Avoid this cheapo company

[wh1p3dm34t]

kool if you figured it out, great
this problem is quite common and problem is always, somehow the cables of led zero gets voltage

 

[Gry]

You can have the same parts and have loose connections, loose screws, poor solder, just plain poor build with one company such as Mars. Or far less chance of this such as the reputation of hlg

But they don’t lol. I bet mars has a much higher failure rate than HLG. But to your point, let’s assume they do. Once failure occurs, what happens next ?

In my case, Mars Hydro resolved the issue well and I am fully satisfied.
Were I in the market, I would have no qualms buying another Mars Hydro product.
I would also consider a Spider Farmer product, based solely on the review of Ringodoggie.
Over the years his reviews have been well balanced, and rational. Which makes his reviews an
asset and a positive contribution to the community here.
As opposed to the bets, and unfounded claims and assumptions you offered this thread.
In communicating with the OP, I have come to understand that Mars offered him the same as
they did me. The difference being that I have a background in service and warranty, and
I was comfortable with the resolution Mars Hydro offered, where the OP was not.

 

[eastcoastjoe]

As opposed to the bets, and unfounded claims and assumptions you offered this thread.

All the input I have offered here is based on personal experience.

 

[eastcoastjoe]

The difference being that I have a background in service and warranty, and
I was comfortable with the resolution Mars Hydro offered, where the OP was not.

That is what separates the industry leaders versus hack companies selling the lies of warranty.
What good would a car warranty do if they only covered parts that needed to be replaced by the owner ? To the mechanic, not a huge issue. To the average car owner, it’s a problem.

 

[exploziv]

I tried the light on another outlet with the timer and it's the extension cord who is fucked up, I'll buy a new one asap. thanks for this, it was bugging me to see this and it"s certainly not very safe.

My guess is you just had to plug the light or extension cord 180 degrees turned into the timer/outlet. Residual voltage can happen even from cables winding too much around eachother into the walls. Most timers don't cut both wires, just one. Turn the plug the other way (so that the timer cuts the other wire) and it's solved in 90% of cases.
With non-reversible plugs that have 3 prongs, there is 50% chance to fix it with new extension cord or other outlet.

 

[kro-magnon]

I think I will buy a new extension cord because the one I have is really old now and I have a non-reversible plug. I prefer to spend a few € to have peace of mind and being safer.

 

[All Cacti Are Beautiful]

I don't remember where I read it but instead of a mechanical timer it was advised to use an electronic one. Apparently the mechanical timer doesn't fully stop all electrical current when turned off. For non led this is too little energy but leds could get enough to stay slightly lit, which could obviously lead to undesired effects in bloom.

 

[kro-magnon]

I don't remember where I read it but instead of a mechanical timer it was advised to use an electronic one. Apparently the mechanical timer doesn't fully stop all electrical current when turned off. For non led this is too little energy but leds could get enough to stay slightly lit, which could obviously lead to undesired effects in bloom.

So far I have had no problem with the mechanical timer and my LED in the flower space, it is totally off when it should.

 

[MD84]

there is a reason that people bash chinese products.... thats because 99pct of em (or 98pct) SUCK

In my case, Mars Hydro resolved the issue well and I am fully satisfied.
Were I in the market, I would have no qualms buying another Mars Hydro product.
I would also consider a Spider Farmer product, based solely on the review of Ringodoggie.
Over the years his reviews have been well balanced, and rational. Which makes his reviews an
asset and a positive contribution to the community here.
As opposed to the bets, and unfounded claims and assumptions you offered this thread.
In communicating with the OP, I have come to understand that Mars offered him the same as
they did me. The difference being that I have a background in service and warranty, and
I was comfortable with the resolution Mars Hydro offered, where the OP was not.

Another difference is the fact i'm in a wheelchair and i told thee people sending me dimmers doesn't really help a great deal. I really needed something to just plug and go. I was even willing at the time to buy more lights from them at a 50% discount provided i could have the option to upgrade to something newer and more up to date. They refused all options except what suited them. So for me it isn't just how they dealt with the issue. It's also the fact that one arose in the first place. Which seems all too common with their products

 

[LostTribe]

Where is the issue with the dimmers going on the fritz coming from? My fc-e4800 just started doing it. I only used it 2 runs of 90 days each.

Really concerning as it seems like it could catch fire!

 

[exploziv]

The potentiometers seem to have been cheap and the contact material inside them wears out so the signal is stopped or jumps from low to high when moving the potentiometer.
If the problems you encouter seem to be related to moving the phisical potentiometer, best bet is to replace it. Altrough usually you can still use the light at a fixed power point where the potentiometer still works. Or at 100%, without using the potentiometer circuit of the dimmer.

 

[Grow44DE]

My fc-e4800 just started doing it.

the mechanical dimmer or the digital?

 

[LostTribe]

the mechanical dimmer or the digital?

the mechanical dial. The off switch is also no longer functioning.

 

[LostTribe]

I can't run small veg plants on 100% with LED. I am very unhappy with this and very scared its going to catch on fire!

My cheapo 250w alibaba hlg knock off qb is still running strong, but it has a decent Meanwell driver. This driver on the mars seems cheap.

 

[Prs2xs]

I have recently had a problem with the dimmer on one of my sp6500 lights. The daisy chain configuration ceased to work and the dimmer on one of the lights quit working. If you unplug from the daisy chain it goes to 100%, which is way too high.
I contacted Mars, and I ended up having to buy a new driver/dimmer combo, which appears to be some cheap off brand driver with a mars logo on it - my original driver was an inventronics. I am not totally satisfied with the solution. I have 6 mars, 1 Fluence and 1 photobio - when the mars need replacement, I don't think it will be with another mars.

 

[Gry]

Given that competition on lights is what it is, it stands to reason that they would want to go with
less expensive components, but that sure can back fire.
I can recall when Mars was touting their use of Meanwell as a sales point.
I have no idea how long the lights last on an average, but am pretty sure that it is short sighted to
wring out a single profit on a product when it is one that will be repurchased several times.
I would think that the way to go would be with a quality product that people could be comfortable
buying again.

 

[RequiredUsername]

The situation is always evolving.
Needed a seedling/veg light. Ended up going with viparspectra and am satisfied. The thing is, LED manufacturers are putting out new stuff all the time. You have to see what's available and compare when you buy. 6 months from now all your comparisons need to be re-examined because something is upgraded or the new model is there.

I actually caught an older molder before it was sold out, and the new "upgraded" version had a much worse power rating. It went from a B to a D. So I snapped up the more efficient light before it was phased out. I should have got 2. Mars was in the comparison, but was quickly outed. Third party testing noticed power drop after warming up. It would start at full power then drop to 90 percent. Even though Mars didnt have what I needed for that situation, I'm glad they are out there competing.