Lighting So many leds

[MeefChief]

There are a few I could definitely recommend, but that one is within your budget.

 

[2Stoned2Care]

There are a few I could definitely recommend, but that one is within your budget.

Fire away buddy this will be my starter led but will be upgrading in the future so i will look at the better ones aswell and maybe even convince the wife i should get the best to start with

 

[MeefChief]

Also, since I'm assuming you're in the UK somewhere make sure the company offers the correct plug for your light.

Black Dog LED
California Lightworks
Platinum LED
Kind LED

Those are the few off the top of my head. I'm currently using the California Lightworks 220 models, and they do well... but they don't have the spectrum I truly want, and seem to keep my plants short. I don't want to give you any biased info by any means, these are just MY personal top US companies that I would choose from.

 

[2Stoned2Care]

So is the 3500k spectrum the best as i am reading alot about 3500k white lights are better than the blue and red spectrum leds that are in every led i have seen

 

[MeefChief]

I have read the opposite of that, but I am no professional so I cannot comment on that.

 

[Balarama]

The debate on spectrums should be long and detailed, so better concentrate on the budget and the amount of light you get.
I think you should wait for early spring for some new arrivals on the led market, maybe there will be something better to buy for your money than the older tech lights.
But if you are in a hurry, maybe consider the usual household leds on some fixtures, they provide pretty impressive light for the buck.
Some assembly skills are required but nothing special.

 

[jmayes1786]

Amare technologies
There ss150 is a little beast

 

[Marty5678]

Hi, I've recently been searching for new light also uk same dilemma lately, had an alright budget to get decent light, but couldn't decide. After doing far too much reading, it seemed the most light/watts for money was to DIY.
my electrical knowledge is a GCSE electronics class 10 years ago, so I am by no means experienced with electrics! But, after a couple of hours reading it really isn't that hard it seems to make a light that's safe.
I'm using 60x60x160 secret Jardin tent, got 2 cxb3590 72v 3000k $120 from digikey, (did have to pay £35 export charge on delivery which was canny shit, but was free delivery) mean well driver hgl-185-c1400b for £60 off eBay, alpine 64cpu cooler£9.50 off amazon (1for each LED). There's some other misc. stuff you'll require, but some you may have soldering iron, wire etc.
With that will be getting 200w of good light for round about £200-£230. You can add reflectors if you want, but can pick them up cheap. I plan on adding some more 3w LEDs to fill the spectrum abit, but if you got 3500k you should be fine as has good blue spectrum. New cobs on the market are gonna change things imo, 200lm+ of light per watt on an LED!!!

If you're not sorted on a light yet I hope this may have helped, as you can get so much more for your money. I'm waiting on driver arriving then going to build it up, I'll post some pictures once sorted, see what kinda plants I can grow with them.
Marty

 

[Balarama]

Good call, Marty!
Pay extra attention on placing the thermal paste(should be a good one) on the cobs, a thin even layer is what you need.
You'll have planty of light with this setup, just take care with cooling because cobs driven at 100W each can get really hot, so keep the fan at 10-12V for good cooling.

Good luck with the build

 

[Eekman]

I have used the solar storm 440, it is an awesome light. pulls a bit more power than most, but all the electrical parts are USA or German Made.