opinions on LED lights +rep

Schotzky

Schotzky

Well-Known Member
I'm considering building a grow box a little larger than a computer tower, a small area. and HPS or similar lights create a lot of heat, and in a small area that could be very detrimental. i have been reading on LED for a light source, they are cheaper, good ones are pretty bright, and you can adjust the color for veg and flower. since its a pretty small area i was thinking a 45w LED light panel would work pretty good for one or two, maybe three decent sized plants.

i have heard both pros and cons of LEDs. PROS are that theyre cheaper, more energy efficient, can change colors, produce far less heat. and other pros i dont know about. CONS from what ive heard are that theyre not as powerful, there are very crappy ones on the market, buds arent as dense, but this is from what ive read

does anybody have any experience with these lights? im looking for people that have actually used them and can tell me their opinion and possibly show me some pics of results and the growing.

help is very appreciated and +rep is mos def
 
Humboldt14

Humboldt14

Well-Known Member
i have a buddy that bought a UFO LED light and grew 1 plant under it. the plant vegged great and you sit the light right on top of the plant touching it, 0 heat. but when switch to 12/12 the plant flowered but the end result was not that impressive. fluffy buds, not a whole lot. i think they r fine for hobby growing but not serous growing. just my point of view
 
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manincharge

Member
I agree, maybe cfl's for your set up. Been growing with 90w LED and it's really good, it's my first time flowering so I can't say much for that cycle but mine look good. Still it's my first grow so I can't compare it to other lights
 
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gobbly

Well-Known Member
LED's will cost more, but if you have the money and don't mind blowing a little on something new (which does have a few conveniences), then go for the LED IMO. They will penetrate deeper than equivalent CFL's, and cost you 10-100 times more. You could fit more led power in that space, but you don't have much space to start with, so not sure you'd see a dramatic difference between the two.
 
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thalboy

Active Member
I think you would get a better GPW ratio with good LEDs over that 150w HID, but the HID is cheaper to start with.

I love my LEDs. Right now I'm just using them to veg with and they create nice bushy plants and practically no heat. My buddy is flowering with 800w of LED and they are doing a great job too.
 
Schotzky

Schotzky

Well-Known Member
thalboy said:
I think you would get a better GPW ratio with good LEDs over that 150w HID, but the HID is cheaper to start with.

I love my LEDs. Right now I'm just using them to veg with and they create nice bushy plants and practically no heat. My buddy is flowering with 800w of LED and they are doing a great job too.
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ive been doin some research and theres actually another thread on here where a guy has LEDs and he added a couple of CFLs in to complete the light spectrum. FIRE BUDS! theyre very nice, LEDS dont give the plant all the light it nees, so adding a couple CFLs in the mix gave it some extra power. ill find the thread link and put it on here for you if you want.

https://www.rollitup.org/indoor-growing/320378-led-newbie-cabinet-grow-w.html
 
THT

THT

Well-Known Member
https://www.rollitup.org/members/schotzky-239093.htmlSchotzky, For the small area you described I recommend giving LED's a shot. There are quite a few LED fixtures that now utilize 3 watt diodes. I currently use a 90 watt Prosource LED that uses all 1 watt diodes and 4 CFL's that total 180 watts. With the addition of the 4 CFL lights, my temperatures jumped up almost 10 degrees. My main concern with a HID would be the heat. unless you plan to leave your grow box open while the lights are on, OR, you are able to setup a cool tube, exhaust duct, and duct fan, I would reconsider HPS lighting. With a space that size I would use LED and or CFL. I hope this helps, Good luck with everything!
 
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thalboy

Active Member
Schotzky said:
ive been doin some research and theres actually another thread on here where a guy has LEDs and he added a couple of CFLs in to complete the light spectrum. FIRE BUDS! theyre very nice, LEDS dont give the plant all the light it nees, so adding a couple CFLs in the mix gave it some extra power. ill find the thread link and put it on here for you if you want.

https://www.rollitup.org/indoor-growing/320378-led-newbie-cabinet-grow-w.html
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I don't think its fair to say that the LEDs don't give a complete enough spectrum because it depends on the LED array you are using. My LEDs were built by a friend, so we picked out the spectrum. UFO LEDs are not very well liked, and are not a very good example of an LED grow light.
 
breakneck

breakneck

Calyx LED
I use LED's and never looked back to HPS. I use 2 x 300 watt LED panels from Desert Hydroponics. These things kick ass! No fluffy buds here guys....

This guy is 10 days from seed. I'll start a journal to show the progress with the LEDs.
 

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Schotzky

Schotzky

Well-Known Member
breakneck said:
I use LED's and never looked back to HPS. I use 2 x 300 watt LED panels from Desert Hydroponics. These things kick ass! No fluffy buds here guys....

This guy is 10 days from seed. I'll start a journal to show the progress with the LEDs.
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the only problem i have is the price for these things! the good ones are expensive.
and my box was going to be in a freezing cold garage during the winter. so i think that the heat from an HPS would be alright with fans going.
http://htgsupply.com/viewproduct.asp?productID=49255 and look at this guy i found, its smaller and can fit in a smaller box.
i do appreciate the LED and what they can do, but i dont have the money to invest in them right now.
 
Schotzky

Schotzky

Well-Known Member
thalboy said:
I don't think its fair to say that the LEDs don't give a complete enough spectrum because it depends on the LED array you are using. My LEDs were built by a friend, so we picked out the spectrum. UFO LEDs are not very well liked, and are not a very good example of an LED grow light.
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how do you build an LED panel on your own? i remember playing with LED and solder guns in tech class in school but i dont remember the specifics, sounds a lil bit hard lol.
 
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