Lighting Led grow light indoor auto suggestions

[Organic_Auto_Canuck (OAC)]

Hi O-A-C. I'm in a similar situation to you. Take a look at the link below. It appears to be a Samsung board using the most recent LM301h chip and is quite budget friendly. It is basically the same light output and price as the TS1000.

One thing I do not like about some of the budget lights, like the Mars Hydro TS series, is that they hit the price point they do by cutting out the heat sink. They do offer good value, but will not last as long as some other options.

The ones in the link below do come with a proper heat sink and quality Meanwell driver as well as adding some 700nm reds (photosystem II trigger) and uvb. They are a Canadian company located in the Niagara area if that helps.

https://www.growlights.ca/125-watt-fb288-lm301h-3000k-660nm-uv-ir-led-fusion-board-light.html

Appreciate this canuck reference. I might start with one plant and each month add another until I have 3 going and then harvest and add another to maintain 3 in 3 gallon pots likely. A perpetual grow. Is this light still a good fit in your opinion?

 

[Organic_Auto_Canuck (OAC)]

Hi O-A-C. I'm in a similar situation to you. Take a look at the link below. It appears to be a Samsung board using the most recent LM301h chip and is quite budget friendly. It is basically the same light output and price as the TS1000.

One thing I do not like about some of the budget lights, like the Mars Hydro TS series, is that they hit the price point they do by cutting out the heat sink. They do offer good value, but will not last as long as some other options.

The ones in the link below do come with a proper heat sink and quality Meanwell driver as well as adding some 700nm reds (photosystem II trigger) and uvb. They are a Canadian company located in the Niagara area if that helps.

https://www.growlights.ca/125-watt-fb288-lm301h-3000k-660nm-uv-ir-led-fusion-board-light.html

Also how does this compare with spider farmer 1000 that uses lm301b samsung diodes? Any difference that is notable? Thx

 

[Death The Cultivator]

Also how does this compare with spider farmer 1000 that uses lm301b samsung diodes? Any difference that is notable? Thx

The lm301h and 301b are basically the same. A price hike isn't justified as they are still cri80 and less than 10% more efficient than the 301b.

 

[bobthedog]

Appreciate this canuck reference. I might start with one plant and each month add another until I have 3 going and then harvest and add another to maintain 3 in 3 gallon pots likely. A perpetual grow. Is this light still a good fit in your opinion?

I'm a noob when it comes to growing weed, so I can't really answer that, but I'm sure others here can.

My understanding of LEDs comes from another hobby.

 

[bobthedog]

Also how does this compare with spider farmer 1000 that uses lm301b samsung diodes? Any difference that is notable? Thx

From what I have read, the spider farmer light is good. Here is what I see. That Spider Farmer light is 100w vs 125 for the one I linked to. Now if you add 10% efficiency to the latter light, it now gives you roughly 37% more light output. So, the light I linked to will offer more bang for the $ in terms of light output.

Going into geek-land, leds suffer from something called power droop as they heat up past their efficiency sweet spot and that lowers their efficiency. The heat sink in the unit I linked to will keep the LEDs quite a bit cooler, so they may well gain another 2-4% in efficiency over the SF light.

Last point. LEDs do not like to heat up past a certain point and it can shorten their life. There is a reason that the Mars Aqua lights sold as Pro versions have a heat sink. I would expect that the SF light will not last as long as the one I linked to.

By the way, their claim of 100,000 hours of operation is just plain silly. The 50,000 hours most manufacturers claim is a stretch.

The one plus for the SF light is that it appears to offer a 3 year warranty vs. 1 for the other light.

Personally I think the heat sink plus the greater output makes the Grow Light Canada the better pick.

Hope this helps.

 

[Organic_Auto_Canuck (OAC)]

From what I have read, the spider farmer light is good. Here is what I see. That Spider Farmer light is 100w vs 125 for the one I linked to. Now if you add 10% efficiency to the latter light, it now gives you roughly 37% more light output. So, the light I linked to will offer more bang for the $ in terms of light output.

Going into geek-land, leds suffer from something called power droop as they heat up past their efficiency sweet spot and that lowers their efficiency. The heat sink in the unit I linked to will keep the LEDs quite a bit cooler, so they may well gain another 2-4% in efficiency over the SF light.

Last point. LEDs do not like to heat up past a certain point and it can shorten their life. There is a reason that the Mars Aqua lights sold as Pro versions have a heat sink. I would expect that the SF light will not last as long as the one I linked to.

By the way, their claim of 100,000 hours of operation is just plain silly. The 50,000 hours most manufacturers claim is a stretch.

The one plus for the SF light is that it appears to offer a 3 year warranty vs. 1 for the other light.

Personally I think the heat sink plus the greater output makes the Grow Light Canada the better pick.

Hope this helps.

This is really helpful, thank you Bob. I was wondering about how they hung the ballast in the grow light Canada picture. That's probably the heaviest part of the whole light, do you think it's a good idea to hang it on the light like that or should I try to rig it somewhere else in the tent?. And I'm not very tech-savvy as you probably figured out by now, LOL. Is the assembly on these products straightforward enough for a novice? Thanks for all your help I really appreciate this

 

[JSH1973]

I was in same dilemma just a couple of weeks back and read so much about lights that my head was spinning, I ended up going with the Mars Hydro TS1000 that has already been suggest.
They were a little cheaper to buy directly from their website than Amazon in my case and they get excellent reviews, especially considering the price.

 

[MI_sterGreen]

IMO, your light is the part you want to invest the most into. Save the extra money and purchase something high quality the first time. Don't always be looking for the best deal price wise. Something you get for nothing is usually worth the same

 

[JSH1973]

Don't forget that you will probably be able to sell the lights again if you decide that growing isn't for you after the first time and you will get a better price for a quality 2nd hand light than a cheap sh1t one that you maybe can't sell and end up with a write off.

 

[Organic_Auto_Canuck (OAC)]

Don't forget that you will probably be able to sell the lights again if you decide that growing isn't for you after the first time and you will get a better price for a quality 2nd hand light than a cheap sh1t one that you maybe can't sell and end up with a write off.

I love growing outdoors just not sure about indoors. There's a chance I might like it more. Appreciate your insights