounce at most. You WILL increase your yield by at least that and much more. Do it right the first time! Just let us know how we can help..

Here's Curso pulling 1.75lbs from one plant using 2 x P450s in a 4x4 here: LED and High Brix

Here's last month's plant of the month winner Tavosvo running 2 x P600s here: PakaloloHawaii's LED High Brix Garden

 

[Governmentchz]

My PlatinumLED P300 rocks my little cabinet. I love it.

 

[Rosco917]

For me...this a Veg room, all plants ready to flower will be moved to the main tent. I just re-measured the room, the exact measurements are 3'-6" x 3'-6" with a slightly sloped 7' ceiling. I'm wondering... will one p300 do the trick?

I do like the idea of the 5 year warrantee. I like the 3 watt diodes. The lights sound very nice.

 

[Governmentchz]

Yes, for a veg room, it'll cover it well. And my cabinet is actually 3'6"x 2'6" and at about 15" above my canopy it floods the entire floor up about a foot on each end and about double that on the sides.. I intend to move all save one plant out of here when it's time to flower as I want to see what a single P300 can do to this particular plant.

 

[Rosco917]

Thank You Governmentchz, I looked at a few of your past and present grows, it's looking very nice.

 

[PlatinumLED]

For a 3.5 x 3.5 you should do great with a P300. If you wanted to step up in power, you could go up to the P450..

Also, please keep in mind that we do offer customizable spectrums at no additional charge. We could build you an all veg spectrum unit without a problem for the same price..

 

[Icemud]

I have run Top LED, Intelligent Gro and now currently testing Advanced XTE series... if you want to know about any of those brands, feel free to PM me any questions, write them here, or visit any of my journals which show the full grows with each brand and light.

LED definitely has found its place in my heart, and garden

 

[Cheeseydean]

Hi icemud i have been watchin your journals and videos for some time and looking to pull the plug on my first grow and go led but just cant decide wat one to get i realy liked your grow with the intelligent grow IIs but also i have been looking at the mars II 900ws in your opinion what would be the better choice for a first time grower the only thing making me hold onto the mars II for choice is the price i am looking to have the exact same setup as you with 2x4 tent with 5-6 plants i also will be using auto flower seeds is this a bad thing or will they do ok under led? Im looking to get as big yields as i can any help and sugestions will be much aprreciated thank you for your time

Cheeseydean

 

[Icemud]

Hi icemud i have been watchin your journals and videos for some time and looking to pull the plug on my first grow and go led but just cant decide wat one to get i realy liked your grow with the intelligent grow IIs but also i have been looking at the mars II 900ws in your opinion what would be the better choice for a first time grower the only thing making me hold onto the mars II for choice is the price i am looking to have the exact same setup as you with 2x4 tent with 5-6 plants i also will be using auto flower seeds is this a bad thing or will they do ok under led? Im looking to get as big yields as i can any help and sugestions will be much aprreciated thank you for your time

Cheeseydean

Its hard to just say, buy this panel over that one... because there are many factor that go into a decision. Some is economy pricing, some is best results, some only want quality led diodes, some are only concerned with PAR, some want all considered. So with that being said, I can't really say "use this panel" over another.

Best choice for me is much different than someone else, so its hard to say.

What I can tell you is getting more lower wattage panels over 1 large wattage panel is the way to go with LED.... as the coverage area of most LED's are not that impressive. The more "area" of LED covering your grow, the better the coverage. So if you are using a 2x4 tent, I would strongly suggest getting more smaller wattage lights than 1 large 900w one... you will be happier in the long run.

I would ask each company for their PAR measurements over a footprint area, which will give you the best indication of how the light will cover your grow area... There are many companies who love to scream out "We have the highest PAR" which really doesn't mean crap if it only covers 1 square foot, so asking for the Par/footprint charts is the best way to choose a light for your grow area...Generally cannabis needs around 500 umol over the ENTIRE grow area, not just center of the light, so using these charts will help you find what coverage is best for your grow...

A laser beam has unbelievable par value, but unless your grow area is the size of a quarter, it wont do much good with those high PAR values...you don't want a growlight that is a spotlight, very bright in the center but covers nothing, and you don't want a floodlight (one which spreads too far with not enough intensity). you want the one that is right in the middle, and works best for YOUR garden area and size.

Next is cost...yes LED is expensive...but its not about immediate satisfaction with LED...you could go buy a 1000w HID system for around $300 bucks, or INVEST in LED and spend roughly $2000 to light the same area....the difference is this... LED will grow better quality buds, more flavor, more trichomes and higher terp profiles and THC content, that is assuming you have the right coverage in your garden. So not only will you have better buds, but also LED is about long term savings... For me switching from HID to LED saves me approx $70-80 per month (1000w hid vs 540w LED) so in about 1 year, my lights pay themselves off with savings. Now, also HID you typically have to replace your bulb about 1x per year, LED you don't...so this is additional savings... So even though the cost of LED is high up front, the payout is greater over time. Where HID just keeps costing more and more with increasing electrical rates and bulb replacement.

Now.... as far as the brand... I can't tell you buy this brand or that one, because I have only run a few, and there are many more to chose from. I would say just be a good consumer and you should make a good decision. I typically consider a few things when buying... how is customer service, how is reliability, what is return policy and warrranty, what are other users reviews, how long has the company been in business, are parts and replacement available domestically or overseas?, is the company strait forward with information, or are they full of marketing and sale hype claims without proof....

These are the questions I run though my mind when making any purchase... so making a spreadsheet or list of each company option will help you narrow down your buying choices...

So as much as I wish I could just say "Buy this light" I cant because each growers needs are different. Each light I have used has its positives and negatives and while one might be the perfect option for 1 grower, the 2nd brand might be better for another....

As far as Autoflowering plants, I don't grow autos, never have so I really can't comment on that.

As far as big yields....make sure your grow area is covered by 500 umol or more across the entire grow area, and yield due to light will not be an issue, then its up to the genetics, grower and other variables.

 

[GeorgeFoster]

Excellent info Icemud and it comes from a users perspective vs sellers hype.

Now to do the home work and see what I can accomplish by The end of January