Do LEDs have a benefit if heat is no issue.

F

fishburgr

Active Member
Hi folks,
Ive been trying to pick a new light for a 1m x 1m area and have been reading heaps and watching plenty of videos to try and get my head around what makes a light "good".

Ideally I want a light that can go all the way from veg thru flower and I'm having a bit of difficulty working out what makes one light better than another.
Heat is not a concern for me however reducing my electricity bill is as I pay a lot for power. If I wish to replace a 600w HPS do I need 600w's of leds?

On this product - MIGRO ARAY 8 | 480W - 530W (migrolight.com) which of those numbers is the most important in gaining a general idea of if one light is better than another? IS it the Efficiency PPF/Watt - 2.7 (est)? I believe HPS are generally about 1.5. Does that mean that this 480w led at 2.7 efficiency will actually produce significantly more useable light than a 600w HPS at 1.5 efficiency?

Also, what is it about lights like The Lumatek 465w Lumatek LED Grow Light - ZEUS 465W Pro 2.9 | 220-240V | IP65 | Osram & Lumileds Diodes (kogan.com) that makes them worth more than double the price of the Migro light above.

Basically what I am mainly asking is taking into account that heat is no issue is it worthwhile switching to LEDs to save power or will I still need 600w of leds to get the same grow results.

Cheers guys and gals.
 
Star Dog

Star Dog

Well-Known Member
Around 450w would be a good replacement for a 600w hps.

I would be looking for something with Samsung diodes lm301H or 301B
The figures that matter are umols/ppfd that's what counts.
 
Lenin1917

Lenin1917

Well-Known Member
4-500w led is a suitable replacement for 600w hid. Especially in the summer when heat is an issue. You can expect similar yields, likely on the upper end of what you usually pull in the same space with hid with no loss in quality. If it’s cold where you’re at though I’d wait till it warms up. Hid still clutch in the winter time.
 
jimihendrix1

jimihendrix1

Well-Known Member
Grower's Choice ROI-E420 is 1090umol


A 600w Hortilux HPS is 1080umol

So youll save 180w and get the same performance as a 600w Hortilux, which is generally considered the best Single Ended 600w HID you can buy. So you will use 20% less electricity..
 
ComputerSaysNo

ComputerSaysNo

Well-Known Member
Benefits of LED ws HID:
  • Dimmable
  • More efficient
  • Don't run hot
  • Not as fragile as HID bulbs
  • More flexible (e.g. spread out the LEDs for more light spread)
  • Different light spectra possible
  • You can turn them on and off as much as you want
The only benefits of HID are much lower initial cost and simplicity (it's a light bulb on a ballast).
 
Rurumo

Rurumo

Well-Known Member
In my first grow with an LED last year, I pulled 1 full lb more with a 550 watt LED over my 630 watt CMH (670 watts total). That's with a bar light, which I think contributed because it gives basically every spot in the tent optimal lighting. Between the rather large increase in yields and the fact that HID bulbs have always sort of freaked me out (due to one exploding on me many years ago) I'm solidly in the LED camp, BUT I really do miss the light that CMH makes. CMH light feels like heaven during the winter if you live someplace that doesn't get much sun.
 
Horselover fat

Horselover fat

Well-Known Member
ComputerSaysNo said:
Benefits of LED ws HID:
  • Dimmable
  • More efficient
  • Don't run hot
  • Not as fragile as HID bulbs
  • More flexible (e.g. spread out the LEDs for more light spread)
  • Different light spectra possible
  • You can turn them on and off as much as you want
Click to expand...
White light so much nicer to look at than hps. Doesn't feel like the hair on my arms burns off when working with the plants and I sweat a lot less too.
 
Redlig

Redlig

Well-Known Member
I prefer my led because it's dimmable and maybe I'm crazy but I also feel like I was able to position the led closer. Than my hps So I redesigned my area based on that and was able to have a smaller footprint and take up less height

It's also light as in weight haha
 
hillbill

hillbill

Well-Known Member
I grew with HPS for years, eventually adding CMH and grew a lot of nice buds but I can grow much more of better quality and save on electricity with white LED boards. Win, Win, Win everywhere! Migro rocks. His lights look awesome. His YouTube channel has best reviews anywhere.
 
Star Dog

Star Dog

Well-Known Member
What do you mean by "if heat is no issue?

Anything i save with led gets lost on electricity to heat the place, i ended up buying more lights for heat as running a heater with lights on doesn't sit right with me.

If you live in warm climate i would expect led is win win+ but it's not that straightforward in colder/damp climates if you want to maintain ideal parameters, or it's not for me.

Eta... When led is dialed its superior imo.
 
Last edited:
F

fishburgr

Active Member
Thanks for all of this very useful info and opinions folks. I just purchased my first proper led light to replace a 600w hps.
I went with a mid range option, the spyderfarmer se5000. Its a 480w bar style led. https://www.spiderfarmer.com.au/products/spider-farmer-se5000-led-grow-light
The only reason I didnt go with the Migro light was because being somewhat broke I needed to pay it off with an afterpay style thing which they dont offer.
Star dog when I said heat was no issue I just mean that I have my temps well under control with the HPS currently and its not a huge factor in my decision to go with led like it is for some people. Im using a closed system with a vivosun vented hood that ducts straight to the outside and the hood stays very cool. THen AC to keep the temps optimal. Where I live external temps rarely go below 15 deg c in winter so heating isnt required.
 
visajoe1

visajoe1

Well-Known Member
fishburgr said:
Basically what I am mainly asking is taking into account that heat is no issue is it worthwhile switching to LEDs to save power or will I still need 600w of leds to get the same grow results.
Click to expand...
If heat or wattage is no concern, IMO the remaining differences between HID and LED is light spread, spectrum, and maintenance (bulbs). The latest LED's can have improved light spread instead of concentrated in center. Also, LED's dont require bulb changes and many now offer full spectrum.
 
Y

YROCK

Member
ComputerSaysNo said:
Benefits of LED ws HID:
  • Dimmable
  • More efficient
  • Don't run hot
  • Not as fragile as HID bulbs
  • More flexible (e.g. spread out the LEDs for more light spread)
  • Different light spectra possible
  • You can turn them on and off as much as you want
The only benefits of HID are much lower initial cost and simplicity (it's a light bulb on a ballast).
Click to expand...
HIDs are dimmable
 
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