Hydrofarm 2ft. 8 lamp T5 vs. Blackstar 180w LED

I'm thinking about creating a veg room and I'm not sure what would be the best for 4-6 plants in a 2'7" by 2'7" space. I'm looking at a Hydrofarm 2ft. 8 lamp T5 or a Lighthouse Hydro Blackstar 180w LED. I've heard pretty good things about both for vegging. I am leaning towards the LED simply because of the power consumption but I'm not sure if it would work as well as the T5. I will continue to use a 600w HPS for flower. Any input?


http://www.greners.com/sun-blaze-t5-fixtures-2-foot-2-4-8-tube.html

http://www.vminnovations.com/product_11000/Lighthouse-Hydro-180W-Blackstar-UV-Led-Grow-Light-3w.html

I have never tried LEDs however I have a longer version of the 8 tube sun blaze reflector and have had no problems with it. I used to use it to grow auto-flowering strains to completion now I'm just going to use it for seedlings and maybe early veg. I have had no problems with it and I like that you can turn off half the bulbs if you don't need them all running.

If you do go with the LED I'd be interested in know how well it works for you.

I have that black star light. Its's amazing!!! It will veg the hell out of your plants. great internodal spacing! The plants LOVE this light. I'm on my laptop right now and don't have any pics to share, but if you look at my sig I may have something up on my grow (which is in serious need of an update).

Cool thanks for the responses. So goodpunk you have the 180w veg model and you'd recommend it? Do you think it's powerful enough to veg 4-6 plants to 2+ft. in a 3x3 space?

bladerealm124 said:

Cool thanks for the responses. So goodpunk you have the 180w veg model and you'd recommend it? Do you think it's powerful enough to veg 4-6 plants to 2+ft. in a 3x3 space?

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I would say its better suited for a 2x3 area. I have a veg model and a flowering model going in a 2x4 tent and get awesome coverage. I have an 8 site dwc 10gal tub going underneath a the veg model and it does an amazing job with vegging my babies. However, With my 8 site tub I wouldnt try to get them too big. For larger plants, maybe 2 would be best.

I check the link, and the manufacturer says 4 sq ft. ...thats only 2 x 2. I think you would definitely need 2. I love the idea of LED's, just can't make the "cost per area covered" make sense to me.

Yeah I've been looking into it and it looks like I'd have to get the 240w for $60 more if I wanted to cover that area. However, I'm trying to account for my future electricity costs and I don't wanna spend too much on ventilation either so I'm not afraid of making an investment if in the long run I can save on electricity. So I'm leaning towards the 240w blackstar. Anyone else have any input?