NASA is interested in lights that will grow vegetables in space, where heat and electrical concerns are of substantially greater concern than they are in the typical terrestrial grow room. additionally, the vegetables that they are interested in do not necessarily benefit from a spectrum that has a decent proportion of UV-B output (ie: Cannabis). perhaps with NASA being their chief customer, they have priced their panels in proper accordance with the government's propensity for overspending.
compared to a Pro-420-PAR, those LEDs:
cost 50% more
average less than half the PPFD (they put out about 40% more than a Pro-100-PAR at a similar canopy height)
and at that, their output is not as full of a spectrum.
put out zero UV-B. a Pro-420-PAR puts out 3% of its spectrum in the 290-320nm range. as noted above, as well as in a previous post in this thread, you will note that cannabis likes UV-B exposure during bloom, it increases trichome density, size, potency, etc.
come with a 1 year limited warranty. Inda-Gro gives a 10 year warranty.
are guaranteed for 50,000 hours. Inda-Gro claims a 100,000 hour rating. i have no idea if they will actually last that long, but even if we only get 70% lifespan from these different technologies, the EFDL lamps will still last twice as long, and still have 9 additional years on the warranty.
they claim:
120W array produces the equivalent of a 1000W HID lamp.
and also:
120 one watt LEDs produce >700µmol/m2/s at 45 cm.
so, at 17 inches, they are equivalent to a 1000w HID? i'd imagine that a 1000w HID at an appropriate height from the canopy could cover quite a few more plants than this device which boasts a "
Compact size 11"x14"x3""
they use 1w LEDs, too. the industry has moved on to 5w LEDs by now...
personally, i don't see myself dropping $1100 - $1200 per panel.
......some growers mistakenly change their 12/12 cycle late(allowing too much of a dark period) into the first day of flower causing huge stress on the plants(hermies!!) and other metabolic issues............
