The important thing is that Mars is a low quality light fixture which uses inefficient LEDs.
I struggle with this as well. I ended of buying 100ft rolls of white and black at a place called Frys in Texas when I was there last week. How much are you needing?
in the U.K.
Yes, they are shit, no es bueno.
And they have comparatively shorter lifespans than decent cobs. I consider kits employing Epistars as "disposable lights" - be ready to replace it with a new one after a couple of grows.
The problem is, they're rated for much more aren't they? Others claim 3-5 year warranties when their fixtures aren't even designed for such rigorous operating schedules, failing within a year. You're lucky if they last more. I call this deception. Most LED modules have a rated lifespan of 50,000 hours - that's 5.71 years. LEDs (and most solid state electronics) run within acceptable operating conditions normally reach this. Most cheap 1/3/5W LED lights are in garbage bins right now, the surviving rest are all exceptions.
I'm not sure what gauge that is, but most will recommend an 18awg solid wire for LED light use.
Sure. Both solid core and stranded are fine. The stranded one is more flexible and easier to solder.