Lighting AUTOCOBS Or LEDs?

[Budson 420]

Hey everyone, after a lengthy break and a cross country move, I think I’m ready to get back into grow tent.

Always been a HPS kinda guy but, it’s time to change my ways, I’ve been outta the game for 2years now and lights have changed... I’m still living in 2017
I want a some autocobs or a LED, can you legends help me please?

I’ll be running a 120x120x200 tent (3x3) and one or two plants at a time. I’d like to keep this grow low budget so I’m after best bang for my buck with lighting, after a cheap lighting option that’ll still get me a couple ounces out of my grow space.

Thanks in advance for any help growers, it’s good to be back in the community!

 

[Paradiso]

I only grow one plant at a time and went with this from Amazon:

It's done the job and it was cheap and I wasn't sure that I really wanted to get too heavy into growing. No regrets but if I had it to do over I'd go with something like this:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/led-grow-light-quantum-board-144W-samsung-LM301B-SK-3500K-meanwel-Driver-DIY/332879091282?_trkparms=aid=222007&algo=SIM.MBE&ao=1&asc=20131231084308&meid=b20608985460411d87125225c0ecfcff&pid=100010&rk=2&rkt=7&mehot=pp&sd=173650727798&itm=332879091282&_trksid=p2047675.c100010.m2109


Edit: Link to Amazon doesn't work so I pasted in a pic instead.

 

[Arthur]

Hey everyone, after a lengthy break and a cross country move, I think I’m ready to get back into grow tent.

Always been a HPS kinda guy but, it’s time to change my ways, I’ve been outta the game for 2years now and lights have changed... I’m still living in 2017
I want a some autocobs or a LED, can you legends help me please?

I’ll be running a 120x120x200 tent (3x3) and one or two plants at a time. I’d like to keep this grow low budget so I’m after best bang for my buck with lighting, after a cheap lighting option that’ll still get me a couple ounces out of my grow space.

Thanks in advance for any help growers, it’s good to be back in the community!

If your coming over from hps, go with cobs. The cheap led lights will grow weed, but if your an experienced grower that knows what a 1k hps does....
Go cob you won't be disappointed...
Either buy a setup, or DIY. I've seen some nice vivaspectra type runs, so they work...
But coming from the world of HID they would have disappointed me.

Am running 450w of DIY cobs, content in a 4x. Photo run 4 weeks out from done.

 

[Arthur]

I'll add this pic too...

 

[Soil2Coco]

A 4 pack of V2 qb132’s in 3000k (flowering spectrum) from HLG and a Meanwell HLG-320H-c2100a driver to power all four. Build a square frame out of 3/4x3/4x1/8” aluminum angle, use 18 ga solid wire to make drivernoutlet to board connections, attach a plug end and enough remote wire to mount driver outside of tent and your in business. You will have the ability to dim a little bit since these boards run on a voltage range they will flicker and shut off if going under. You can get a “b” model driver and wire in your own dimming potentiometer but I haven’t done that yet. I rarely even do. Just raise and lower height

Total investment for a 3x3 = $275 For up to 320 watts

 

[DTOM420]

A 4 pack of V2 qb132’s in 3000k (flowering spectrum) from HLG and a Meanwell HLG-320H-c2100a driver to power all four. Build a square frame out of 3/4x3/4x1/8” aluminum angle, use 18 ga solid wire to make drivernoutlet to board connections, attach a plug end and enough remote wire to mount driver outside of tent and your in business. You will have the ability to dim a little bit since these boards run on a voltage range they will flicker and shut off if going under. You can get a “b” model driver and wire in your own dimming potentiometer but I haven’t done that yet. I rarely even do. Just raise and lower height

Total investment for a 3x3 = $275 For up to 320 watts

You beat me to it!

 

[Mizzo81]

If your tent is 120x120 it’s a 4x4 so you’ll need a little more light for that the 3x3. AutoCobs or high quality led strips or boards r the way to go. I run autocobs and am now trying out a high quality strip led light from vividgro the gromax 240 I’m impressed with it so far. They r both sponsors here and great companies to deal with.

 

[Soil2Coco]

Deez Nugz and Sams Crack all trimmed up and building their flowers

Sams Crack with a little LST during flower

The Sams Crack alone

Brooklyn Sunrise Auto fading

Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum

 

[MedCzech]

All depends on what type of growing you want to do. Cobs are easy, but give you a limited spectrum, where they usually offer no UV, which helps with flavor profiles, though better resin and terpene production, or IR which help with growth and overall plant development into flower.

Those Marshrdo lights offer all that and they are not so expensive. So your research...I did not and now I have a bunch of lights I bought sitting in boxes unused. Eventually I learned...cobs are great, but they must be supplemented if you want results anything like your hps. That was exactly my mistake. My hps grows were solid and created super plants, just used too much energy, cobs were the craze, but then I was disappointed with the flavor and overall quality. They looked good, but they did not compare to hps buds.

Take your time and find what fits your budget and your desires best.


Good Luck!

 

[Death The Cultivator]

Hey everyone, after a lengthy break and a cross country move, I think I’m ready to get back into grow tent.

Always been a HPS kinda guy but, it’s time to change my ways, I’ve been outta the game for 2years now and lights have changed... I’m still living in 2017
I want a some autocobs or a LED, can you legends help me please?

I’ll be running a 120x120x200 tent (3x3) and one or two plants at a time. I’d like to keep this grow low budget so I’m after best bang for my buck with lighting, after a cheap lighting option that’ll still get me a couple ounces out of my grow space.

Thanks in advance for any help growers, it’s good to be back in the community!

I think DIY is the way to go on a budget and either a set of quantum boards or bridgelux eb2's will get you an inexpensive build.

3x3 tent = 9sqft @ 40 watts per sqft = 360 watts for flowering

A set of HLG quantum board 132's($125) with a HLG 320h 36 ($86)driver will do your tent perfectly at 300 watts when driven at max.

Or 16 bridgelux EBb 24" ($7 per strip or $112 together) strips with an HLG 480h 24($130) for a total of 480 watts that you never have to drive at max

The strip build will cost a bit more to build the frame but it will have more power than the quantum boards and could be used in a 4x4 tent if need be. Plus the light spread will be amazing compared to the cobs or quantum boards.