I bought an SP 3000 in 2021 but wouldn't buy the current version unless you can't swing the $$ for a better light. If that's the case, I'd argue that, if possible, wait until you can save the extra $$ for a better light.
The SP 3000 of 2021 had a very different PPFD map than the current version. The older model wasn't as powerful but it had a more even light cast. The advantage of an even PPFD map is that it makes it easier to light your grow.
The PPFD for the current model of the SP 3000 is here. The PPFD values in the center 2' are very high, call it 1400µmol. While it's good to have 1400µmol, the problem with the SP 3000 is that, once you leave a very small area at 1400µmol, the PPFD level drops off very quickly and is extremely unbalanced. Look at the PPFD values on the right side of the map - the highest value reported is 511µmol and from there is drops into the 400's. The lowest light level recommended for cannabis in flower is 600µmol*. The entire right side of the SP 3000 doesn't generate even that very modest level of light.
Note too that with the exception of 1' at the center left of the PPFD map, light levels do not reach the 600 threshold.
The bottom line, for me, is that the new SP 3000 has a hot spot very similar to the hot spot found in many HLG lights. I understand that a lot of growers love HLG lights and get good results but that doesn't change the simple fact that lights with a hot spot in the center make it more difficult to get even light on your canopy.
If you use a light light this, one tradeoff are that the only place you can get good levels of light will be in the center and we know that because Mars is showing us that in the PPFD map. In terms of how to set up your grow, you can either grow one plant in the center and get it to 1000µmol, assuming that's your target. Per the Mars PPFD map, you'll be running your light at about 70% power. If you do that, the PPFD values for the entire grow will be about 70% of what's shown on the PPFD map. As such, the areas that are 500±µmol will be in the 350-400µmol region. Those light levels less than ½ of the light levels needed for maximum yield.
One of the reasons for this light pattern is that it allows a company to produce a less expensive product and that takes us back to my opening paragraph - it all you've got is $270, then you're going to get a $270 light. The downside to that is that you're going to have to take into account the fact that the lightcast is uneven. You'll get a crop, no question about that, but a light with that level of light output is far below that of other grow lights for a 2' x 4' space.
For reference, I've attached the PPFD maps of grow lights that I considered after I purchased my SP 3000. When I started growing in 2021, I "unarchived" my grow tent from 2018. I had done one grow in 2018 and then buttoned it up. When I started growing again, I got the PPFD map for the blurple (a Kind 600XL). When I saw the light levels, I put it in the trash and looked for another light. I was in a bit of a time bind and, after a quick look around, I went with the SP 3000.
After starting to learn about grow lighting, I settled on the Growcraft X3 330. The PPFD map for the Growcraft X3, the X2, the SP 3000, and a Migro array are shown below (the X2 is in the top left, the SP 3000 is in the top right, the Migro is lower right):
If you look at the PPFD map for the SP 3000 from 2021, you'll note that the maximum values are lower but the PPFD map is more even. The advantage of that is that I can run the Mars at 100% power and get good light in the center but I'm still well over 600µmol for the entire grow. In contrast, look at the PPFD map for the current model and, if I turn the dimmer down low enough to get the center values down to 1000µmol, I'm DAWA ("dark as a whale's ass") on a very high percentage of my canopy.
So what gives with the new SP 3000? Products are designed to be sold at price points. The SP 3000 was $300 in 2021 but $300 in 2021 is…$360-$370 today. Yes, some components are cheaper but many things that go into designing, manufacturing, selling, and supporting a product are much higher. The new Mars is only $260 ($215 on sale). Something's gotta give. What we're seeing here is a markedly different PPFD map than the preceding model (and I would argue that it's inferior) but it's at a very low price point. There are no solutions, only tradeoffs.
If you look at the PPFD map for the Migro array, you'll see that it's a very even light cast. I don't know if that model is available today but just comparing the current model SP 3000 vs the Migro, the latter has a superior light cast.
While I liked the Migro PPFD map, I didn't like their spectrum and I bought a Growcraft X2 veg light and their X3 flower light. I've had some excellent results with that setup but the flower light is getting long in the tooth. I will not do business with Growcraft again, for reasons outside of this discussion, and, with my Fall grow coming up, my current favorite is the Spider SE4500. That light is $450± and they offer the G4500 which is priced at $400. Both models are 430 watts and generate very high PPFD levels with very good uniformity. The $400 price point is higher than the $260 price of the SP 3000. The Spider lights are more expensive but the result of using the Spider vs the Mars is that, all other factors being equal, every crop that you grow will be significantly larger with the Spider than it would be if you were using the Mars.
*That's the value recommended by de Bacco - I have no idea where he got that but, overall, I find him a credible source of information for cannabis growers. My recommendation is at least 800µmol and I light my grows with at least 1000µmol and preferably 1100±.
