Yet another LED thread.

themanwiththeplan

themanwiththeplan

Well-Known Member
I (like most of you in this section) use standard HPS and MH lighting for my plants. Obviously they are superior to CFLs, etc.

Recently ive been checking out the 3w LED lights.


I remember just a few years ago someone would get flamed out of the forum for speaking of buying LED's to replace (yes replace...not supplement) their current HID setups. I hoping something in LED technology has changed.

before 1-2w LED's were the best you could get...now they have 3w led fixtures and i gotta admit im tired of paying super high electricity bills (1000-2000w running every month in just hid's!) and bulb replacements ($50-$150 a pop mattering on brand)

So if i can get some seriously reliable feedback i'd like to dump my HID's and spend the extra $ to buy the very expensive LED fixtures. these newer 3w led fixtures claim about half the power usage (in watts)...no bulb replacements...cut down on my a/c costs to keep the room cool, etc.

anyone actually OWN any good solid 3w led fixture and getting as good or better results than HID?

i was looking at the 3w fixtures from these guys: www.hydrogrowled.com looking specifically at 3w lights (either led grow lights or extreme led grow lights series).

whats the verdict folks?





oh and can we PLEASE keep this friendly and not a "i know everything about lighting LED sucks" or "ur a fukin moron if u think HID is superior" blah blah.

has anyone done a side by side grow with a clone from the same plant? or something to show the difference? just dont wanna blow $1500-$2000 on "supplemental" lighting. if i spend that much i wanna toss the HIDs in the trash or put em in storage...don't wanna have to use both...defeats the purpose.
 
Dan Casus

Dan Casus

Member
My circumstances, currently, require stealth and LED has been a god send.

I researched long and hard, and I am completely satisfied with the light I purchased ( http://hydroponicshut.com/pro-grow-260-watt-led-grow-light.html ) for the small (armoire) three plant grow(s) I've completed.

No they are not HPS nor will they, perform like HPS, but OMG the problems :fire::cuss: that disappear by using LED's...

If you're wanting to grow a bunch of huge plants, do not buy A led!!!

If you value stealth, efficiency and longevity, like I do, then the led I recommended will serve you well.

hth's :peace:
 
ssj4jonathan

ssj4jonathan

Well-Known Member
themanwiththeplan,

If you want to be on the cutting edge of grow lighting, you should consider plasma lights. They're steeply priced right now (around $1.3K) but they work miracles and only use 300 watts. The best LED's I've seen come from Advanced LED Lights, i.e. the diamond series (300w cost $800). Either choice is a better light than HPS/MH, so choose wisely... or use both if you have $2200 laying around... If not give it a year--or two--and watch these prices drop as better stuff comes out.

http://www.monstergardens.com/grow-lighting/plasma-grow-lights.html?page=shop.browse&category_id=63

http://www.advancedledlights.com/products/NEW-%2d-Diamond-Series-LEDs-%2d-Extreme-3w-LED-Technology-.html
 
virulient

virulient

Active Member
Advanced LED, Blackstar, Kessil, GrowLEDHydro, StealthGrow, and ProGrow. These are the companies, that I know of, that are proven to sell a high quality LED light. And not necessarily in that order. The order will vary for your specific need/preference/environment/type of grow/grow medium/strain, etc..... Hope this helps.
 
Cdubya

Cdubya

Well-Known Member
I am looking to upgrade from cfls to an led setup as my 12 cfls get hot in the box and are pulling too much power for the lumens. I was looking at the 240 watt light from htgsupply, anyone have any experience with these, they also have 3w bulbs and claim to hit all necessary nm's
 
Dan Casus

Dan Casus

Member
Yes I do... and I would LOVE to post them.

One nice White Rhino a nicer Vanilla Kush and a Strawberry Cough I'm very proud of...

I hope you understand.
 
themanwiththeplan

themanwiththeplan

Well-Known Member
hmmm well...to make it specific. im looking for an LED light capable of producing 1lb+ per light, per harvest. BY ITSELF. no cfl/hps/mh supplemental lighting. strictly 1 LED fixture.

Something capable of producing MORE than 1 gram per watt.

i see many claims of this happening and out-performing hps/mh but have yet to narrow it down to a true winner (especially with all the crap knock offs floating around that are only 1w leds and not 3w ones).

Does anyone here believe theres an LED system out there that > hps/mh lights? hmm?

im glad to know LED's have come a long way since the last time i researched this topic (3-4 yrs ago).
 
themanwiththeplan

themanwiththeplan

Well-Known Member
btw. thanks you've all been very helpful :)




oh...also when the led's do wear out (eventually they will) how expensive can it be to replace them? or what other types of costs are generally associated with LED grow lights (ie. with hps you have to replace bulbs etc.)
 
virulient

virulient

Active Member
The problem with comparing LED vs HID is HID is mostly measured in efficiency by lumens. In LED light you have to take into consideration high PAR values and less light intensity. So how many watts of LED, assuming the spectrum is correct would it take to equal it's HID counterpart? There isn't an answer to that question. There are some people who have had great results using LEDs, and some side-by-side's that have out performed their HID counterpart. But there is no magic-LED light that is better than all the rest. The ones I listed are all proven, and when I say proven, I mean they're the best LED lights on the market so far. (I may have excluded a few brands, but these are lights I'm certain about). That being said, is 1g/w possible with LEDs? I'm sure it is, but you'll have to grow more, shorter plants, probably in a SoG setup.

I feel like I'm rambling so I'll close by saying this : LED's can be highly successful in the right grow/atmosphere. But the answer you're looking for. The "Oh, I see what you want, the light you're looking for is this ______." That answer does not exist. Research the brands I listed and pick out the one that you are most confident with (any difference of quality between those brands is minimal), with the proper coverage area, and don't try to grow monster plants and you will LOVE the LED's. If you're growing 36" plants right now under a 1000w HID system and you want to take out your HID and put an LED in there and that's all you change.......you're going to HATE the LED's.
 
themanwiththeplan

themanwiththeplan

Well-Known Member
virulient said:
The problem with comparing LED vs HID is HID is mostly measured in efficiency by lumens. In LED light you have to take into consideration high PAR values and less light intensity. So how many watts of LED, assuming the spectrum is correct would it take to equal it's HID counterpart? There isn't an answer to that question. There are some people who have had great results using LEDs, and some side-by-side's that have out performed their HID counterpart. But there is no magic-LED light that is better than all the rest. The ones I listed are all proven, and when I say proven, I mean they're the best LED lights on the market so far. (I may have excluded a few brands, but these are lights I'm certain about). That being said, is 1g/w possible with LEDs? I'm sure it is, but you'll have to grow more, shorter plants, probably in a SoG setup.

I feel like I'm rambling so I'll close by saying this : LED's can be highly successful in the right grow/atmosphere. But the answer you're looking for. The "Oh, I see what you want, the light you're looking for is this ______." That answer does not exist. Research the brands I listed and pick out the one that you are most confident with (any difference of quality between those brands is minimal), with the proper coverage area, and don't try to grow monster plants and you will LOVE the LED's. If you're growing 36" plants right now under a 1000w HID system and you want to take out your HID and put an LED in there and that's all you change.......you're going to HATE the LED's.
Click to expand...
1st bold: i agree with you. thats one thing that makes it SO confusing to me as im accustomed to looking for the most lumens possible if i want a bigger yield with hid.

2nd bold: there may not be one better than the rest but i'd like to think theres a select group that rival each other as the best out there. thats what i was hoping to find...a few top guys. like how if i wanted a great guitar someone could suggest looking into a select few of the best (gibson, fender, etc)

i didnt know LEDs were this confusing -_-

3rd bold: are you sure about that? (just seen this on utube...just sayin)

http://youtu.be/98LNukrfdaM

supposedly that got 20 zips from 4 monsters. these are the types of things i find when looking for LED lights but then i hear conflicting things afterwards or theres someone else better than these guys, etc.

i guess im being so picky because $1000-$2000 is kind of a lot of money for me (especially to blow on a light of all things) so i want to make the investment worth it rather than get excited...buy it...use it. figure out its crap OR feel like i got a good light for a good deal only to find one out performed it by a large margin. i dont want to get a "beginner" led light. im deff looking for something professional because for $1-2K it has to be "awesome". pretty much.lol
 
virulient

virulient

Active Member
themanwiththeplan said:
1st bold: i agree with you. thats one thing that makes it SO confusing to me as im accustomed to looking for the most lumens possible if i want a bigger yield with hid.

2nd bold: there may not be one better than the rest but i'd like to think theres a select group that rival each other as the best out there. thats what i was hoping to find...a few top guys. like how if i wanted a great guitar someone could suggest looking into a select few of the best (gibson, fender, etc)

i didnt know LEDs were this confusing -_-

3rd bold: are you sure about that? (just seen this on utube...just sayin)

http://youtu.be/98LNukrfdaM

supposedly that got 20 zips from 4 monsters. these are the types of things i find when looking for LED lights but then i hear conflicting things afterwards or theres someone else better than these guys, etc.

i guess im being so picky because $1000-$2000 is kind of a lot of money for me (especially to blow on a light of all things) so i want to make the investment worth it rather than get excited...buy it...use it. figure out its crap OR feel like i got a good light for a good deal only to find one out performed it by a large margin. i dont want to get a "beginner" led light. im deff looking for something professional because for $1-2K it has to be "awesome". pretty much.lol
Click to expand...
Yea, you're going to see a lot of bias journals (not saying IrishBoy is bias or isn't bais toward GLH), but there has been speculation of the sort. That's not to say GLH doesn't make good lights (I have them #2 on my top 5 list), but the top 5 lights that I've researched, I would love to own any one of them. They really are THAT close.

From what I've found, LED lights are similar to car audio amps. You really get what you pay for, and there are TONS of shitty companies claiming to have high wattages, or extreme results, when they aren't. That being said, the top manufacturers I listed are the Alpine, JL Audio, etc... I will say, though, Blackstar and Kessil seem to be slightly more beneficial as supplemental lighting, so for your purpose you could discount those from the ones I listed. StealthGrow, in my opinion is overpriced for a product that is extremely close in quality to GLH, and Advanced LED. ProGrow deserves a mention because I've seen positive feedback after positive feedback with this light and never a negative one. However, I have no experience with the ProGrow lights.

As for the beginner LED's, I think those are kinda like the UFO 90w lights. I feel like those are the lights that get everyone's interest, at first. Most graduate to one of those top 5-6 brands I listed, and like I said, none of them have really stepped up over the other from what I can tell. They are all extremely effective. Also keep in mind a LOT of those grow journals are sponsored by the light manufacturer. That's not to say that swayed their opinion of the light. But it might have :blsmoke::joint:

Also, I understand you being picky, and trust me, I don't mind lol. I will discuss this subject with you for days if you want haha. I LOVE talking about LED's!
 
themanwiththeplan

themanwiththeplan

Well-Known Member
virulient said:
Yea, you're going to see a lot of bias journals (not saying IrishBoy is bias or isn't bais toward GLH), but there has been speculation of the sort. That's not to say GLH doesn't make good lights (I have them #2 on my top 5 list), but the top 5 lights that I've researched, I would love to own any one of them. They really are THAT close.

From what I've found, LED lights are similar to car audio amps. You really get what you pay for, and there are TONS of shitty companies claiming to have high wattages, or extreme results, when they aren't. That being said, the top manufacturers I listed are the Alpine, JL Audio, etc... I will say, though, Blackstar and Kessil seem to be slightly more beneficial as supplemental lighting, so for your purpose you could discount those from the ones I listed. StealthGrow, in my opinion is overpriced for a product that is extremely close in quality to GLH, and Advanced LED. ProGrow deserves a mention because I've seen positive feedback after positive feedback with this light and never a negative one. However, I have no experience with the ProGrow lights.

As for the beginner LED's, I think those are kinda like the UFO 90w lights. I feel like those are the lights that get everyone's interest, at first. Most graduate to one of those top 5-6 brands I listed, and like I said, none of them have really stepped up over the other from what I can tell. They are all extremely effective. Also keep in mind a LOT of those grow journals are sponsored by the light manufacturer. That's not to say that swayed their opinion of the light. But it might have :blsmoke::joint:

Also, I understand you being picky, and trust me, I don't mind lol. I will discuss this subject with you for days if you want haha. I LOVE talking about LED's!
Click to expand...
GLH stands for what again? do you know growpro's website? and advanced LED?

Those are the 3 you're basically saying is best for what im looking to do?

I'd love to accomplish this...it would be amazing. *fingers crossed*



if you had to pick an LED to do a grow (& get a harvest you'd expect form a HID light) which would you put your money on?
 
virulient

virulient

Active Member
themanwiththeplan said:
GLH stands for what again? do you know growpro's website? and advanced LED?

Those are the 3 you're basically saying is best for what im looking to do?

I'd love to accomplish this...it would be amazing. *fingers crossed*



if you had to pick an LED to do a grow (& get a harvest you'd expect form a HID light) which would you put your money on?
Click to expand...
For me, it would go AdvancedLED Diamond Series(www.advancedledlights.com), then GLH (www.growLEDhydro.com), and in that order, then the other brands I cited. I haven't done any experiments or anything with these lights or anything, so this isn't a scientific analysis by any means. That being said those are the 2 lights that have impressed me the most thus far. Again, I want to stress the other brands I listed are great lights, and I don't want to talk them down whatsoever, I just prefer those 2 more :)

Edit - Growpro is from (https://hydroponicshut.com)
 
maxpesh

maxpesh

Active Member
I have 2 x 500watt blackstars and my first grow was pathetic probably because I've been growing with HID for years and needed to change a few things. However I'm in the middle of my second grow and it is looking very promising indeed. Anyway I'm going to expand my grow area and am looking at a few different brands but the one that impresses me most at the moment is this one http://www.growstealthled.com/ not to be confused with the overpriced stealthgrow (completely different company). The reason for this is that they seem to build led panels with the specs that I would want. Another close second for me would be advanced led diamond series. Anyhow i wish you all the best whatever choice you make :-)
 
virulient

virulient

Active Member
maxpesh said:
I have 2 x 500watt blackstars and my first grow was pathetic probably because I've been growing with HID for years and needed to change a few things. However I'm in the middle of my second grow and it is looking very promising indeed. Anyway I'm going to expand my grow area and am looking at a few different brands but the one that impresses me most at the moment is this one http://www.growstealthled.com/ not to be confused with the overpriced stealthgrow (completely different company). The reason for this is that they seem to build led panels with the specs that I would want. Another close second for me would be advanced led diamond series. Anyhow i wish you all the best whatever choice you make :-)
Click to expand...
And see, this is what I meant. The good brands are soooo close, we all have our own personal preference. maxpesh has Blackstars and is adding growstealth. I would get Advancedled and GLH. And yet, we're both right! This is the beauty of LEDs, you just need to make sure you're running the proper true wattage, the LED's are 3w each and are from a company that produces high quality diodes. Other than that you're going to find spectrum changes, different layouts, etc.. and none of them are standing out quite yet.

max - I'd love to see some progress pictures of your second grow! I have a friend on here who uses Blackstars and he says he added a Kessil Magenta and it drastically improved his trichome production. He loves his Blackstars too :) The only thing to consider with Blackstar is they advertise the theoretical wattage. I.E. they use 80, 3 watt LED chips, so they advertise 240 watts. However, in the interest of upping the reliability of the light, they backed it down to ~133 true watts. This number will fluctuate per light, it's just how electronics are. This isn't an attempt to rip you off or anything, their 240 watt model sells for around the same as a comparable light from another manufacturer (measured in true wattage, of course). They just do things differently is all, they are very upfront and a good company to do business with from what I've heard. I only point it out in the interest of fair comparisons. Therefore we would compare the Blackstar 500w to a light in the 250w ballpark. The quality of Blackstar lights will hang with any of the others, too, like I said, it's just a different way of advertising, they weren't attempting to be deceitful.

You can also look into adding a UVB light, they're cheap, don't run hot, low wattage, etc. If you do decide you want to look into that, I would highly recommend reading Cannawizard's post on it in the Advanced Marijuana Cultivation forum, or find one of his posts and the link to it is in his signature.

Sorry for the book, I'm high as fuck and I enjoy talking when I get high :joint:

Edit : Those stealthgrow has the same advertised wattage theme as Blackstar, but not as much of a drop-off. The 300w model is 240 actual watts. Again, they were up-front about it, they posted it in plain sight so everyone could see, they weren't intending to deceive. It's just important to consider when comparing.
 
outlander1

outlander1

Member
I'm very happy with my Hydroponics Hut LED. Quality built, upfront about actual wattage, and not afraid to admit what you're using it for.
Also it probably doesn't need to be said, but always get in contact with the manufacturer when spending that amount of money. They will always work out a deal with you.
One last thing, go to your local hydro store and "browse" a few magazines. You wouldn't believe some of the LED and plasma's they have that are in your price range and are rarely known about here.

Cheers,
 
themanwiththeplan

themanwiththeplan

Well-Known Member
ok you guys are killing me. ive spent the last 2hrs between all three sites that virulient has pointed out and he's absolutely right...it IS hard to pick one above the rest.

im gonna have to do some more research on this topic it looks like.

thanks for ALL the help guys. truly...


btw am i the only one that gets hypnotized looking at the LED's? i think they look awesome compared to HPS
 
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