Cheap LEd Lights?????

[Jamessingh]

Hello,

I would like to know what are the cheapest mid quality LED lights. Brand name does not matter.

Any links will help!!!

 

[az2000]

CMH is a better value proposition than cheap LED. You'll get more lumens, less heat, and lower initial cost.

LED isn't worth doing unless you're willing to pay for lights using Cree, Osram, Phillips diodes. If you're willing to DIY you can get a very good light for relatively low cost.

The Cree LED lightbulbs and PAR38 spots/floods sold at Home Depot work well and are about $1 per watt. I harvested this flowered under them. total 200w. A hassle managing all those bulbs. But, for a smaller plant (about 120w) it's not bad.

Why are you considering LED? What are you trying to accomplish that brought you to LED instead of T5HO or CMH? If it's efficiency and/or heat reduction, you'll need to spend $3 per watt (or do DIY) on Area 51 or Rapid/Onyx.

 

[majins]

Your plants are only as good as your light source.
Dont cheap out too much.

Expect Chinese ones to be 1/4 there rated wattage.
Decent ones 1/2 there rated wattage.
Diy one up to 3/4 there rated wattage if you drive them hard.

Have a read of my Ebay 900W cheap LED grow journal to see what to expect from a $260 LED.
If I was to start again Would of just gone with 4X cree 3070 DIY LEDs. Iv got 2 to supplement which will be turning on soon once flowing kicks in.

 

[az2000]

Expect Chinese ones to be 1/4 there rated wattage.
Decent ones 1/2 there rated wattage.
Diy one up to 3/4 there rated wattage if you drive them hard.

How hard the diodes are driven isn't indicative of quality or efficiency. Driving them less generates less heat, requiring less heat sink (or passive cooling with a large heatsink and no fan).
It's more a design consideration (the diode's performance characteristics and the expense of cooling them). There is probably a correlation between thoughtless design, the choice of epi-whatever diodes and poor lumens/watt efficiency.

They all feed together. If a light maker isn't going to choose Cree, Osram, Phillips, they probably aren't going to spend a lot of time on datasheets and performance evaluation. With epi-whatever diodes there's probably no datasheet.

There are Chinese lights driven at 60% but they're still inefficient. There are DIY Crees driven at 25% and they're still vastly more efficient. Area 51 is about 50% and it's among the most efficient LED fixtures available.

 

[jb4TWENTY]

this was grown under a 90$ ufo.. i think it was sold as "oceanRevive" but could never find one on their website and theres no logo on it either LMAO now i know its not the best biggest plant but its been topped a few times and cloned over 15 nd its only just about 2 months old

 

[az2000]

this was grown under a 90$ ufo.. i think it was sold as "oceanRevive" but could never find one on their website and theres no logo on it either LMAO now i know its not the best biggest plant but its been topped a few times and cloned over 15 nd its only just about 2 months old

It's not hard to veg cannabis. Where inexpensive Chinese epi-whatever diodes have trouble is flowering. You usually have to run 50w/sq ft which diminishes the point of using LED. (I.e., could just use CMH for that electrical cost and heat generation.).

There may be one exception. Inexpensive epi-whatever light seems to work well on smaller, shorter plants. I've done well with one in a 4' tall space. I did better adding some higher-quality Cree sidelighting. But, growing taller plants in a 7' tall tent, I haven't been impressed flowering under inexpensive epi-whatever light.

 

[CCCmints]

It's not hard to veg cannabis. Where inexpensive Chinese epi-whatever diodes have trouble is flowering. You usually have to run 50w/sq ft which diminishes the point of using LED. (I.e., could just use CMH for that electrical cost and heat generation.).

There may be one exception. Inexpensive epi-whatever light seems to work well on smaller, shorter plants. I've done well with one in a 4' tall space. I did better adding some higher-quality Cree sidelighting. But, growing taller plants in a 7' tall tent, I haven't been impressed flowering under inexpensive epi-whatever light.

i just got 2 of these in the mail http://www.ebay.com/itm/251617231138?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

i've only got 3 feet of height to work with. do you think i'll be ok vegging/flowering 2 plants under these lights?

 

[GrowUrOwnDank]

Consider doing this. For realz, from the very beginning.

Not gonna say it's the best stuff, but Mars makes some decent LEDs that will grow the dank.

 

[jb4TWENTY]

[QU000, post: 11472009, member: 705789"]It's not hard to veg cannabis. Where inexpensive Chinese epi-whatever diodes have trouble is flowering. You usually have to run 50w/sq ft which diminishes the point of using LED. (I.e., could just use CMH for that electrical cost and heat generation.).

There may be one exception. Inexpensive epi-whatever light seems to work well on smaller, shorter plants. I've done well with one in a 4' tall space. I did better adding some higher-quality Cree sidelighting. But, growing taller plants in a 7' tall tent, I haven't been impressed flowering under inexpensive epi-whatever light.[/QUOTE]
it flowered a male plant but.. it was a male no problems it was bushy as hell too.

 

[az2000]

i've only got 3 feet of height to work with. do you think i'll be ok vegging/flowering 2 plants under these lights?

It should be ok. I would have recommended Cree LED lightbulbs from Home Depot. It would run cooler, use less electricity. But, a Chinese import epi-whatever light will work in a short space. In that case 3w diodes and white backboard is appropriate. (5w and/or mounted in reflectors might be too intense for that height).

That light will cover about 1.5x2.5" at 48w/sq ft. The plants should be able to be 3-4" from the LED (after seedling which requires more distance). For short plants 40-45w sq/ft would be appropriate for that kind of light. (The Crees would be 30-35w.). So, 48w/sq ft is close. More is never bad.

 

[CCCmints]

It should be ok. I would have recommended Cree LED lightbulbs from Home Depot. It would run cooler, use less electricity. But, a Chinese import epi-whatever light will work in a short space. In that case 3w diodes and white backboard is appropriate. (5w and/or mounted in reflectors might be too intense for that height).

That light will cover about 1.5x2.5" at 48w/sq ft. The plants should be able to be 3-4" from the LED (after seedling which requires more distance). For short plants 40-45w sq/ft would be appropriate for that kind of light. (The Crees would be 30-35w.). So, 48w/sq ft is close. More is never bad.

well my space is 1.25'W x 3'L x 2.5'H so it seems i should do alright with 2 plants under 2 lights. i'm gonna journal the grow so everyone will be able to see what these lights can do. i'm pretty excited.

Consider doing this. For realz, from the very beginning.

Not gonna say it's the best stuff, but Mars makes some decent LEDs that will grow the dank.

i will for sure be doing some lst and maybe even a little scrog but haven't decided yet.

 

[az2000]

well my space is 1.25'W x 3'L x 2.5'H so it seems i should do alright with 2 plants under 2 lights.

2.5' tall is pretty short for those lights. You need some space above for ventilation. 3" below for space to the canopy. You'll definitely need to mainline/train them.

1.25 x 3 is 3.75 sq. ft. If you use both fixtures (175w actual per fixture) that will be 93w/sq ft. That's way too much. You'll only need 1 fixture in that space which would be 46w/sq ft -- too much for the size (height) of plants you'll grow, but not insanely too much.

For your space it would have been better to have two 85w (actual) UFOs for better coverage. But, one of your fixtures should be ok. Unless you need to raise it higher than 2.5' to get it to cover 1.25x3. (That's where 2 fixtures make it easier to cover the space. But, not two of the fixtures you have.).

 

[CCCmints]

2.5' tall is pretty short for those lights. You need some space above for ventilation. 3" below for space to the canopy. You'll definitely need to mainline/train them.

1.25 x 3 is 3.75 sq. ft. If you use both fixtures (175w actual per fixture) that will be 93w/sq ft. That's way too much. You'll only need 1 fixture in that space which would be 46w/sq ft -- too much for the size (height) of plants you'll grow, but not insanely too much.

For your space it would have been better to have two 85w (actual) UFOs for better coverage. But, one of your fixtures should be ok. Unless you need to raise it higher than 2.5' to get it to cover 1.25x3. (That's where 2 fixtures make it easier to cover the space. But, not two of the fixtures you have.).

i haven't decided how i'm going to train them yet. its gonna be either mainline or scrog. and i'm more looking at lumens/sq. ft. than watts/sq. ft. with two lights i'm at about 3800 lumens/sq. ft. which is perfectly fine. this definitely isn't too much light for my cab. as long as i can manage the temperatures, which i think i can, i should be alright.

 

[az2000]

with two lights i'm at about 3800 lumens/sq. ft. which is perfectly fine. this definitely isn't too much light for my cab

Lumen is a measure of light visible to the human eye. Your lights are red/blue, not white like in modern, higher-efficiency grow lights. (That's because they're Chinese imports using epi-whatever diodes. Epistar whites aren't very good.). So, I'm not sure how lumens applies.

But, I assure you 93w/sq ft is beyond excessive. Especially for only 2.5' of height. If you were growing 5' tall plants 60-70w/sq ft would be past the point of diminishing returns.

Nothing wrong with trying something different, learning things yourself. All I can say is

- W/sq ft is the most common way sizing light to a space.
- People who use epi-whatever diodes tend to be in the 30-40 range for a short space like that. 20-30 with efficient diodes. Even in a tall tent they wouldn't get anywhere near 93.
- What you're talking about exceeds HPS in a tall tent (by at least 30%).​

Good luck!

 

[King Arthur]

Go to ebay and type in "vipar led grow light" now find the 600w that is like 210 shipped and buy that. You won't be disappointed, get two if you want to cover a decent area. I have all kinds of LEDs, Vipar is good, Mars is good, advancedled is great but expensive, and random ebay chinese ufos have worked great.

Don't listen to all the hub bub that they don't work, I have had my panels for over a year and a half and they all work.

 

[CCCmints]

Lumen is a measure of light visible to the human eye. Your lights are red/blue, not white like in modern, higher-efficiency grow lights. (That's because they're Chinese imports using epi-whatever diodes. Epistar whites aren't very good.). So, I'm not sure how lumens applies.

But, I assure you 93w/sq ft is beyond excessive. Especially for only 2.5' of height. If you were growing 5' tall plants 60-70w/sq ft would be past the point of diminishing returns.

Nothing wrong with trying something different, learning things yourself. All I can say is

- W/sq ft is the most common way sizing light to a space.
- People who use epi-whatever diodes tend to be in the 30-40 range for a short space like that. 20-30 with efficient diodes. Even in a tall tent they wouldn't get anywhere near 93.
- What you're talking about exceeds HPS in a tall tent (by at least 30%).​

Good luck!

so what problems will arise from me using this much light in this small of a space? i appreciate all your input.

 

[az2000]

so what problems will arise from me using this much light in this small of a space? i appreciate all your input.

I don't know if you'll have a problem. Possible problems are bleached leaves/buds. Or, an mg def (mg def seems to be common with LEDs, especially the older non white lights.). You already mentioned heat.

Why do you want to supply that much light? One fixture puts you on the high side of optimal for that height. The only reason I can think you'd use two is if one fixture doesn't cover your space from that height. But, that's a pretty stiff solution doing as much or more w/sq ft than many HPS users do in 7' tall tents.

My concern is that you'll have a bad experience and consider it representative of LED. Chinese import epi-whatever lights aren't the best. People buy those and then are disappointed when it doesn't work well with a 5' tall plant. Then they start saying LED sucks. You should be ok because you're growing short plants. But, I'm afraid you'll have problems with 93w/sq ft and then be disappointed with LED when 35-40 would have been fine (and you would have been at 46 with one fixture).

I guess that's the unanswered question: How does one light cover your space?

If one light doesn't cover your space, maybe the solution would be to use a $25 LED-compatible dimmer (Home Depot) to dim your fixtures. Use two fixtures but cut them back to half the output?

You could ask if it's harmful to use a household wall-dimmer on an LED grow light in the Indoor->LED forum. (You could ask on the MarsHydro support forum on 420mag, but I don't think I'd trust that answer. They may advise against it just because they don't want any complaints arising from "creative" use. The experts here would be a better source.).

 

[CCCmints]

I don't know if you'll have a problem. Possible problems are bleached leaves/buds. Or, an mg def (mg def seems to be common with LEDs, especially the older non white lights.). You already mentioned heat.

Why do you want to supply that much light? One fixture puts you on the high side of optimal for that height. The only reason I can think you'd use two is if one fixture doesn't cover your space from that height. But, that's a pretty stiff solution doing as much or more w/sq ft than many HPS users do in 7' tall tents.

My concern is that you'll have a bad experience and consider it representative of LED. Chinese import epi-whatever lights aren't the best. People buy those and then are disappointed when it doesn't work well with a 5' tall plant. Then they start saying LED sucks. You should be ok because you're growing short plants. But, I'm afraid you'll have problems with 93w/sq ft and then be disappointed with LED when 35-40 would have been fine (and you would have been at 46 with one fixture).

I guess that's the unanswered question: How does one light cover your space?

If one light doesn't cover your space, maybe the solution would be to use a $25 LED-compatible dimmer (Home Depot) to dim your fixtures. Use two but cut them back to half the output?

You could ask if it's harmful to use a household wall-dimmer on an LED grow light in the Indoor->LED forum. (You could ask on the MarsHydro support forum on 420mag, but I don't think I'd trust that answer. They may advise against it just because they don't want any complaints arising from "creative" use. The experts here would be a better source.).

I

well i already bought the lights so i'm just going to try growing with both of them and see what happens. i don't see an issue with using both of them if i can manage the heat. two lights covers my entire space and one would not. i will definitely look into the dimmers. using a dimmer might be what i need to do for this grow. thanks for all the input brother.

 

[testiclees]

guys

When my mars lamp broke and i had to switch lights. i ended up getting an optic vero. i had a thread going at 420mag at that time.

i mentioned the light and posted a few pics in my journal.
I was stunned when i received this message from the moderator:

"This message is to inform you that your thread entitled, "Utopia Haze & JackBerry - Mad Scientist Kit Soil - Generic LED - Flowering Phase" has been deleted.

We apologize for the inconvenience, however due to numerous spam attempts from non-sponsored LED companies, grow journals showcasing non-sponsored LED lights are prohibited. Reason being, in the past re-sellers pretending to be members, have sidestepped sponsorship by posting numerous journals on various websites. This is not fair to our Sponsors who pay for this privilege, plus it sets the wrong example to others who may follow that lead. It's unfortunate that a few bad seeds have ruined this sharing of information and we're not accusing you of doing this, however we must apply our guidelines uniformly to everyone. "

Am i over reacting or are those the words of a spineless asshole?

 

[majins]

I got the same thing from them.
Havnt been back.