Which would you choose and why?

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EssentialEvil

New Member
I am looking to build my first grow tent soon. I only want 3 plants max and they will be autoflowering. I'm thinking soil/perlite with 3 gallon pots. I only want one light for an 18/6 or 20/4 cycle, my budget is really around 200$ and while I plan on building my tent from scratch I really do not want to make my own led light just yet. I can spend as much as 500$ if needed.
Here's what I've selected so far as possible candidates based on the threads I've looked at (there is literally so much on this website)

http://www.gogreenleds.com/store/p2/200W_4_COB_CXB3070_Grow_Light.html
http://www.tastyled.com/Tasty-T1-2100-LED-Grow-Light-p/t1-1750l.htm
http://johnsongrowlights.com/index.php?id_product=11&controller=product
http://timbergrowlights.com/cxb200-cob-led-grow-light/
Mars 2 700w - http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/171620286452?lpid=82&chn=ps&ul_noapp=true

I was also looking at these but I am uncertain of their quality because of how inexpensive they are

Wellpar 900w LED 200usd - http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/171904973706?lpid=82&chn=ps&ul_noapp=true
SunSpect 900w LED 200usd - http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/281788028343?lpid=82&chn=ps&ul_noapp=true

those two look exactly alike?

I also see a ton of these, only 130usd 600w Cree Chip no brand name? - http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/222053080214?lpid=82&chn=ps&ul_noapp=true

If that 130$ one is legit I would love to start with that.. but I would appreciate any help on selecting the right prebuilt led panel for me :)

I think my grow tent is going to be like 2.5 x 2.5 x 7 - I think 3 plants would fit in there nicely, not sure though.
I am also not sure if I'm doing the calculation correctly for calculating how many watts I need for that space. Is it just 2.5x2.5x50? so 300w, and I read a couple times that most led lights operate at like 50-60% efficiency, so 600-700w led for me?
 
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BOBBY_G

BOBBY_G

Well-Known Member
if youre even remotely handy, the easiest DIY youre gonna find is the cutter mau5 kit which is just over $400

and then drop $100 on a T5 for veg

craigslist is a great place to find old HIDs and T5s

you get what you pay for with LEDs- id stay away from those cheap ebay lights
 
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churchhaze

Well-Known Member
BOBBY_G said:
if youre even remotely handy, the easiest DIY youre gonna find is the cutter mau5 kit which is just over $400

and then drop $100 on a T5 for veg

craigslist is a great place to find old HIDs and T5s

you get what you pay for with LEDs- id stay away from those cheap ebay lights
Click to expand...
T5 for veg??? You're better off going HID for flowering and LED for veg.

Veg is the low hanging fruit where LED makes the most sense. (on 18 to 24 hours a day and thus a better investment than a lamp only on 12-13 hours a day)

This is what you should do with T5:

https://www.rollitup.org/t/smashing-fluorescent-lamps.864130/
 
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churchhaze

Well-Known Member
EssentialEvil said:
I read a couple times that most led lights operate at like 50-60% efficiency, so 600-700w led for me?
Click to expand...
Most LEDs on the market are more like 15-25% efficiency. By contrast, a fresh 600W HPS lamp is more like 36%. Only the best leds are 50-60% efficiency.

Imo, the most economical way to grow (at least at the moment) for most people is HPS for flowering and a 50-60% lamp for veg.
 
BOBBY_G

BOBBY_G

Well-Known Member
churchhaze said:
T5 for veg??? You're better off going HID for flowering and LED for veg.

Veg is the low hanging fruit where LED makes the most sense. (on 18 to 24 hours a day and thus a better investment than a lamp only on 12-13 hours a day)
Click to expand...
i gotta respectfully disagree as both the square footage and intensity of a veg room is so much reduced relative to flowering. a 400W t5 can veg enough plants to fill a 2000W flowering area in many cases. OP would need one $50-$100 4 tube fixture for both cloning and vegging to feed his flowering room.

remember the budget is $500 or less
 
KarmaPaymentPlan

KarmaPaymentPlan

Well-Known Member
BOBBY_G said:
i gotta respectfully disagree as both the square footage and intensity of a veg room is so much reduced relative to flowering. a 400W t5 can veg enough plants to fill a 2000W flowering area in many cases. OP would need one $50-$100 4 tube fixture for both cloning and vegging to feed his flowering room.

remember the budget is $500 or less
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i think you missed the point about using LED for veg as it would save him more money fro sure
t5 is outdated and i hated always buying bulbs thats why fixtures are practically given away
 
BOBBY_G

BOBBY_G

Well-Known Member
sure but expect to spend $200 on a GOOD led setup (2 x 6500K 3590s, 200W driver, cpu coolers). doesnt leave him much of a budget for flowering setup with a total budget of $200-$500
 
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