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$1000 budget seeking LED advice

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sir_dubington

Member
Currently I run 3 4x4 tables with a 600w hps above each table. I run a mix of cookie strains which are low yielders to start. I'm averaging about 2.5 units for 1800 watts and am really happy with that as the quality is amazing. I live in a very hot climate and air cooling the hoods I struggle to maintain an ideal temperature. With summer approaching I'm wondering if I should spend the thousand on a mini split and do a bunch of construction that I really don't want to do considering I don't want to be here much longer or buy some LEDs. Is it even possible for me to match the output of my 3 600w hps with a thousand dollars? I've read a lot about leds lately and just dont know if one of the lower end brands is even worth my money for the area I need covered. Thanks guys and suggestions will really help. Would even consider a verticle 600w plus the leds if anyone thinks that would serve me better
 
M

mugenbao

Koondense said:
I think with double money - maybe, but with 1000 bucks not really.
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I am a HUGE fan of the latest generation of LED lights, but I have to agree with this.

I've already spent over $500 to replace a single 600W HID lamp with LED, and will spend at least another $200 for another light in the same tent before I'm done. That price is for COB-based units I'm building myself, which are less than half the price of commercial units of comparable capability. I absolutely think it's worth it in my case, but I can't see any way to replace 1800W for less than double your budget.

.
 
Koondense

Koondense

Well-known member
Veteran
Exactly mugenbao, I was also thinking of DIY cobs, other options are much more expensive.
 
S

sir_dubington

Member
What do you guys think of a 4x8 table with two 600w led(they say about 272 actual what) one above each 4x4 with a vertically hung 600w hps in the middle. Would still be around 1200w per 32 sq feet as I'm working with now but should cut my heat down
 
K

krood

Active member
Theres others that have waay more experience than me on this, but my advice would to attempt to build your own, only if you really want to jump into led. I have a small 90 watt ufo, and a hanspanel that i gifted to my friend to get started, and they work. But building your own is definitely the apex of led lights right now.

Reason why i say that is because i recently built my own diy led light out of cree cxb 3070 cobs ($700 after it was all said and done for a 2x4 tent) which my understanding are not even the top of the market but close, and compared to the hans panel + ufo light my plants from the same seedpackare double the size from my old setup with the same amount of veg time. The lights currently are about the same wattage, another cool thing about diy is you can manipulate the amount of power, meaning you can alter your wattage.

Theres dome members on here with great threads about building your own lights, dion and realstyles could help you out with that. Theres also a guy called supraspl that i think is probably one of the pioneers in the diy thing, but hes alot harder to understand and reading his threads could be overwhelming if you dont have electricity experience.

Premade panels i would recommend would probably be blackdog led, area 51, apache tech, and amare technology. I did see a thread where a guy got comparable results to a thousand watt hps with a 600 watt apache tech. Interestingly enough when he tested the flowers he had the led grown flowers had different terpenes.

Whatever you choose to do, whether you buy an already built light or getting a mini split, i wish you luck. Definitely dont skimp on research
 
Koondense

Koondense

Well-known member
Veteran
sir_dubington said:
At $2000 what brands would you recommend
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Definitely not Mars.
As krood said, the good leds are expensive and are Spectrum King, Amare, Bml and Apache. There are also cob design leds like Tasty Led and Pacific lights.
But to save money you should buikd your own or get some diy kits.
If you're in EU and want to build your leds contact me for details.
 
S

sir_dubington

Member
DJXX said:
Howdy, i got these Bigeyes LED's on Ebay(link)...they are awesome and possibly in your budget...i replaced my 600 hps with these and will never plug in one of those hot bulbs again..perfect if you need to bring down the temps...ck em out, worth a look...have used them for bout 2 years and they have been flawless...and decently priced too...DJXX
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=Bigeyes+LED&_sacat=0
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Lol I clicked the link and up came some nightlights. I thought you were losing till I did another search. What size panels are you using? The 600w? What kinda coverage do you get and what average gpw if you don't mind me asking. Thanks for the info
 
PetFlora

PetFlora

Well-known member
ICMag Donor
Veteran
First, it's not about watts, it's all about umoles/m^

A proper ~ 230w led will run circles around any 600w hps. Why?

For starters, 100% of its light is directed at the canopy

Second, they provide a more cannabis friendly spectrum

The downside is the upfront cost, but when you factor in annual hood and bulb replacement, cost to extract heat, monthly elec expense, PLUS, the fact that properly designed panels will retain ~ 70-90% of the original intensity after 5 years of use, they are a bargain

The key is knowing which to buy, and knowing that in spite of the marketing BS, cannabis (all plants really) respond best to a full spectrum of light, not just blues an reds

All that said, at this time in its evolution, it costs ~ $750 to cover 3 x 3

Most people here know I have been using various Amare Technologies led panels for almost 2 years. I recently finished a grow using the Amare SE 230 (now 250) which did a fine job covering 33 x 33
 
S

sir_dubington

Member
PetFlora said:
First, it's not about watts, it's all about umoles/m^

A proper ~ 230w led will run circles around any 600w hps. Why?

For starters, 100% of its light is directed at the canopy

Second, they provide a more cannabis friendly spectrum

The downside is the upfront cost, but when you factor in annual hood and bulb replacement, cost to extract heat, monthly elec expense, PLUS, the fact that properly designed panels will retain ~ 70-90% of the original intensity after 5 years of use, they are a bargain

The key is knowing which to buy, and knowing that in spite of the marketing BS, cannabis (all plants really) respond best to a full spectrum of light, not just blues an reds

All that said, at this time in its evolution, it costs ~ $750 to cover 3 x 3

Most people here know I have been using various Amare Technologies led panels for almost 2 years. I recently finished a grow using the Amare SE 230 (now 250) which did a fine job covering 33 x 33
Click to expand...


Oh wow so wheb you say 230w you mean actual right and not advertised? 750 isn't to bad. So I guess I could cover a 6x3 for $1500 isn't a bad starting place. You've got experience with them what kind of yield do you get per 3x3 area? I sog
 
DJXX

DJXX

Active member
Veteran
sir_dubington said:
Lol I clicked the link and up came some nightlights. I thought you were losing till I did another search. What size panels are you using? The 600w? What kinda coverage do you get and what average gpw if you don't mind me asking. Thanks for the info
Click to expand...
just hit the link and scroll down there are plenty of the Bigeyes..i have all of them but the 2 eye....between my buddy and i, i have bought 20 of them....all of them working perfect...i bet you could use the 4 eye and if not enough just add a 150 or two...good luck..DJXX
 
PetFlora

PetFlora

Well-known member
ICMag Donor
Veteran
sir_dubington said:
Oh wow so wheb you say 230w you mean actual right and not advertised? 750 isn't to bad. So I guess I could cover a 6x3 for $1500 isn't a bad starting place. You've got experience with them what kind of yield do you get per 3x3 area? I sog
Click to expand...

Go to my threads to see an entire grow
 
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