Why are so many new growers choosing blurple/led over hps/mh??

.Smoke

.Smoke

Well-Known Member
Was just wondering what made you all decide to go with your lighting choice?

I'm pretty knowledgeable about electronics (10yrs working on them in the air force). I did a TON of research before I started growing back in June. Knowing what I do, I came to the conclusion that for me to be happy with LED I would either have to DIY or spend a crap ton of money. I was never interested in the blurples once I figured out the whole "1000W=200 actual watts" deal with them. So to me the easiest choice was to go with the tried and true old school HPS/MH so I could focus more on learning about how the plant grows instead of spending most of my time trying to get the perfect vpd, or be worried about whether I needed to add this red spectrum or that blue one.

I am running 2.6kW of HPS and at my current electric rate, that's about $115 a month. Way less than what I was paying for my weed.

So again I ask,
What made you all choose blurple/led over (what seems to be the easier way) of hps/mh?

And Merry Christmas too! Hope you all got some great new presents we will all see pics of in the grow rooms soon!
 
Dumbguyneedshelp

Dumbguyneedshelp

Well-Known Member
Price. And at no point will I be a commercial grower. Just a small closet will do me. I Couldnt justify spending alot of money when in the end I'm happy with an oz ya know. I grow for,myself and I'm not a heavy smoker. So 60 bucks for a light that works well for me .why would I go bigger?
 

Attachments

GBAUTO

GBAUTO

Well-Known Member
.Smoke, good on you for using your brain.

I think that you hit on the very thing most new growers make a mistake: assuming that LEDs are more efficient.
Economy leds like blurples are less efficient at converting watts of electricity into photons of light. That means that they will ultimately dump more heat into the space than a HPS fixture would.
It's not until you use current tech diodes that you will see a marked increase in efficiency-then it makes a big difference.
 
OldMedUser

OldMedUser

Well-Known Member
Millennials love new tech says the Boomer! lol labrat.gif

You must get cheap power where you're at @.Smoke. 2.6K x 12h/day x 30d/mth x 25¢/kwh = $234/mth for me but I rarely have more than 1K going. Just scored 3 used sets of 600W digi ballasts, Hortilux SHPS bulbs and reflectors for $60 each. Try to find the equivalent in LED for that price. Decent LED ain't cheap and I wouldn't live long enough to recoup the initial price thru power savings I bet.

Were I much younger and planned on long term growing I'd get into DIYing my own custom COBs tho.

:peace:
 
Thundercat

Thundercat

Well-Known Member
.Smoke said:
Was just wondering what made you all decide to go with your lighting choice?

I'm pretty knowledgeable about electronics (10yrs working on them in the air force). I did a TON of research before I started growing back in June. Knowing what I do, I came to the conclusion that for me to be happy with LED I would either have to DIY or spend a crap ton of money. I was never interested in the blurples once I figured out the whole "1000W=200 actual watts" deal with them. So to me the easiest choice was to go with the tried and true old school HPS/MH so I could focus more on learning about how the plant grows instead of spending most of my time trying to get the perfect vpd, or be worried about whether I needed to add this red spectrum or that blue one.

I am running 2.6kW of HPS and at my current electric rate, that's about $115 a month. Way less than what I was paying for my weed.

So again I ask,
What made you all choose blurple/led over (what seems to be the easier way) of hps/mh?

And Merry Christmas too! Hope you all got some great new presents we will all see pics of in the grow rooms soon!
Click to expand...
Both light types can grow excellent buds. Its really about what's best for YOUR environment/style of grow.

I've been growing with HPS since '05. They are cheap to buy and are great grow lights. However, I will be switching to LED when I buy a new light because I want the expanded canopy coverage. The whole time I grew with HPS I felt like I wanted more coverage, and adding more lights wasn't an option. I used the biggest reflector I could and it all worked great, but I still had shadows at the edges and corners of my garden because it was single source light. LED is going to allow me to maximize my canopy/grow space with similar wattage use. I might even run full watt for watt replacement.

I just helped my boss set up three fluence spider plus lights in a 4.5x12 space. Its providing TOTAL canopy coverage and pentration. I can't wait to get the organic beds in and some plants.

Is the change going to cost some money upfront, sure. In the long run it will all balance out. I'm gonna get top quality equipment which will last me another 10 years before I do the next upgrade.
 
.Smoke

.Smoke

Well-Known Member
OldMedUser said:
Millennials love new tech says the Boomer! lol View attachment 4443042

You must get cheap power where you're at @.Smoke. 2.6K x 12h/day x 30d/mth x 25¢/kwh = $234/mth for me but I rarely have more than 1K going. Just scored 3 used sets of 600W digi ballasts, Hortilux SHPS bulbs and reflectors for $60 each. Try to find the equivalent in LED for that price. Decent LED ain't cheap and I wouldn't live long enough to recoup the initial price thru power savings I bet.

Were I much younger and planned on long term growing I'd get into DIYing my own custom COBs tho.

:peace:
Click to expand...
Yeah I'm lucky. Electric here is .11/kW hr so pretty cheap.
 
D

DaFreak

Well-Known Member
.Smoke said:
Was just wondering what made you all decide to go with your lighting choice?

I'm pretty knowledgeable about electronics (10yrs working on them in the air force). I did a TON of research before I started growing back in June. Knowing what I do, I came to the conclusion that for me to be happy with LED I would either have to DIY or spend a crap ton of money. I was never interested in the blurples once I figured out the whole "1000W=200 actual watts" deal with them. So to me the easiest choice was to go with the tried and true old school HPS/MH so I could focus more on learning about how the plant grows instead of spending most of my time trying to get the perfect vpd, or be worried about whether I needed to add this red spectrum or that blue one.

I am running 2.6kW of HPS and at my current electric rate, that's about $115 a month. Way less than what I was paying for my weed.

So again I ask,
What made you all choose blurple/led over (what seems to be the easier way) of hps/mh?

And Merry Christmas too! Hope you all got some great new presents we will all see pics of in the grow rooms soon!
Click to expand...
I don't use them, but I have to say what a pile of hot steaming shit your post it. Enough said.
 
Dumbguyneedshelp

Dumbguyneedshelp

Well-Known Member
GBAUTO said:
.Smoke, good on you for using your brain.

I think that you hit on the very thing most new growers make a mistake: assuming that LEDs are more efficient.
Economy leds like blurples are less efficient at converting watts of electricity into photons of light. That means that they will ultimately dump more heat into the space than a HPS fixture would.
It's not until you use current tech diodes that you will see a marked increase in efficiency-then it makes a big difference.
Click to expand...
I don't have an active vent and in a closed closet my blurple led won't get air temps over 82 ish
 
.Smoke

.Smoke

Well-Known Member
lummyness said:
LED COBS are a game changer hands down.
Click to expand...
Not saying the good high end LEDs aren't the future. They most likely are. Just wondering why a noob like myself would take on the extra hassle, especially with the low end stuff, of trying to learn the led grow requirements along with trying to learn the plant.

Just seemed like to much for a noob like me to take on in the beginning.
 
Last edited:
twalte

twalte

Well-Known Member
I choose HID lighting because I have no technical abilities and I need something to illuminate a 5x5. I can keep a few spare ballasts and bulbs and be guaranteed to keep my grow running. If an LED craps out, Idhave to mail it back for repair.

I’ve considered LED multiple times, and it seems like the technology is changing too fast for me. I looked at blurple, but then people were talking about cobs so I waited. Now they’ve moved on to quantum boards. It’s all very intimidating.

if I had to buy a light today, I’d look at this one for long term use. Im sure that it can be built for a lot less by someone who knows what they’re doing.

NextLight Mega LED Grow Light

Part of the Commercial Series the NextLight Mega produces a high intensity full spectrum light designed to efficiently replace any DE 1000w HPS on the market. This bright white LED grow light was named “Mega” not for its size but for the increased product
nextlight.com nextlight.com
 
lummyness

lummyness

Member
.Smoke said:
Not saying the good high end LEDs aren't the future. They most likely are. Just wondering why a noob like myself would take on the extra hassle, especially with the low end stuff, of trying to learn the led grow requirements along with trying to learn the plant.

Just seemed like to much for a noob like me to take on in the beginning.
Click to expand...
I did my homework long before i attempted my first grow.My actual first run was a window grow (which was low yield but successful) I was going to go with a blurple light but then discovered cree cobs. The tech is developing so quickly its freaky. I was glad I bought a light that gave me a great spectrum of light and have had great grows ever since. Maybe I have been lucky. I do not think so though. Arming yourself with knowledge before diving in is so key to success.
 
R

Ryante55

Well-Known Member
.Smoke said:
Not saying the good high end LEDs aren't the future. They most likely are. Just wondering why a noob like myself would take on the extra hassle, especially with the low end stuff, of trying to learn the led grow requirements along with trying to learn the plant.

Just seemed like to much for a noob like me to take on in the beginning.
Click to expand...
You can get a top of the line already built led that will grow a few oz for $100 imo that sounds perfect for a first time grower. You won't be filling out a 4x4 but you could get yourself an oz a month using a 65w led that costs 100. It only gets expensive when you try to light a big space.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top