DIY COBs and QBs - Are they actually cost effective?

Horselover fat said:

Well a cheap 600w HID set would cost about 150€ and an equivalent 420w (actually quite a bit better at 1074umol and a much better spread) can easily be built for 450€ so that's a 300€ difference. I think I pay 0.14€/kwh so running 12/12 I would save 110€ in electricity per year. HID would need new bulbs too, which would add 20-100€ per year depending on your bulb tastes and how often you change them.

I don't care about the costs though. Growing is a hobby for me.

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i even pay 0.30€ cent a KWH and i know a case where a high power bill was a real problem in the end.

Horselover fat said:

Well a cheap 600w HID set would cost about 150€ and an equivalent 420w LED (actually quite a bit better at 1074umol and a much better spread) can easily be built for 450€ so that's a 300€ difference. I think I pay 0.14€/kwh so running 12/12 I would save 110€ in electricity per year. HID would need new bulbs too, which would add 20-100€ per year depending on your bulb tastes and how often you change them.

I don't care about the costs though. Growing is a hobby for me.

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i could not of been fucked changing bulbs in the end there and did not notice much diff and that fucker was at least 3 years old

cobshopgrow said:

i even pay 0.30€ cent a KWH and i know a case where a high power bill was a real problem in the end.

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I pay 19cents a kwh up to 500kwh, 15c from there to 2500kwh. 20% discount if settled in 30 days.

Horselover fat said:

Well a cheap 600w HID set would cost about 150€ and an equivalent 420w LED (actually quite a bit better at 1074umol and a much better spread) can easily be built for 450€ so that's a 300€ difference. I think I pay 0.14€/kwh so running 12/12 I would save 110€ in electricity per year. HID would need new bulbs too, which would add 20-100€ per year depending on your bulb tastes and how often you change them.

I don't care about the costs though. Growing is a hobby for me.

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So roughly 2 yrs before the led starts paying itself off.
I love my cob fixture, but i will likely upgrade or rebuild long before i get any sort of return on the efficiency. That is why i call it a hobby.

cobshopgrow said:

to say it in your words.
YOU SHOULD !!!!!

am really impressed so far, there is light from every angle and high intensity everywhere.
Biggest problem for me atm is to dial the light down so far that my plants root system can take all the light, there is no escape from it, haha.

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Yeah I think I will... Not anytime soon though...

Frank Nitty said:

Yeah I think I will... Not anytime soon though...

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I may change my mind about this one real quick... I'm looking at some Samsung 24v lm561c S6 led 96 diode strips... Would 6 in a 3x3x5 be too much??? How much power should I have in there???? I want to help my plants not hurt them

Boatguy said:

I pay 19cents a kwh up to 500kwh, 15c from there to 2500kwh. 20% discount if settled in 30 days.

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not bad at all! also nice, if settled within 30 days, i think my altrnative would be if not settled in 90 days someone knocks your door or some.

Frank Nitty said:

I may change my mind about this one real quick... I'm looking at some Samsung 24v lm561c S6 led 96 diode strips... Would 6 in a 3x3x5 be too much??? How much power should I have in there???? I want to help my plants not hurt them

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oh yeah, thats quick,haha.
any special reason choosing those? i mean not that theyre bad or so.
Would be cool if you have a link to some datas, datasheet then i can dig a bit.
On the quick it sounds like a job for some 48V driver, 2 in series , rest in parallel, i personally would go higher voltage wise, but thats not everyones liking.

I have a 3X3 and think the hlg 320 watt is a pretty perfect fit to my view, enough power to burn the plants if not taken care (i dont use Co2, but Co2 levels arent low where the plants are, mostly above 600ppm).
There could be slightly cheaper options, but i didnt found a more efficient driver in that range.
Like with a PC build, i take care to get the best power supply and pay a arm and a leg for it (no ROI there for sure, just peace of mind)

I'd say cobs for trees
Strips for bushes