Does anyone have experience with Spider Farmer LED units?
- Thread starter jonnynobody
- Start date
chronnie49
Well-Known Member
$130 for shipping. $504 CONTRACT INVOICE total backed with trade assurance.
Thank you for pointing out the diode variance on the SF-1000 board. 218 diodes per board X 6 = 1308. I was really scratching my head trying to connect the dots on that one. Thank you for the contribution. We'll peel this onion apart one layer at a time.
Unit A) 1308 Samsung LM301b diodes powered by 3 mean-well drivers for $504.00
Unit B) 1212 Samsung LM301b diodes powered by 2 mean-well drivers for $625.39
Based on specifications Unit A has more diodes, more power, a larger light foot print, and a cheaper invoice total by $121.39. Unit A appears to be the better value by far. The spider farmer SF-4000 will arrive in 2 days. It will be 3-4 weeks before I receive the Alibaba unit. I will heavily scrutinize both units, post pictures, and we can pick them apart as a community. If there is a flaw in the Alibaba unit we will find it together. This is gonna be a lot of fun
This keeps my mind off of our country being torn to shreds by a senile lunatic occupying the white house. God help us. November 4th cannot come soon enough. The racists are going to lose this election. In the meantime I will occupy my time doing something productive, and we can all have some fun together saving money
This will be an interesting comparison. I was thinking about getting the same Alibaba light for a 5x5 but I've decided to run 2 sf2000s and 2 315 cmh instead.
jonnynobody
Well-Known Member
https://horticulturelightinggroup.com/products/hlg-550-v2-rspec
Because all 3 units use the same diodes. All 3 units use name brand mean-well drivers. Again, the purpose of this thread is to discuss the different technology and components offered from each manufacturer in an effort to obtain the best value for the consumer. HLG does not offer a good value to the consumer, and I have no interest in reviewing their over priced units that have been manufactured with the same components as any other manufacturer. Again, if it makes you or anyone else feel warm and fuzzy inside to spend 40% more for a unit than it's worth - fire away. With Trump fucking the country to hell we need all the economic stimulation we can get right now. Hell, if I were you I'd order 10 of the overpriced units from HLG. You over spending is good for HLG and good for the American economy. I support economic growth.
People like me who demand value for their hard earned dollars will continue the pursuit of better options at fair prices, and tell HLG to go fuck themselves. Something tells me you still won't get it. That' cool though. I appreciate folks like you stimulating the economy. Personally I'd rather stimulate the balance of my bank account in the upward trajectory. Overpaying for equipment is poor business for the consumer.
jonnynobody
Well-Known Member
There's no debate about the quality of the spider farmer units. They're universally loved, because they work well and are a reasonable value to the consumer. You made a great choice going with the SF2000's. I'm sure looking forward to bending both units over backwards and putting them through the ringer. I will take no prisoners
mtntrogger
Active Member
I have been researching these sf lights for a minute now. Ive probably spent at least 30 hours online reading grow logs and reviews. My buddy was convinced and bought 2 sf2000 from amazon, which arrived the same week. They are bright as hell ! Who cares what the Amazon reviews say, they are trying to sell stuff yes, BUT I do pay attention to what other growers say on the various forums I am on. EVERYONE that Ive mentioned SF lights to online has had nothing but the best to say. Lots of folks that have been using them for quite a while with extraordinary results have told me that there is no substitute for sf. They might be 'new' to lots of us on this site, but heads on other forums have been using these lights with fantastic results for a few years now, and there is plenty of proof in the grow logs. I am STILL on the fence about buying one (sf4000) due to the near $600 price tag, several peeps on og assured me that my money would be made back on the first harvest, thats just alot for me to plop down at the moment. Might check out the alibaba thing.
chronnie49
Well-Known Member
The Alibaba 4000 is about half of what Spider Farmer charges so its definitely worth looking into.
I used Archibald when I bought the sf1000 on Alibaba. I think it took 12 days to get to Ireland after it was shipped and it works great so far.
Kingbrite and Meiju seem to be most popular sellers with lots of good reviews for both.
ebcrew
Well-Known Member
But they dont use the same diodes. Different binning. HLG uses a more powerful driver also. Comparing the sf4000 and the 550 they are totally different. Would i spend 1000 on an HLG hell no, im not spending 1000 on any light. But im not going to sit here and say its not better.
jonnynobody
Well-Known Member
The reviews on Amazon are highly manipulated. However, good information can still be had from those reviews. I can tell in the manner the review was written if it's been crafted by the merchant and his / her friends or if it's an honest review. So can all of you. I especially love when the English is broken to hell. You can clearly tell the review was done by the Chinese based merchant in an attempt to make the product appear to have more good reviews than it actually has. Does it happen often? Yes. Is it easy to spot? Yes.
When I look to buy anything on Amazon the first thing I do is load up the reviews. I look at all the 1 star reviews. I then determine if the critical reviews are valid. Remember, there are a lot of stupid people in this world. Some people get angry at a product for reasons that have nothing to do with the product at all. Sometimes people misunderstand what the product is supposed to be used for and then leave a bad review. Use your best judgment. Disregard any reviews based on a free giveaway. If I see even 1 crafted review on an item I avoid that product like the plague. Good products do not require fake reviews.
I think you made a great choice going with the 2 SF2000's. They are well reviewed and the components are all name brand quality. The SF-4000 is the unit I'm waiting on. Looks sweet, and I hear their customer service is second to none. Are you sure you don't want to pay HLG over $900 with sales tax for the same output?
chronnie49
Well-Known Member
There's no debate about the quality of the spider farmer units. They're universally loved, because they work well and are a reasonable value to the consumer. You made a great choice going with the SF2000's. I'm sure looking forward to bending both units over backwards and putting them through the ringer. I will take no prisoners
I almost went with 1 sf4000 and put the cmh on both sides which would be cheaper but i think having sf cmh sf cmh will be better.
jonnynobody
Well-Known Member
Are you saying that the different binning of the Samsung chips makes a significant difference in light output? Sounds like HLG marketing to me. If the light output increase was significant that detail would be relevant. However, I have seen no evidence to support that.
I certainly will not spend another $400 to have Samsung chips from a "certain bin." I will judge the unit based on the light output the spec sheet rates it for.
jonnynobody
Well-Known Member
I like your proposed light setup. That would work nicely.
mtntrogger
Active Member
I didnt buy the sf 2000's. That was my friend/neighbor. Although I do read the Amazon reviews, I put much more stock in reviews that are not on the same site that is trying to sell said item. I try not to buy anything based on a single sites review. Did that once with a pack of Chimera seeds that I dont need. lol ! I spend weeks looking at as many different sites/forums/reviews. Like you, I need to make sure the little loot that I have is well spent. Im sure if I throw down for the sf4000 I wont be disappointed. Honestly the cost is so high, that I am considering either buying a different sized tent or maybe only getting 1 sf2000 and supplementing it with another light, Home D sells a 400 watt (equivalent) led unit for $100 that a bunch of growers swear by. Still weighing my options. Was gonna buy a 3x3, but I have been advised that the sf2000 alone wouldnt be enough for that size, and the sf4000 would be too much in that space. I used a 600 hps in a previous 3x3 tent and had good results. Im hoping to harvest about a half # per harvest.The reviews on Amazon are highly manipulated. However, good information can still be had from those reviews. I can tell in the manner the review was written if it's been crafted by the merchant and his / her friends or if it's an honest review. So can all of you. I especially love when the English is broken to hell. You can clearly tell the review was done by the Chinese based merchant in an attempt to make the product appear to have more good reviews than it actually has. Does it happen often? Yes. Is it easy to spot? Yes.
When I look to buy anything on Amazon the first thing I do is load up the reviews. I look at all the 1 star reviews. I then determine if the critical reviews are valid. Remember, there are a lot of stupid people in this world. Some people get angry at a product for reasons that have nothing to do with the product at all. Sometimes people misunderstand what the product is supposed to be used for and then leave a bad review. Use your best judgment. Disregard any reviews based on a free giveaway. If I see even 1 crafted review on an item I avoid that product like the plague. Good products do not require fake reviews.
I think you made a great choice going with the 2 SF2000's. They are well reviewed and the components are all name brand quality. The SF-4000 is the unit I'm waiting on. Looks sweet, and I hear their customer service is second to none. Are you sure you don't want to pay HLG over $900 with sales tax for the same output?
chronnie49
Well-Known Member
You could use the 4000 and dim it down.
mtntrogger
Active Member
Thats what I have been think about. Ive been told that dimming the drivers down leads to early failure. I dunno ?
jonnynobody
Well-Known Member
The unit is warrantied for 3 years. If it fails exchange it. They are quite protective of their amazon reputation. Their customer service responds to almost every single review that isn't 5 stars. I have no doubt they would quickly remedy a warranty related issue. One nice plus going with spider farmer. Me thinks I will not get such service from Alibaba. I would be stuck having to order another unit, wait for it to arrive, send the old unit back as defective, and await my refund. That is certainly a plus going with the spider farmer unit. Top notch customer service does add value to their product.
Get the SF-4000. You'll just regret it if you go with a lower output unit. Got two 600w ballast and hoods I spent a lot of money on. Then I found out I wanted more output. Spent anothe $500 on 1000w ballasts and lamps. And for a year now my almost brand new high end digital ballasts have been collecting dust in my garage.
The lesson to be learned here is that you can always dim down an adjustable ballast. You can never dim up without spending another large investment. Do it right the first time. If you have the funds, buy the bigger unit. It will serve you well and grow more dope.
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StareCase
Well-Known Member
That is a pretty bold claim considering that I just went to the SF site. Are you ready?
The site spouts that one SF4000 can flower a 5' x 5' area. At 436 true watts, that's a hair over 17 w/sq. ft. Those are EXCELLENT numbers for growing lettuce.
The site claims that one SF2000 can flower a 2' x 4'. At 196 true watts, that's only 24.5 w/sq ft. Oh man - I can taste that fresh basil already. And to properly flower my 2 x 4 with the same wattage as the 320 RSpec, I would need two (2) of those SF2000's. That site showed one unit is $407 CDN without taxes/shipping. Let's say that they ship it for free and all I pay are the taxes. Two of those SF lights would run me $920.
The three QB288 board HLG unit was $740 CDN all in to my door. They expect me to pay $180 more for two lights that offer me (maybe) a marginal improvement from my blurples?
'Splain Lucy!
chronnie49
Well-Known Member
Thats why I'll pay the extra €60 for the 2000 with Spider Farmer. If something goes wrong I can just sent it back to their warehouse in Germany.
If I was going with the 4000 I would take my chances with Alibaba to save over €200.
If I was going with the 4000 I would take my chances with Alibaba to save over €200.
jonnynobody
Well-Known Member
Do you not have access to Amazon in Canada? I'm sure the pricing is more competitive than directly off the manufacturer's website. Blue lab sells combo meters off their website for $300. The same unit can be had on Amazon for $168 last I checked. Rarely does the consumer receive a better deal on the manufacturer's website where they are not competing against an entire worldwide marketplace.
The spider farmer units use the same components as the HLG units. You can confuse yourself all you like. That simple fact remains after all your muster and bluster. Go ahead. Order the HLG. We appreciate you stimulating the economy in these uncertain times. The owner greatly appreciates people like yourself that refuse to read specifications or do critical thinking of any kind.
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chronnie49
Well-Known Member
Why would the SF be a marginal improvement over blurples but HLG is far superior when they both use the same diodes and driver?
Youre right about sf claiming the 4000 can flower a 5x5. I think it would do well in a 4x4 though.
madvillian420
Well-Known Member
amazon sold out? you mean ANOTHER NATIONAL SHORTAGE?! oh no!