the fact that youre still interested in the cheap lights after reading this thread is a testament to their marketing really. Were just used to it because there are literally 5 threads a week about the cheap bullshit lights, with the same answer everytime, so nobody minces words about them. HPS is a better alternative in most cases
I know right? Same question and answer for years like a broken record. 1000 different crap LEDs on Amazon with Christmas tree colored lights, pictures of healthy plants and good reviews "best ever blah blah blah" it's not hard to see how people end up buying that stuff. I still bother in these type threads because at least the people who post here have the sense to ask around before making a purchase. For everyone that does that there are probably 500 who don't.
That chart posted a few posts up, it's not even blurple and is 65 LPW?!? WTF?
I was at the Habitat for Humanity store a few weeks ago. They had a huge stack of 5w LED bulbs for $1 each and another stack of 15w LEDs for $2.50 each. Building a frame for a bunch of those would be a better deal than most lamps on Amazon.
And as far as the yardstick, if a grow light manufacturer won't list PPF, umol/j or at least PAR watts, screw them and I don't care if their lamp is half decent, which it probably isn't. In the past I've suggested the person asking inquire with the manufacturer. Screw that. They shouldn't have to. It's no different than if a new car dealership refused to list the gas mileage and horsepower on their cars. There's a sticker on the window that says "very fast!" and "good gas mileage!". There's a picture of the car on the road with the background blurred to show how fast the car is. And you can't test drive it first. Ridiculous. There should be a sticky thread explaining all this.