Best Growlight Currently Available?

[Hasch]

Turning the LEDs max 80% saves energy cost (since the efficiency increases when not turned up all the way) and let's the LEDs live longer...

 

[goingrey]

But more powerful lamps cost more to buy and also might not physically fit in a 2x2 tent.

 

[Lester Beans]

A 300 watt LED is plenty for a 2x2. The TSW is more than enough for a 4x4.

 

[pelonprojects]

From what I understand for Autos one can place more importance on DLI (daily light interval). So when providing those plants 18 to 23 h of light per day the matter of the intensity of the lights isn't as important since the plants "add up" the amount of Par they received in that day.
Imho for a 2x3 or 2x2 space an efficient lamp (LED) with ~200 - 275 w is sufficient.

I suggest you take a look at Sanlight, Swiss company.
For 2x2 maybe the Evo 3-60
and for 2x3 maybe Evo 4-80 or Evo 4-100

Thank you. so autos just worried about how much light they getting.
I took a look at them and it looks like there evo3-60 is running at about $420 usd and then the ts1000 is running at $120 usd.. the ev03 is obviously the higher end choice but i can buy 2 mars for the price of one evo. I am making this my hobby as i am loving learning about cultivating, so future grows are definitely in the plans. I perhaps can get away with increasing my tent space to a 3 x 3 x 6 but thats the most. I am growing inside my college dorm hehe

 

[pelonprojects]

2x2 is pretty small. Mind you don't knock that thing over.
Auto's are an odd breed. Just one might fill it, Or might just grow a lollipop. They offer no real control, as you don't decide when they have vegged enough. When you have got to grips with them, things get easier. However, I feel they are always a handicap. Perhaps the testing results from cups are a good guide. To me though, they are a niche product. Great outdoors. No commercial use indoors.

35w of LED per foot is a fair target. So a 150 would cut it. Though we don't really measure LED lights in power consumption terms. Unlike HID, all LED lights are not near equals.

Lets be more specific. A 2x2 will have a light unit that about fills it. If you can keep it at 12" from the plants, you just loose about 15% of the lights output. Fancy 650umol? You might want to buy 750. That's 750 per meter though, and you have about a third, so need 250umol from your light. A better light, will give 2.5umol/w so that bits easy.. 100w from a decent light.
That does seem a little low. Like 300w a meter. It's just an acceptable amount of light, if you can keep it close. I don't imagine a first run having an even profile though, or that a bit more light would be a bad thing either. You might look at a 120w QB, with the idea of repurposing it down the line somewhere. It's higher mounting needs, won't give appreciably more light in your 2x2 though. Neither option allows you to run the light around 80% power either, which is still quite high for many designs. With use at 100% just painful to think about, as the light ages far too fast. It really circles back to the idea of a 150w light. Which allows you to buy lights that can manage just 2umol/w, and turn them down a bit. Budget range stuff, but stick with brands.

I would buy a Mars. Really I would. It's a good starter light in this instance.

I wouldn't buy auto's. They need to come up at 100% speed, and stay there. It's not a job for someone new to LED, or a novice grower. Aren't you both?
Get a photoperiod plant. Get it up, get it healthy, then flower it when you are ready. Smoke the best varieties.

Thank you for your feedback. I see what you are saying, and as i near more and more to decision, I am seeing that the mars hydro is catching my eye because of that 5 yr warranty along with the information you provided. Would you recommend sourcing all equipment individually (tent, hvac unit, carbon filter, smaller equipment) or trusting acinfinity or mars hydro grow package offers? i am looking for the most light on my wallet but dependable.

i am growing autos because i read somewhere they will pop up no matter how bad you might mess up. Now that statement might be a stretch, but as a novice grower, it caught my attention because I was thinking well i can mess up pretty bad and at least i will get something from the experience with a auto. correct me if im wrong though, all this is very good info, thanks

 

[goingrey]

Thank you. so autos just worried about how much light they getting.
I took a look at them and it looks like there evo3-60 is running at about $420 usd and then the ts1000 is running at $120 usd.. the ev03 is obviously the higher end choice but i can buy 2 mars for the price of one evo. I am making this my hobby as i am loving learning about cultivating, so future grows are definitely in the plans. I perhaps can get away with increasing my tent space to a 3 x 3 x 6 but thats the most. I am growing inside my college dorm hehe

Make sure you leave room in your budget for a silencer lol.

 

[pelonprojects]

Marshydro makes a great product, just look around at all the successful grows on this site using Mars.

Any brand, just pick one, any LED light will be fine for a tiny tent and autos.

yes i read through a thread last night with a smart lad who compared the sf and mars hydro grow light with 8 seeds on each light. I was stunned by the results from both, but Mars Hydro did shut me up after i read that thread

 

[Hasch]

With autos one has no worries about the light cycle / duration to get them to flower and to keep them in there. Because of DLI one can get away with less light intensity...

But they are very sensitive!
Only low stress training (LST), if any.
No repotting! Seeds (after sprouting if you want) go straight into the final pot.

Since they are on an automatic flowering cycle any stress can lead to reduced harvest. They have no "spare time" to get back on track when stressed out. So part of their preset life span is lost if they decrease growth for some days after being stressed...

I also started with a less expensive grow light. So why not start with a current model from Mars ie.

In my eyes Mars Hydro and Sanlight could be compared to Ford and Mercedes...

If feasible I suggest you go for the 3 x 3.
An even light distribution across most of your grow space is also important (see the par charts of the lights).

Best of luck and have fun!

 

[pelonprojects]

Make sure you leave room in your budget for a silencer lol.

2x2 is pretty small. Mind you don't knock that thing over.
Auto's are an odd breed. Just one might fill it, Or might just grow a lollipop. They offer no real control, as you don't decide when they have vegged enough. When you have got to grips with them, things get easier. However, I feel they are always a handicap. Perhaps the testing results from cups are a good guide. To me though, they are a niche product. Great outdoors. No commercial use indoors.

35w of LED per foot is a fair target. So a 150 would cut it. Though we don't really measure LED lights in power consumption terms. Unlike HID, all LED lights are not near equals.

Lets be more specific. A 2x2 will have a light unit that about fills it. If you can keep it at 12" from the plants, you just loose about 15% of the lights output. Fancy 650umol? You might want to buy 750. That's 750 per meter though, and you have about a third, so need 250umol from your light. A better light, will give 2.5umol/w so that bits easy.. 100w from a decent light.
That does seem a little low. Like 300w a meter. It's just an acceptable amount of light, if you can keep it close. I don't imagine a first run having an even profile though, or that a bit more light would be a bad thing either. You might look at a 120w QB, with the idea of repurposing it down the line somewhere. It's higher mounting needs, won't give appreciably more light in your 2x2 though. Neither option allows you to run the light around 80% power either, which is still quite high for many designs. With use at 100% just painful to think about, as the light ages far too fast. It really circles back to the idea of a 150w light. Which allows you to buy lights that can manage just 2umol/w, and turn them down a bit. Budget range stuff, but stick with brands.

I would buy a Mars. Really I would. It's a good starter light in this instance.

I wouldn't buy auto's. They need to come up at 100% speed, and stay there. It's not a job for someone new to LED, or a novice grower. Aren't you both?
Get a photoperiod plant. Get it up, get it healthy, then flower it when you are ready. Smoke the best varieties.

soooo im surfing amazon and i ran into "RDJ bonus 2023 fresh 720w LED grow light for a 4x4" costing $350 usd with 2.4 umol/w . it also has a 5 yr warranty. If you tell me this is a steal, ill increase my tent to a 4 x 4, ill make it work

 

[JKD]

There is also Migro Aray, which is modular - so you can add another unit if you find you want more light.

 

[Hammerhead]

The new King on the block ?.. Is anyone running these yet?.. 1500 watts but it's pricy $2100

 

[Hasch]

RDJ bonus 2023 fresh 720w LED grow light for a 4x4" costing $350 usd with 2.4 umol/w

Idk about that company / light.
But please keep in mind that some vendors (or companies) might not publish reliable numbers for their lights...

Migro is imho a very honest and reputable company. If your budget allows I suggest you go for the Migro.

 

[pelonprojects]

With autos one has no worries about the light cycle / duration to get them to flower and to keep them in there. Because of DLI one can get away with less light intensity...

But they are very sensitive!
Only low stress training (LST), if any.
No repotting! Seeds (after sprouting if you want) go straight into the final pot.

Since they are on an automatic flowering cycle any stress can lead to reduced harvest. They have no "spare time" to get back on track when stressed out. So part of their preset life span is lost if they decrease growth for some days after being stressed...

I also started with a less expensive grow light. So why not start with a current model from Mars ie.

In my eyes Mars Hydro and Sanlight could be compared to Ford and Mercedes...

If feasible I suggest you go for the 3 x 3.
An even light distribution across most of your grow space is also important (see the par charts of the lights).

Best of luck and have fun!

thank you for your feedback !

There is also Migro Aray, which is modular - so you can add another unit if you find you want more light.

i was seeing his vids on youtube lol thank you

 

[goingrey]

soooo im surfing amazon and i ran into "RDJ bonus 2023 fresh 720w LED grow light for a 4x4" costing $350 usd with 2.4 umol/w . it also has a 5 yr warranty. If you tell me this is a steal, ill increase my tent to a 4 x 4, ill make it work

Looking at the vendor supplied charts, the comparable ones (12" / 30cm / 100% luminosity, left and bottom right)...

Seems like it produces less light with 720W than say the Mars Hydro TS 3000 does with 450W which actually costs less ($340).

Not a steal, more like a bad deal.

 

[JKD]

The new King on the block ?.. Is anyone running these yet?.. 1500 watts but it's pricy $2100

Direct competitor to Fohse maybe?

 

[pelonprojects]

Looking at the vendor supplied charts, the comparable ones (12" / 30cm / 100% luminosity, left and bottom right)...

View attachment 18870405

View attachment 18870404

Seems like it produces less light with 720W than say the Mars Hydro TS 3000 does with 450W which actually costs less ($340).

Not a steal, more like a bad deal.

i love everyone on this organization. Happy to be here, thank you so much for the feedback

 

[pelonprojects]

Looking at the vendor supplied charts, the comparable ones (12" / 30cm / 100% luminosity, left and bottom right)...

View attachment 18870405

View attachment 18870404

Seems like it produces less light with 720W than say the Mars Hydro TS 3000 does with 450W which actually costs less ($340).

Not a steal, more like a bad deal.

thank you for explaining tht with pics hehe visual learner here

 

[pelonprojects]

Direct competitor to Fohse maybe?

dang those are nice

 

[pelonprojects]

Looking at the vendor supplied charts, the comparable ones (12" / 30cm / 100% luminosity, left and bottom right)...

View attachment 18870405

View attachment 18870404

Seems like it produces less light with 720W than say the Mars Hydro TS 3000 does with 450W which actually costs less ($340).

Not a steal, more like a bad deal.

ts3000 better in light efficiency than the viparspectra too huh, the ks3000

 

[pelonprojects]

Thanks DaEarl73

I just looked them over. I didn't see anything to get excited about. They have jumped on the EVO wagon, which I think is a mistake. They reference a Korean study into leafy greens, that found the EVO better than standard white or burple. Samsung made the EVO for leafy greens, so it's really just confirmation of older studies that led their development. It's not a good reason for us to use them. They drop the red and pump up the blue, which goes against cannabis research. They do put the red back, which seemed a good idea two years ago, but we know now that blue should be about 5%. Any greater shows results best described as growth inhibiting. About 30% it really goes bad, which we don't see in these lights, but any move towards more blue, isn't following the latest science. Nor is it as effective as using your electric to make red. I forecast a rapid move away from the EVO in cannabis lighting.

In construction terms, the bar lights they like making, don't have heatsinks. The channel used is for support. If you look at these supports, you see they have their own internal ribs for rigidity. The width of these ribs suggest mechanical function, but not thermal. They are thinner than the outer shell. It's not good practice.

These sort of sourcing decisions, don't get me excited.

hello again hehe thank you for your input. Hey so how you feel about a progrow 1800 in 4 x 4? im going to have to reduce my queen bed to a twin in my dorm but i think its worth it after some research. IYO, which would you pick out of these :


progrow 1800
marshydro ts3000
marshydro fce48000
Migro chain

please help