2013 270w FSF Lighthouse Hydro BlackStar Chrome Grow light Flowering LED-L020

OK, so i need to get off the fence and get a light.....I see the good and the bad on here about many, and Blackstar seems to have a love/hate relationship with many.,...but yet, still seem to be getting ok results, even really good results so.......

Does anyone know if the 2013 is having the same issues as the problems recurring in the older?

And does anyone have a comparable priced alternative to get started?

I am not singing praises, saying they are anything I am just looking for straight forward, specific guidance which this site seems to be really good at - or at least I hope or everything is gonna die and the light wont matter anyway!!!!
Honestly, I put a lot of money into getting this started, thre is no doubt in my mind that there are many many many superior.

I am on a Chevy budget.......need just plain reliable............I can start to move to or add in a Porche someday and I will. But after we save a little on buying from someone else.

Here is the current "allegations' and the specs for the Chrome 2013......anyone???? It will do the job right?

And yes, of course part of this is sales hype but every single seller in the world does that so it is what it is

Blackstar Chrome series lights are meant for the advanced grower and those who wish to use LED in conjunction with traditional HID (HPS & MH) lighting systems. Because of the patent pending lens system, penetration is increased, PAR is increased, and the ability to “back the light off” of the canopy is now possible. Don't be fooled by knockoff's that look similar because internally the chips and the lenses are NOT the same. These lights are ideal for plants that can utilize maximum PAR output. It is possible for these lights to produce too much PAR for some plants! For this reason the chrome is recommended for experienced growers who know their crop well.

The first Blackstar Chrome was created in June 2011 and we have been testing in actual growing environments ever since. Our Patent Pending lens design has evolved and has been continuing to evolve ever since. Essential oil production from plants that can tolerate the increased PAR is typically increased by 15-20% under the Blackstar Chrome. With over 5 years and tens of thousands of grows, the team at Lighthouse Hydro has developed the most advanced light, lens and beam angle combination of any lighting company. The wavelengths and LED chipsets used have been painstakingly refined to deliver the maximum yield for any gardening venture.

The Blackstar Chrome was redesigned for maximum reliability. The chrome operates 30 degrees cooler than the previous Blackstar series.


[h=2]Specifications:[/h]

• Manufacturer: Lighthouse Hydro
• Model: Blackstar Chrome 270 FSF (Full Spectrum Flowering)
• Size:15" L x 11" W x 3"H
• Coverage Area: 2' x 3' (@ 18”), 2.5' x 3.75' (@24”), 3' x 4.5' (@ 36”)
• LED Chipset: 3w High Output – 60mil
• Number of LED's: 90
• Red/IR: 680nm, 660nm, 630nm
• White: 12000k
• Blue/UV: 425nm, 460nm
• Worldwide Voltage: 100v-240v
• Modular Power Supply (Available in US, UK, EU, AU)
• Daisy Chain Ready (Link up to 4 Chrome 270's using 1 power cord)
• 

Please ..... gotta order - gotta get these babys moving and they are waiting on me......

Just take their specs and buy it here from the manufacturer http://www.cidly.com/?page_id=61 they except paypal and do custom builds(still way cheaper than BS)....

I'd personally remove the blue and 12000k white .......go with this per cluster : 3- 6500k white/ 2-630nmred/7-660nmred/ 2 -710-740nm far red(whatever they use) .....should work well(never used this panel/or spectrum in an actual grow) IMO........good luck

PSUAGRO. said:

Just take their specs and buy it here from the manufacturer http://www.cidly.com/?page_id=61 they except paypal and do custom builds(still way cheaper than BS)....

I'd personally remove the blue and 12000k white .......go with this per cluster : 3- 6500k white/ 2-630nmred/7-660nmred/ 2 -710-740nm far red(whatever they use) .....should work well(never used this panel/or spectrum in an actual grow) IMO........good luck

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Thank you PSUAGRO!!!!

You are def one of the ppl I have been following on here to gain some knowledge!!! Appreciate very much!!!!!

Wow....did just notice from your changed specs there are no far red 710-740 on this BS...................am I properly retaining my reading lessons that is the really important range for big blooms???

You know what... I'd change the 2 far red diodes into 1 per cluster and either add another 660 red or add a 5000k white diode to the three 6500k cool white....yeah FR is important for flowering.....forget the IR/UV diodes they aren't any good diodes yet...you always can add that later with a cfl(uv) or a halogen bulb(IR) and are way more effective than leds at this point..

PM Hyroot he just bought a cindly 8 cluster apollo custom build for 275?? shipped .............I forget his spec layout........good luck

Here I come to save the day

Mine is for flowering only.. Per module

7 660nm
4 630nm
1 610nm
2 460nm
1 2700k

I went back and fourth between 2700k and 6500k but I figured that since Im only flowering with it...... I don't use 420nm. Imo they slow growth

Sub one IR for 660 on just the corner modules. The IR chips run at 0.8 watts and the rest at 2.4 watts. I didn't want to drop too much wattage on the whole. the apollo 8 was $238 plus $2 for each IR chip. shipping to west coast was $120. their shipping charges vary each month.

Unfortunately I had to turn it off. because some of my t5 bulbs burned out and I have too many bills and unforseen expenses had one apollo 8 and one par t5 going. One apollo does not cover enough area for me. I had to throw the 1000 watt back up. that was fun especially when the glass fell out but did not break. Only running that to keep watts as low as possible.

I was going to buy another apollo. Now I get to buy bulbs, 7 bags of soil, and new monitors for my studio and I just had to buy a new computer for work too. . I think Im going to wait and get the par 420 and I keep going back and forth on that one too.

Hi, thanks for the link to Cidly. How did you order from them? I don't see where to place an order and the "contact us" is down.

Maybe they've ran their course by now.

Weedism said:

Hi, thanks for the link to Cidly. How did you order from them? I don't see where to place an order and the "contact us" is down.

Maybe they've ran their course by now.

Click to expand...

They don't have a "shop". They need to be contacted, I got to them via e-mail. My service was prompt and the representative I spoke too (although didn't speak English well) was very helpful and answered all my questions.

EDIT: Looks like they've improved their website/arsenal since I've been there. I seriously doubt they've ran their course.

I should have just ordered from Cidly. I ended up buying blackstars ESFS 4 model when it was listed at $320. I got the unit a few weeks before christmas but dont plan on using it until summer - to replace a 400w closet grow that has heat issues. The unit had one fan that wasnt working. Emailed blackstar about it, they said they would send a pdf showing how to disassemble it to reconnect the fan. I emailed them again to send the pdf, they also said to let us know if they need to send out another fan. I took it apart, disconnected, reconnected it, still nothing. Somewhere around this time I noticed the fan was working. End result was you could shake or push the fan to get it going, lol but it was visually slower than the other fan. I emailed to get another fan. No response. Sent three emails asking for a replacement, Ill pay for the fan. Nothing. Had to size up an 80mm fan on amazon, which got delivered yesterday. Unit works now.

My whole point about ordering from blackstar (at $100+) was to have some reassuarance that if my unit broke, support is closer than a chinese manufacturer. Dont bother, just get the chinese unit. Although I have a working unit now, this has been a disappointment over a $5 pc fan.

was this a lighthouse blackstar unit? there is another black star that looks the same, but is a diferent company. if you have something designated esfs, you have the other one. the two are in conflict over similarities and name (according to lighthouse dealer)

Sooo...is the cidly thing as simple as it sounds?

Tell then style panel, apollo? How many diodes, size, nm, ratio, # of groupings(?), and ask for a quote?? lol Noooo wayyyy... Ive heard about this back when I looked into lights.. but was so discouraged to the possible complexity.

I could swing a cheaper $$ sign by the girl a HELL of a lot easier... wont hear about for 2 months.. lol

Ya, its pretty easy.
I went ahead and ordered an apollo 6. I have the blackstar 4 module version on a lightmover and kessil 150 in a small closet box. 1.5'x2.5' and it could use a little more led power.

Going to put the light mover and kessil away and replace with this 6. So 10 modules in this typical closet should be about the max I can do.

Took about 3 days to respond back to me, but once the emails started, it was about 5 emails back and forth within an hour or so to finish.

I'm looking into getting one of these lights, anyone had experience they'd like to share?