Experienced Grower Seeking Advice on Budget-Friendly Lights for Cannabis Setup

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GCandy

Well-Known Member
Hey all,

Ive been looking into a few options whilst diving down the rabbit hole again and was wondering if I could get an opinion on these 2 lights?

BW2000 LED Grow Lights Its a bit more expensive than I was hoping, but it says it pulls 90watts from the wall?

I found this unbranded QB on Aliexpress where I can get it for ￡30.58+free shipping atm. My only issues are .. Can I trust the listing? & Afaikt it uses different leds than the "SMD" samsung ones that I see a lot of people recommending ... This uses the "LM281B" samsung leds which are ment to be older and a little less efficient, but still good for growing according to THC Farmer?

Advice please :)
 
G

GCandy

Well-Known Member
laddyd said:
There is a viparspectra V1000 light for 49 bucks on amazon which would fit your wheelie bin perfectly. That IMHO is the best option for your setup.
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Thats a great spot, but unfortunately they only seem to sell the upgraded version in the UK n its going for £129.99 atm :(

Thx for the suggestion tho :)
 
1

1212ham

Well-Known Member
GCandy said:
Hey all,

Ive been looking into a few options whilst diving down the rabbit hole again and was wondering if I could get an opinion on these 2 lights?

BW2000 LED Grow Lights Its a bit more expensive than I was hoping, but it says it pulls 90watts from the wall?

I found this unbranded QB on Aliexpress where I can get it for ￡30.58+free shipping atm. My only issues are .. Can I trust the listing? & Afaikt it uses different leds than the "SMD" samsung ones that I see a lot of people recommending ... This uses the "LM281B" samsung leds which are ment to be older and a little less efficient, but still good for growing according to THC Farmer?

Advice please :)
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I'd stay away from blurples (blue-purple) like that obsolete BW2000. Inefficient, poor spectrum, fans that will eventually fail, etc. etc.

That board on Aliexpress looks better. Check ebay for bargains and lights that aren't available, like the viparspectra v1000.

Regular LED bulbs are also an option.
 
G

GCandy

Well-Known Member
1212ham said:
I'd stay away from blurples (blue-purple) like that obsolete BW2000. Inefficient, poor spectrum, fans that will eventually fail, etc. etc.

That board on Aliexpress looks better. Check ebay for bargains and lights that aren't available, like the viparspectra v1000.

Regular LED bulbs are also an option.
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Thx for that advice ... Would buying used/refurbished on Ebay be a bad move or do these boards tend to last a while?

And Ive never bought of Aliexpress before .. Do they actually sell legit electronics all the time now .. or are their still adds that totally lie all over the place?
 
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GrowerGirl-eu

Member
GCandy said:
And Ive never bought of Aliexpress before .. Do they actually sell legit electronics all the time now .. or are their still adds that totally lie all over the place?
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Aliexpress sometimes sells legit electronics, but you have to do a lot of research and careful reading to avoid bad buys. For electronics it is best to stick to a handful of reputable sellers on aliexpress.
Some of the unbranded stuff may also work, but images can be deceiving. I think this video shows the qb you linked, and it's a lot smaller in real life than on the pictures.
 
1

1212ham

Well-Known Member
GCandy said:
Thx for that advice ... Would buying used/refurbished on Ebay be a bad move or do these boards tend to last a while?

And Ive never bought of Aliexpress before .. Do they actually sell legit electronics all the time now .. or are their still adds that totally lie all over the place?
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Lots a junk on Aliexpres/Alibaba but Meijiu or Kingbrite seem to be ok.

LED lights generally last a few-many years. The boards/diodes rarely fail but he drivers (power supply) fail on occasion. BTW, around 325-400 watts per square meter is usually optimum for flowering with decent grow lights.

I think you're in the UK? Here are a couple on UK ebay worth a look.


 
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coreywebster

coreywebster

Well-Known Member
GCandy said:
This looks great, thx for the suggestion! Its a shame they are out of stock in my part of the world atm tho, but its been added to my list, Thx again ;)
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Try ebay they have a few official stores on there and ask for a discount.
Also, they sponsor here and you can get a discount code
 
ScroteCombover

ScroteCombover

Well-Known Member
It was in a 3x3 next to a 100w aglex & a 100w idk. Flowered at 90% 8in from top. 4 plants in 3gal pots. Short veg on below avg yield strain plants that are still hanging so no clue on yield seems brighter than the aglex to my eye. Idk. I'd buy another if I need one.
 
futurebanjo

futurebanjo

Well-Known Member
Blue brother said:
Is there any particular reason why you're not considering a hps?
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They use too much electricity. I'd go high quality LED every time... the only downside is they run cooler than HPS, so if you are relying on an HPS lamp to also act as a heater to keep your temps up in range, if you live in a cold climate, for example, it could be an issue.

Oh and also another issue... HPS and MH lamps loose a lot of light output after a grow or two, so you have to replace the bulbs more often, a well designed LED light will last thousands of hours longer if you buy a high quality one.

Buy cheap, buy twice, as they say.
 
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Blue brother

Blue brother

Well-Known Member
futurebanjo said:
They use too much electricity. I'd go high quality LED every time... the only downside is they run cooler than HPS, so if you are relying on an HPS lamp to also act as a heater to keep your temps up in range, if you live in a cold climate, for example, it could be an issue.

Oh and also another issue... HPS and MH lamps loose a lot of light output after a grow or two, so you have to replace the bulbs more often, a well designed LED light will last thousands of hours longer if you buy a high quality one.

Buy cheap, buy twice, as they say.
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I know all about the differences between hps and leds mate, I own multiple of both high quality hps and hlg Diablos. I'm asking why the op specifically isn't considering hid lighting, she doesn't have enough of a budget to buy high end leds or even mars spider farmer etc which id consider to be in the budget range.
 
futurebanjo

futurebanjo

Well-Known Member
Blue brother said:
I know all about the differences between hps and leds mate, I own multiple of both high quality hps and hlg Diablos. I'm asking why the op specifically isn't considering hid lighting, she doesn't have enough of a budget to buy high end leds or even mars spider farmer etc which id consider to be in the budget range.
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They are growing in a wheelie bin too, by the sounds of it...even a 400w HPS in there is goning to be a serious fire hazard, not to mention airflow and humididty is going to be a living nightmare, mate.
 
Blue brother

Blue brother

Well-Known Member
futurebanjo said:
They are growing in a wheelie bin too, by the sounds of it...even a 400w HPS in there is goning to be a serious fire hazard, not to mention airflow and humididty is going to be a living nightmare, mate.
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I'm not sure the size of the wheelie bin they're using but I had thought a 250w hps in a cool tube with the ducting ran either side through the lid and fan attached to the outside of the lid, heck if it was legal here n they were close I'd even donate one. Before leds came along this place was full of people doing ingenious stuff with hids in small spaces, sure there was a subforum called cab/stealth grows, my first ever grow was in a cupboard 60x60x120 and I shoe horned a 600w hps in a cool tube in there haha. I certainly wouldn't do it now but sometimes budget calls for humble beginnings.
 
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