Light advice for a 32"x32"x63" tent

[Rootz707]

Hey everyone just looking for advice and information in regard to the best light for my tent. I have not set anything up yet but wanna get the right stuff for when I do. Right now I am planning on getting a 32"x32"x63" tent that I plan to start a 2-4 plant grow. Now my question is should I aim for the highest output such as the Mieemclux 1500w LED or other 2000w lights I found or what? just want to grow the most fire weed I can possibly grow in my small space. Thanks.

 

[TintEastwood]

135W QB® V2 Rspec® LED Kit

Ultra High Efficiency LED Boards for DIY. QB288 has 288pcs Samsung LM301H LED. 135 Watt Lamp Kit.

horticulturelightinggroup.com

 

[shimbob]

That's about 7 square feet of space, go with the 260W HLG light

 

[Sleazyb]

I'd get a 400 watt hps or a 315 cmh would be best

 

[Rootz707]

I do not want a HPS or HID lighting system. Not what I am looking for, really like to just invest in something I can plug n' go due to I just want a very stealthy grow for personal & medical use for my wife and I.

 

[PJ Diaz]

I do not want a HPS or HID lighting system. Not what I am looking for, really like to just invest in something I can plug n' go due to I just want a very stealthy grow for personal & medical use for my wife and I.

Plug and go? How is an LED system going to be any more plug and go than a HID system? You will still need ventilation either way.

 

[Big Green Thumb]

That's about 7 square feet of space, go with the 260W HLG light

This.

You want at least 30 watts per square ft of <quality> LED lighting. An HLG 260w setup would be great in there. Or the mentioned CMH 315. That Mieemclux 1500w is NOT 1500 watts, it is not equivalent to 1500 watts and is a perfect example of shitty, dishonest, and misleading marketing. It is listed as 260 actual watts, which may or may not be accurate. It is NOT a high efficiency LED light, it is more along the efficiency equivalent of HID lighting. While the HLG and Mieemclux are both 260 watts, the HLG will put out close to TWICE the light as the crappy led. Don't believe the Amazon reviews of the cheapo light. Don't think it is in the same league as HLG or Timber. Don't believe or regurgitate how much better the spectrum is on that off brand LED. Yes a quality LED is a lot more money, but you may as well burn dollar bills for light to grow weed plants as buy that Mie... tire of typing that stupid brand name. You will be replacing that junk in 1 grow anyway if it makes it through a full grow.

A 315 watt CMH light, while not an led would kill that Mieemclux 1500w . Kill it, like the Mieemclux 1500w brought a spoon to a gunfight. An HLG 260 would also absolutely destroy that generic Chinese light.

Buy once, cry once.

EDIT: Sorry if that came across dickish. I get so tired of new growers falling for the bullshit claims and marketing of Chinese lights. I truly meant the post to be helpful.

 

[Moflow]

@Rootz707

https://diyleduk.com/collections/samsung-strip-kits/products/scope-275-samsung-strip-kit-dimmable?variant=29506308702291

@diyled also sells parts for DIY and light kits you build yourself.

I used something similar in an 80x80 tent. An hlg 240h 48A. Maxed out it gives 270 wall watts.
I found running 200 watts in that space was ideal for me.
An hlg 185h 48A driver would probably do the job nicely. Max watts around 220 watts
The strips will give you the best, even spread of light for your area

 

[Moflow]

 

[Big Green Thumb]

I am running my little 2'x3' grow a little harder using an HLG-240h-1750 to 3 quantum boards at 285 watts (Timber built this light for me). My plants are 7 weeks from seed, 2 strains, several different phenos, 12/12 from seed. You can see a big difference in heights here which isn't ideal, but this is a pheno hunt run that I took 3 clones from each plant for next run. The tallest plant is 34" tall and now only 5 inches from the boards.

 

[Rootz707]

This.

You want at least 30 watts per square ft of <quality> LED lighting. An HLG 260w setup would be great in there. Or the mentioned CMH 315. That Mieemclux 1500w is NOT 1500 watts, it is not equivalent to 1500 watts and is a perfect example of shitty, dishonest, and misleading marketing. It is listed as 260 actual watts, which may or may not be accurate. It is NOT a high efficiency LED light, it is more along the efficiency equivalent of HID lighting. While the HLG and Mieemclux are both 260 watts, the HLG will put out close to TWICE the light as the crappy led. Don't believe the Amazon reviews of the cheapo light. Don't think it is in the same league as HLG or Timber. Don't believe or regurgitate how much better the spectrum is on that off brand LED. Yes a quality LED is a lot more money, but you may as well burn dollar bills for light to grow weed plants as buy that Mie... tire of typing that stupid brand name. You will be replacing that junk in 1 grow anyway if it makes it through a full grow.

A 315 watt CMH light, while not an led would kill that Mieemclux 1500w . Kill it, like the Mieemclux 1500w brought a spoon to a gunfight. An HLG 260 would also absolutely destroy that generic Chinese light.

Buy once, cry once.

EDIT: Sorry if that came across dickish. I get so tired of new growers falling for the bullshit claims and marketing of Chinese lights. I truly meant the post to be helpful.

Its all good my friend, I appreciate any good advice, the Mieemclux 1500w was an example and after doing more research I would not buy that thing for sure.

How much is the setup your talking about? $150-200 is my budget for a light, and I really only want to grow 2-3 plants at a time should I find a different size tent and if so what size? (have not purchased any yet)

 

[Rootz707]

@Rootz707

https://diyleduk.com/collections/samsung-strip-kits/products/scope-275-samsung-strip-kit-dimmable?variant=29506308702291

@diyled also sells parts for DIY and light kits you build yourself.

I used something similar in an 80x80 tent. An hlg 240h 48A. Maxed out it gives 270 wall watts.
I found running 200 watts in that space was ideal for me.
An hlg 185h 48A driver would probably do the job nicely. Max watts around 220 watts
The strips will give you the best, even spread of light for your area

thank man I will have to look into the prices, that the main hold up for picking a light right now, I appreciate the info!

 

[Big Green Thumb]

Its all good my friend, I appreciate any good advice, the Mieemclux 1500w was an example and after doing more research I would not buy that thing for sure.

How much is the setup your talking about? $150-200 is my budget for a light, and I really only want to grow 2-3 plants at a time should I find a different size tent and if so what size? (have not purchased any yet)

The closest to your budget lighting from the upper tier/super high quality lights are these:

Model 2VL

This LED light fixture features Bridgelux Vero29 COBs and a Meanwell driver. Remote driver placement helps with managing heat and custom color temperatures are available. Innovative design for covering up to 6 square feet and small grow areas.

timbergrowlights.com

This would be the minimum amount of wattage I would suggest in your 7 sq ft tent. 210 watts of high quality cobs gives you 30 watts per square foot. The fixture is completely assembled and ready to go. Just plug it in. $279

260W QB V1 LED Kit

High Efficiency LED Boards for DIY. QB288 has 288pcs Samsung 561C for 5000K or Lumileds 2835HE for 3000K

horticulturelightinggroup.com

This quantum board light is not their newest design, but is still very good. 260 watts is 37 watts per sq ft for you, which may even be more than you actually need but the light is dimmable if you needed to turn it down. Keep in mind I am running 285 watts of qb's in my 6 sq ft with no problems. This is a kit which requires a few minutes for you to assemble. $279

IMHO, those are the best lights from reputable companies that will be around if there is ever a problem. If you can afford either of them, I would do that. Other options include building your own light using led strips, cobs, or quantum boards. This may require you to do some learnin' to understand how to design and build your own -- but this isn't rocket science. Maybe contact @CobKits for some ideas if you decide to DIY.

You can also look into Chinese lights that are knockoffs of quantum boards fixtures, but keep in mind they probably are not exactly what they claim they are and they will ghost you if you contact them if something goes wrong with your light.

Unfortunately, quality costs money. Buy once, cry once.

 

[ismann]

It really is "buy once, cry once" with quality LEDs. They will last a long time, reduce your electric bill and reduce BTUs you need to extract with an A/C. Pay up front, get rewarded in the long run.

 

[Rootz707]

The closest to your budget lighting from the upper tier/super high quality lights are these:

Model 2VL

This LED light fixture features Bridgelux Vero29 COBs and a Meanwell driver. Remote driver placement helps with managing heat and custom color temperatures are available. Innovative design for covering up to 6 square feet and small grow areas.

timbergrowlights.com

This would be the minimum amount of wattage I would suggest in your 7 sq ft tent. 210 watts of high quality cobs gives you 30 watts per square foot. The fixture is completely assembled and ready to go. Just plug it in. $279

260W QB V1 LED Kit

High Efficiency LED Boards for DIY. QB288 has 288pcs Samsung 561C for 5000K or Lumileds 2835HE for 3000K

horticulturelightinggroup.com

This quantum board light is not their newest design, but is still very good. 260 watts is 37 watts per sq ft for you, which may even be more than you actually need but the light is dimmable if you needed to turn it down. Keep in mind I am running 285 watts of qb's in my 6 sq ft with no problems. This is a kit which requires a few minutes for you to assemble. $279

IMHO, those are the best lights from reputable companies that will be around if there is ever a problem. If you can afford either of them, I would do that. Other options include building your own light using led strips, cobs, or quantum boards. This may require you to do some learnin' to understand how to design and build your own -- but this isn't rocket science. Maybe contact @CobKits for some ideas if you decide to DIY.

You can also look into Chinese lights that are knockoffs of quantum boards fixtures, but keep in mind they probably are not exactly what they claim they are and they will ghost you if you contact them if something goes wrong with your light.

Unfortunately, quality costs money. Buy once, cry once.

Thanks man this is great information, much appreciated!

 

[PJ Diaz]

It really is "buy once, cry once" with quality LEDs. They will last a long time, reduce your electric bill and reduce BTUs you need to extract with an A/C. Pay up front, get rewarded in the long run.

More like buy every 10 years, cry every 10. Assuming is does last that long, and assuming it's a great light.