what light is better

[coreywebster]

so i have decided on the spider farm light but on the bigger model
https://www.spider-farmer.com/products/sf-2000-led-grow-light its a 200watt light

i have a few questions before i go spend my money and if its even worth buying over what i currently have

i currently use a VIPARSPECTRA 600W it is 270watts from the wall

why is the spider farm light better and will i see much difference in yield over the light i am already running being that it is 70watts less

i only grow in a 2x2.5ft space. the vipar does a ok job but the penetration is bad and the plants stretch allot plus the spread is not good enough for 2.5ft. i average 5 oz from that space

id also like to know about heat output between the two lights

the vipar puts outs a good amount and has fans in it

the spider farm does not have fans so i imagine the vipar runs hotter ??

if im not going to see more then 20% increase in my yields then ill stick with the vipar

give me your thoughts

The reason for the lower wattage been better than the higher wattage vipar is the efficiency of the diodes used. You are getting more light per watt.
Th vipar is old cheap technology as with most of those type of lights. The newer lights are far better at creating light , usually that cost more money to build.
The mars light is less efficient than the spider farmer and both are greatly more efficient than the vipar.

One of the most important things to look at is the umol/j , the higher that number the more efficient it is.
If you are going for a 200w fixture make sure its dimmable since 30w per square foot is good for that sort of light.

You should see an increase in yield as well as a reduction in heat provided you have things like environment dialled in.

The heat is directly related to the amount of watts used. The vipar has active cooling because they are inefficient and its the cheapest way for them to make that light work. It would require a much greater surface area of passive heatsink to do the same thing with the same diodes, that would mean less profit for them.
But the mars and spider are passively cooled. Due to the diodes been more efficient, they create less heat in the conversion of electricity to light which means its affordable to go with passive heatsinking and its also far more reliable. Its also zero noise which is a plus.

Some of these companies are using grams per watt as a selling point, I would take them with a pinch of salt. Just look at the umol/j

 

[TheSadVeryBadMadGrower]

Yea I am not knocking the Spider either....both lights will perform well in your space.

 

[rodclutcher]

The reason for the lower wattage been better than the higher wattage vipar is the efficiency of the diodes used. You are getting more light per watt.
Th vipar is old cheap technology as with most of those type of lights. The newer lights are far better at creating light , usually that cost more money to build.
The mars light is less efficient than the spider farmer and both are greatly more efficient than the vipar.

One of the most important things to look at is the umol/j , the higher that number the more efficient it is.
If you are going for a 200w fixture make sure its dimmable since 30w per square foot is good for that sort of light.

You should see an increase in yield as well as a reduction in heat provided you have things like environment dialled in.

The heat is directly related to the amount of watts used. The vipar has active cooling because they are inefficient and its the cheapest way for them to make that light work. It would require a much greater surface area of passive heatsink to do the same thing with the same diodes, that would mean less profit for them.
But the mars and spider are passively cooled. Due to the diodes been more efficient, they create less heat in the conversion of electricity to light which means its affordable to go with passive heatsinking and its also far more reliable. Its also zero noise which is a plus.

Some of these companies are using grams per watt as a selling point, I would take them with a pinch of salt. Just look at the umol/j

ok that clears up a few concerns on the worth of me upgrading . im sure ill be impressed

 

[Havoc0122]

The Mars hydro is decent . I have been using BudgetLED board and it's aaaamazing.

 

[farmingfisherman]

i was looking at some led grow lights. the two i am tying to decide on are

Spider farmer SF-1000 Led Grow Light Full Spectrum Samsung LM301B diodes Dimmable MeanWell Driver

SF1000 Samsung 301H EVO LED Grow Light | Spider Farmer

Spider farmer SF1000 Samsung 301H evo LED grow light uses a well-known Samsung diodes with a professional spectrum for indoor garden plant.

www.spider-farmer.com

Power consumption (watts): 100

Mars TS 1000 Quantum Board Led Grow Light - Mars Hydro

Mars Hydro TS 1000 Full Spectrum Dimmable 150W LED Grow Light

TS1000 is the best novice LED grow light, serving adequate light to 2-4 plants. Its reasonable price, marked yield improvement, and variable output control make it friendly to new growers.Wattage - 150w Veg Coverage - 3x3 ft Flower Coverage - 2.5x2.5 ftThe overwhelming choice for most growers...

www.mars-hydro.com

Power consumption (watts): 150

the cost of both lights are around the same but the mars is an extra 50 watts making me think that will be better for watts per price but the Spider farmer look decent

For what its worth! These are unknown seeds from a previous summer grow. Light is a SF-1000, side lights are cheap LED shop light in 5000k supposably, ran till a few days ago. Day 32 PS Wish I'd gone with the SF-2000! Correct and current pictures!

 

[ebcrew]

For what its worth! These are unknown seeds from a previous summer grow. Light is a SF-1000, side lights are cheap LED shop light in 5000k supposably, ran till a few days ago. Day 32 PS Wish I'd gone with the SF-2000! Correct and current pictures!

Let me know how that works out. I run sf1000 also with extra led side lighting but only 2 plants at a time. Both in 2nd week of flower now. Curious how your flower goes with 5 plants. What other side lighting arenu running specificly if you don't mind.

 

[Dro3420]

Im thinkin mars. But idk. Eeerrr

Did u pick???

 

[Dro3420]

Did u pick???

If u did pick sf. Do u think u made the right decision. Im in the exact situation runnin vipra 600 dimm. Real 265w. Been reading alot n cant make up my mind on sf or mars. Thinkin sf cause the efficiency is better even tho less watts

 

[rodclutcher]

If u did pick sf. Do u think u made the right decision. Im in the exact situation runnin vipra 600 dimm. Real 265w. Been reading alot n cant make up my mind on sf or mars. Thinkin sf cause the efficiency is better even tho less watts

i decided on the spider farm mainly because it fits the dimensions on my grow space better also they have it on sale hopefully still on sale next week when i can order

 

[Dro3420]

i decided on the spider farm mainly because it fits the dimensions on my grow space better also they have it on sale hopefully still on sale next week when i can order

Thinkin im on the exact same thing. Mars hydro is 50 more watts but the efficiency of the spider is higher. Err im so dam indecisive. good luck to ya if u run into any major issues with the sf plz share. Thanks

 

[PhatNuggz]

Spider farmer SF1000 PAR test and review

Ive been using LEDs from the very beginning. Mars has a very bad reputation. SF is a newcomer, but their design and multiplr white spectrums PLUS the reds make perfect sense for growing mj. One tiny nitpick: If I was buying one, I would get taller risers and use a fan above the heat sink to reduced heat, which increases diode efficiency

hth

 

[NYFlowerpower631]

The spider farm lights are awesome my buddy uses a 4000 in his 5x5 10 plants in 2 gal and trellis net amazing canopy and tops. Awesome frosty ass buds and amazing yeilds. He also runs a 2000 in a 3x3 with 5 plants in 2 gal also trellis and that tent also just like the 5x5 prittey sure he’s pulling a pound out of each tent 5x5 for sure. Maybe just short in the 3x3 but damn close. He’s doesn’t get payed and he honestly wasn’t a fan of pricing of good LED’s but the Spider Farm definitely loves it and it pays for itself in long run

 

[farmingfisherman]

Let me know how that works out. I run sf1000 also with extra led side lighting but only 2 plants at a time. Both in 2nd week of flower now. Curious how your flower goes with 5 plants. What other side lighting arenu running specificly if you don't mind.

Just saw the note on side light.. They are light of America brand led in 5000k spectrum, $20 each Current setup of 2 SF 1000's and a 315 cmh in 3100k

 

[NYFlowerpower631]

Yea man looking forward to buying my SF-2000 the 4000 my buddy uses in his 5x5 is impressive. If I’m going to pay the price for the 4000 I think I’ll go with HLG 550 v2 spec another friend just used his in a 5x5 and I was blown away. But the SF 4000 also just as impressive. Spider Farm definitely knocked it out the park with this line of lights. I’ll be buying the tents and light idk if the HLG,SF 4000 or 2000 still running my 600w mh/hps which I love but looking into switching over to LED. Hopefully I have the $$ for everything buy the time I flip these ladies into flower in next 6-8 weeks autos are just along for the ride lol

 

[PhatNuggz]

The sf1000 is non dimmable I believe...
sf2000 and up ARE dimmable, but the driver must be removed from the heatsinks first.
FF

Simple solution with 2 benefits, put the heat sink on risers. This provides easy access to the dimmer, which you really don't need unless you do not have enough room to raise it up and more importantly to remove the extra heat from the board: cooler running chips are more efficient

hth

 

[PhatNuggz]

Ever hear the phrase Jack of All Trades, Master of None?

IMHO, FWIW: Absolutely the HLG single spectrum monos grow nice plants, but they are a JOATs. By SF incorporating key spectrums should improve on terps, and possibly yield

I can see 2 SFs @ 2000 leaving room in between for a flowering LED strip for the big win

hth

 

[hillbill]

Phosphor whites in LEDs are anything but single or mono spectrum.

 

[HydroBum]

I went with a SF1000 and the 1000 is way superior to the 2 crappy "600" watt LED lights I started off with. The SF1000 is dimmable and you can turn up or lower the intensity a but you have to remove the driver to get access to the dial that controls it because its under the driver itself.

 

[NYFlowerpower631]

Yea I hear very good things and personally seen amazing results with the SF line