Best Budget LED for 2.5'x2.5' Tent

Hey everyone.

I'm currently looking for another LED to add to my 2.5'x2.5' tent or possibly replace my current LED.

I currently have an Aglex G110 (110W). When Aglex released this light, it came with Samsung LM301B's and was supposed to flower a 2x3 area. They even published a par map showing its performance based on a 3x4 area. Since then, the light has dropped considerably in price, and no longer says Samsung LM301B's, but just LM301B's. They've also pulled the original par map and now states it's max coverage is 2x2. I'm guessing they're using a knock off diode. I'm not super impressed with it's performance, but I can't complain to much either. Compared against my normal 250W CMH/HPS light, it fell 15% short on yield and buds weren't as tight, but that could of been caused by a midflower hiccup. Verdict is still out on it. The nice thing is, it consumes 220 watts less than the 250W CMH/HPS setup. The light pays for itself in a year just based off the savings in power. ($.22KwH here)

My original thought was to purchase a second one to add to the tent to help bring up the yield a touch and have more even coverage, But the manufacturer has changed a bunch of things since purchasing the original one. So I've grown leery of that option. However, At $135CND (sale price) it's still an option.

I've considered the Mars TS1000 but it's still $200 Canadian Paso's and I'm not looking to spend that much at the moment and I'm not convinced it will perform better than my current light.

I've also considered the Mars TS600 or the Phlizon 600 in addition to my current light but then my OCD takes over about the lights not matching.

Ultimately, an ES180 From GSC would be the cats ass, but I don't have $600 to drop on a light.

Anyone have any recommendations on a light that will flower 2.5'x2.5' area or another light to add into the mix?

Pictures for attention.

HLG 135W Rspec diy kit would do your space perfectly.

if you want to save a few $ you could buy a 4 pack of QB120 boards for $130. 120W Driver and random parts you need is another $50 ish. But those boards can be run at 70W each so you would have 2 extra boards. Now you just need another tent and driver, and you've got a perpetual grow

Warseed said:

The nice thing is, it consumes 240 watts less than the 250W CMH/HPS setup. The light pays for itself in a year just based off the savings in power. ($.22KwH here)

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I don't understand, your LED fixture only consumes 10 watts? You got a link to the light to post?

PJ Diaz said:

I don't understand, your LED fixture only consumes 10 watts? You got a link to the light to post?

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Nope. It utilizes 110W. 112W to be exact when tested with my meter. My 250W HPS magnetic ballast (Phillips Advanced S51) pulls 360W when firing up but comes down to 330W when warmed up. To run the 250W CMH bulbs I have, they need to be fired with a magnetic ballast. Going digital will only save me 20ish watts and they'll only fire HPS/MH bulbs. That's roughly 220W less. At $.22kWh + delivery (48% of total power delivered) it ends up being around $.319 per KwH. Power is absurd in Ontario Canada.

My HPS Light consumes on average 345W between on and off cycles. At 18hrs a day, that's 2266.62 KwH x $.319= $723.06 yearly.

This LED consumes 112W almost always. At 18hrs a day, that's 735.84 KwH x $.319= $234.73 yearly.


Here's a link to the led I have;

PJ Diaz said:

I don't understand, your LED fixture only consumes 10 watts? You got a link to the light to post?

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"Only 110W consumed with 180 LEDs!" I don't know how many of those 180 are red monos, but they're driving those LM301B pretty hard aren't they?

"Lumen: 28704lm; Power draw:110W±5%"
28,704/110= just under 261 lumens per watt. Holy Crap! Must be a new super flux bin, because the LM301B is now reaching previously unheard of LPW.

It's possible the lumens figure is just a spot lux reading and the manufacturer published the wrong measuring unit.

Warseed said:

I've considered the Mars TS1000 but it's still $200 Canadian Paso's and I'm not looking to spend that much at the moment and I'm not convinced it will perform better than my current light.

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I don't know what's funnier the Mars Hydro or Canadian Paso's. I gotta say Canadian Pesos for the win.

Warseed said:

Nope. It utilizes 110W. 112W to be exact when tested with my meter. My 250W HPS magnetic ballast (Phillips Advanced S51) pulls 360W when firing up but comes down to 330W when warmed up. To run the 250W CMH bulbs I have, they need to be fired with a magnetic ballast. Going digital will only save me 20ish watts and they'll only fire HPS/MH bulbs. That's roughly 220W less. At $.22kWh + delivery (48% of total power delivered) it ends up being around $.319 per KwH. Power is absurd in Ontario Canada.

My HPS Light consumes on average 345W between on and off cycles. At 18hrs a day, that's 2266.62 KwH x $.319= $723.06 yearly.

This LED consumes 112W almost always. At 18hrs a day, that's 735.84 KwH x $.319= $234.73 yearly.


Here's a link to the led I have;

AGLEX LED Plant Grow Light Bar- G110W Sunlike Full Spectrum LED Grow Light for Indoor Plants with Superior LM301B Chip, Fanless and Safer and Reliable Wide Volatge Design: Amazon.ca: Electronics

AGLEX LED Plant Grow Light Bar- G110W Sunlike Full Spectrum LED Grow Light for Indoor Plants with Superior LM301B Chip, Fanless and Safer and Reliable Wide Volatge Design: Amazon.ca: Electronics

www.amazon.ca

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Gotcha. I'm guessing that you're using the old Philips Retro-White CMH lamps. I used those years ago in my 400w mag ballast. I think your main issue is that you simply don't have enough wattage. A 2.5x2.5 space is a bit over 6 square feet. Figure at a minimum you need 30watts per square foot, that puts you at 180watts. You're better off with 35 to 40 watts/ sq ft, which puts you around double the wattage you have in there now. That light you have isn't the best, but could be worse. I would add another 120watts of quality LED, or scrap the light you have and go for 200 to 240 watts of quality LED if the budget allows.

Barristan Whitebeard said:

Amazon.com : AGLEX LED Plant Grow Light Bar- G110W Sunlike Full Spectrum LED Grow Light for Indoor Plants Fanless with Superior LM301B Chip and UL Listied IP65 Waterproof Power Driver : Garden & Outdoor

Amazon.com : AGLEX LED Plant Grow Light Bar- G110W Sunlike Full Spectrum LED Grow Light for Indoor Plants Fanless with Superior LM301B Chip and UL Listied IP65 Waterproof Power Driver : Garden & Outdoor

www.amazon.com

"Only 110W consumed with 180 LEDs!" I don't know how many of those 180 are red monos, but they're driving those LM301B pretty hard aren't they?

"Lumen: 28704lm; Power draw:110W±5%"
28,704/110= just under 261 lumens per watt. Holy Crap! Must be a new super flux bin, because the LM301B is now reaching previously unheard of LPW.

It's possible the lumens figure is just a spot lux reading and the manufacturer published the wrong measuring unit.

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Yeah, the specs are sketchy at best. But I believe you're right by saying the lumen figure is indeed just a spot Lux reading.

PadawanWarrior said:

I don't know what's funnier the Mars Hydro or Canadian Paso's. I gotta say Canadian Pesos for the win.

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I'm fairly new to the LED world. With there being so many brands around, Mars gets brought up pretty frequently. So I had to do my due diligence and research their lights. Ive found either people love them or absolutely despise them. I'm giong to go out on a limb and say you're not a fan.

Yeah, Canadian Pesos normally gets a laugh or two. Excuse the initial incorrect spelling. I'm not great at proof reading my replies. I normally go with Rupees, but Pesos seemed fitting at the time.

PJ Diaz said:

Gotcha. I'm guessing that you're using the old Philips Retro-White CMH lamps. I used those years ago in my 400w mag ballast. I think your main issue is that you simply don't have enough wattage. A 2.5x2.5 space is a bit over 6 square feet. Figure at a minimum you need 30watts per square foot, that puts you at 180watts. You're better off with 35 to 40 watts/ sq ft, which puts you around double the wattage you have in there now. That light you have isn't the best, but could be worse. I would add another 120watts of quality LED, or scrap the light you have and go for 200 to 240 watts of quality LED if the budget allows.

Click to expand...

Spot on. I'm rather fond of the old retro-white bulbs. I scored a case of 12 for $10 when our local Canlyte factory went under. They run a touch cooler than HPS and keep plants really nice and bushy. I lent the light to a friend that maintains 4 moms in a 3x3 and he asks me weekly if I'll sell him the setup because of how well it's working for him. I'm glad it's getting used but I'm not ready to part ways with it just yet.

As for budget is concerned, I have about $150 to play with so replacing the light entirely might not be feasible option. I've had 2 successful runs with this light. It hasn't disappointed me, however it hasn't impressed me either. I normally pull between 4-8 ounces off 2 plants under the 250W HPS. Last run I did was for breeding so i never weighed the results and the run prior to that I got a few grams over 4 ounces off 2 plants. It was the first time growing that strain (lemon kush) and had a small issue come up half way through flower. My goal typically is 2-4 ounces a plant (gram a watt). I've only been able to pull 8 ounces once. That was from 2 critical mass clones with a flawless grow. I kick myself everyday for not taking a cutting from one of them.

Warseed said:

Spot on. I'm rather fond of the old retro-white bulbs. I scored a case of 12 for $10 when our local Canlyte factory went under. They run a touch cooler than HPS and keep plants really nice and bushy. I lent the light to a friend that maintains 4 moms in a 3x3 and he asks me weekly if I'll sell him the setup because of how well it's working for him. I'm glad it's getting used but I'm not ready to part ways with it just yet.

As for budget is concerned, I have about $150 to play with so replacing the light entirely might not be feasible option. I've had 2 successful runs with this light. It hasn't disappointed me, however it hasn't impressed me either. I normally pull between 4-8 ounces off 2 plants under the 250W HPS. Last run I did was for breeding so i never weighed the results and the run prior to that I got a few grams over 4 ounces off 2 plants. It was the first time growing that strain (lemon kush) and had a small issue come up half way through flower. My goal typically is 2-4 ounces a plant (gram a watt). I've only been able to pull 8 ounces once. That was from 2 critical mass clones with a flawless grow. I kick myself everyday for not taking a cutting from one of them.

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Are you willing to DIY? You can put together a quality 120watt LED fixture for under $150 pretty easy.

PJ Diaz said:

Are you willing to DIY? You can put together a quality 120watt LED fixture for under $150 pretty easy.

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Absolutely.

PJ Diaz said:

Are you willing to DIY? You can put together a quality 120watt LED fixture for under $150 pretty easy.

Click to expand...

A quality 120W DIY for $150 in CANADIAN pesos? I'm doubtful. Shipping, duty and tax kill the beaver-people.

B_the_s said:

A quality 120W DIY for $150 in CANADIAN pesos? I'm doubtful. Shipping, duty and tax kill the beaver-people.

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That's why I'm leaning towards getting a second matching light. At $135, it's pretty well the cheapest option and I know the light works relatively well. Cheapest QB288 board and driver I've found is $219. The HLG 135 RSpec is $299 here. CXB3590's are still $200+. Don't have many options unfortunately.

We tax everything in Canada, including the air we breathe. That's what happens when the mass population votes in the son of a Communist Cuban prime minister. He has to tax everything so he can give billions to convicted terrorists and his family.

Spiderfarmersf1000 heres what 2 did for me ina 2 ×5 foot canopy with no mylar they're way stronger in a tent and have samsung diodes

roleone said:

Spiderfarmersf1000 heres what 2 did for me ina 2 ×5 foot canopy with no mylar they're way stronger in a tent and have samsung diodes

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Thanks for the recommendation! Plants look great!

Unfortunately, the SF1000 is $219 CND. Well outside my Budget.

B_the_s said:

A quality 120W DIY for $150 in CANADIAN pesos? I'm doubtful. Shipping, duty and tax kill the beaver-people.

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You're prolly right. I was considering US costs.

Warseed said:

Absolutely.

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No clue on what you would pay in Canada, but real cheap right now and uses the lm561c diodes. I'm no expert on anything LED, but it seems like you could build something within your budget to even fit around your existing light. 4k isn't really the ideal full cycle spectrum it seems, but could be useful later. Again not sure on prices for you in Canada, but it would cost me roughly $35 for an xlg-100 to drive 4 strips and I just paid $33 for 8 strips. That leaves you with some wires, connectors, power cord and some framing with the remaining budget. Maybe you could make it work and still have a little left to supplement them with some kind of reds if you wanted. Again I reiterate, I know very little about diy and leds so take all this as a noob's perspective, but seems a possible option.

loco41 said:

https://www.arrow.com/en/products/si-b8t521560ww/samsung-electronics

XLG-100-H-A MEAN WELL USA Inc. | Power Supplies - External/Internal (Off-Board) | DigiKey

Order today, ships today. XLG-100-H-A – 2.1A 27 ~ 56V Constant Current LED Driver AC DC Converter Topology 1 Output from MEAN WELL USA Inc.. Pricing and Availability on millions of electronic components from Digi-Key Electronics.

www.digikey.com

No clue on what you would pay in Canada, but real cheap right now and uses the lm561c diodes. I'm no expert on anything LED, but it seems like you could build something within your budget to even fit around your existing light. 4k isn't really the ideal full cycle spectrum it seems, but could be useful later. Again not sure on prices for you in Canada, but it would cost me roughly $35 for an xlg-100 to drive 4 strips and I just paid $33 for 8 strips. That leaves you with some wires, connectors, power cord and some framing with the remaining budget. Maybe you could make it work and still have a little left to supplement them with some kind of reds if you wanted. Again I reiterate, I know very little about diy and leds so take all this as a noob's perspective, but seems a possible option.

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according to the digikey website, that $35 driver, to my house is
$66.55 CDN after $20 shipping and then 1.32 exchange rate
and then duty will be applied at the time of delivery
how much is duty? no one can tell for sure. could be nothing, could be another $50 Canadian
Shipping from China is the same, not cheap, subject to duty and currency exchange
Pisses me off.

Warseed said:

Thanks for the recommendation! Plants look great!

Unfortunately, the SF1000 is $219 CND. Well outside my Budget.

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No problem, I didn't think it was that much of a price difference. That's kinda bs