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Off the shelf retail store screw-in LED and CFL bulb comparisons

BruceBanner

Well-known member
Veteran
Welp boys we finally did it. We finally broke the 1gpw barrier. I can't believe it TBH.

My last run was 107.6G dry with 4 plants in 2gal grow bags under 94.5w of screw-in LED's.

This is only my 3rd run with them, and it's enough to say they destroy any 150w HPS or any combination of CFL's.

Didn't take any pics due to my chaotic traveling lifestyle, but I can assure you this was the best yield I have ever had, CFL, HPS, anything in the past 8+ years.

Also have my 51w tent drying and it looks to be around 2oz as well.

Very impressed.

Hey Froggy that's great! :) I think maybe also the secret to have even more is to find the best height distance for LEDs, what do you think, what's your LED distance from buds, and do you keep it constant in flowering?
 
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brown_thumb

Active member
@brown_thumb, and anyone else who bought the ebay gro lights that really aren't, I got them to refund the money. Besides the spectrum being worthless, the wattage is not as advertised, so after some hemming and hawing, it was pretty easy. The vendor says they are going to pull the listing, and destroy the bulbs on hand, lol!

I'm sure I've had mine too long to get a refund. How long did you have yours before requesting a refund?
 

Terpene

I love the smell of cannabis in the morning
Veteran
Hey Blynx, good to see you're alive. :D

In another thread we were discussing the value of pro/pink LED panels versus screw in LED. Does anyone else have both pink lights and screw in LEDs that could do a side by side run (with clones) to show if you get better output / terp / trich density with the high wattage professional panels?

I've already done similar with my Blackstar 240w versus my 145w screw in array, but I feel like the 240w is just too wimpy to compete. Here are two slightly different phenos of Purple Haze Malawi x Napalm from seed:

Blackstar 5 weeks
picture.php


Screw in 5 weeks
picture.php


Blackstar 13 week chop
picture.php


Screw in 10 week chop
picture.php


Now this is hardly scientific - these two phenos are a bit different, the one under the Blackstar was a bit more haze leaning and the one under the screw ins more malawi, but I think the 5 week shot really gets the point across. My 240w blackstar tends to produce slightly fluffier (but quite nice) buds while the screw ins (@ 20w per sqft) are dense and meaty.

So with that - anyone with a 400+ watt pro LED panel want to do a side by side?
 

TheScrogFrog

Active member
Hey Froggy that's great! :) I think maybe also the secret to have even more is to find the best height distance for LEDs, what do you think, what's your LED distance from buds, and do you keep it constant in flowering?

Thanks!

I keep my LED's maybe 4-6" off the tops. Haven't really measured, I just raise them until the light looks like its spreading nicely on the plant. If the bulb is close enough that it's make the bud "glow" from the light reflection, it's too damn close.
 

BruceBanner

Well-known member
Veteran
Here are mine, 2 Oaxacans under 100W

33aqrlg.jpg


24brmtd.jpg



SugarLoaf/Panama/Queen Mother under about 170-180W (Panama is very N hungry)

scysrd.jpg



Lilly under 50-60W

zn3rer.jpg


she is going to be the biggest yielder because I didn't fuked her up with late rootbound consecutive small pots transplanting and underwatering

Just started to feed them (except Lilly) for the first time couple of days ago, with water diluted japanese quail shit, and next day the buds exploded, so its maybe a great flowering fertilizer, NPK ratio is good for that I think.
 
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HorseBadoritiz

Active member
I'm sure I've had mine too long to get a refund. How long did you have yours before requesting a refund?

3-4 weeks, I think. It can't hurt to try... they don't want bad feedback, and the not as advertised thing can screw them with ebay.

They tried to negotiate, $10 refund, then $15 and I wouldn't have to send the lights back. They even said there was something wrong with the "testing machine" at the factory, lol! Just keep saying they are not as advertised, especially the wattage.

I didn't have to send them back, either.
 

brown_thumb

Active member
3-4 weeks, I think. It can't hurt to try... they don't want bad feedback, and the not as advertised thing can screw them with ebay.

They tried to negotiate, $10 refund, then $15 and I wouldn't have to send the lights back. They even said there was something wrong with the "testing machine" at the factory, lol! Just keep saying they are not as advertised, especially the wattage.

I didn't have to send them back, either.

I've had mine for months. It's too late to leave negative feedback or file a "Not As Described" case. I'll check to be sure.

This REALLY hurts me because I paid over $15 each for a case of 20 lamps. On my very meager income that's a very large loss.
 

shigoga

New member
@brown_thumb, and anyone else who bought the ebay gro lights that really aren't, I got them to refund the money. Besides the spectrum being worthless, the wattage is not as advertised, so after some hemming and hawing, it was pretty easy. The vendor says they are going to pull the listing, and destroy the bulbs on hand, lol!

I'm sure I've had mine too long to get a refund. How long did you have yours before requesting a refund?

3-4 weeks, I think. It can't hurt to try... they don't want bad feedback, and the not as advertised thing can screw them with ebay.

They tried to negotiate, $10 refund, then $15 and I wouldn't have to send the lights back. They even said there was something wrong with the "testing machine" at the factory, lol! Just keep saying they are not as advertised, especially the wattage.

I didn't have to send them back, either.

LOL i had the exact same convo with them, same claims from them that my spectrometer might not be accurate, anyways i ended up agreeing to the $15 refund they offered.. should have haggled more i guess..
 

Dakine

Active member
Veteran
Argo430, isnt 1400ppm about 2.8ec? Your plants didnt show any toxicity issues after you upped your feed to that? I started getting problems even at 2.0ec..
 

argo430

Member
Veteran
i don't believe that reading. I was having problems with my meter it would not hold a calibration. I should have corrected my post.
 

Xanode

Member
What color temperature should be used for these bulbs in veg? I know warm white is a given for bloom but for veg, should i go cool white as i would for a cfl?
 

Rick C-137

Member
Thinking about replacing 96W of CFL with 6500K LEDs. How much wattage in LEDs do you think is necessary?

I figure I have about 400W+ equivalent now, so 6 or 7 LEDs if they're 60W equivalent.
 
S

sillyhead123

I always thought that since cfl waste 2/3 of their Lumens going up and out the side, you can run 1/3 the amount since they will be aimed down directly?

So in a Micro grow you an go from 3 23w cfl =69w, to literally 1 15w led?

Which way of mounting them for saving height?
 
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doams

Member
you can leave tose cfls in there and add like 2 leds and just hang those leds in there think it would be beneficial
and replace cfls when you have new led lights ready and assembled..

there are sockets that you can hang or you can buy normal e27 socket and t will hang on the calbe thats not that expensive maybe 10usd with 8w led bulbs maybe even cheaper..

leds are just so good lol.
 

Chevy cHaze

Out Of Dankness Cometh Light
ICMag Donor
Veteran
What color temperature should be used for these bulbs in veg? I know warm white is a given for bloom but for veg, should i go cool white as i would for a cfl?

You can use warm 2700k for everything or if you want use cooler color temps like 6000k for veg and then switch to 2700k for bloom....
The color spectrum is NOT the most important thing with these little LED bulbs. As long as you check every important wavelength, their intensity makes up for it.
 

SamsonsRiddle

Active member
You can use warm 2700k for everything or if you want use cooler color temps like 6000k for veg and then switch to 2700k for bloom....
The color spectrum is NOT the most important thing with these little LED bulbs. As long as you check every important wavelength, their intensity makes up for it.
i asked this a couple pages back, but what is the appropriate distance of 6500k 16w led's (100 watt equivalent) from vegging plants? i have 2 of them with the plastic cover removed.
 
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