The Grower Man
Well-Known Member
Hey guys, just to clarify this isn't a complete review - I've just purchased 2 Hans' panels and wanted to share my experience of my purchase.
I switched from HPS because living in this tropical country, and added with my small grow tent (2x4x5) led to some serious heat issues. Even with a 4" fan, temps for a 150W HPS rose to 99F... at night.
Sure, my babies are accustomed to growing here, but that's still too high, so I opted for LED. My research initially made me choose between Vipar and Advanced LED, but pricing, local electrical configurations, and shipping costs led me to Hans' panels instead. You can find the thread and the great suggestions here.
First off;
Customer service.
I emailed Hans and he replied within 24 hours to answer to my queries, but I'm guessing English isn't his first language. Where Vipar and Advanced LED gave lengthy, polite, and friendly replies, Hans actually replied with mostly one words and all in caps. Lol, it doesn't really bother me as long as he answers my questions, but yes, don't expect the usual customer service replies.
I made my purchase and made a special request for him to declare the value of the item lower so I wouldn't get taxed, but he made no mention of that when he emailed me the tracking number for my package. When I received the package, he hadn't changed the declaration, so be warned, he doesn't do that.
Oh, and another thing, the package is being sent through Netherland's national post (I think) so the site is in dutch. No, there is no English version of the site, so I had to rely on google translate.
He actual emailed me the wrong tracking number, (he mistakenly replaced a '0' with an 'O') and for the first few weeks I couldn't track my package because I kept copy pasting it. When I emailed him about it, he replied with a screenshot of the tracked package, which made me realize the error. I used the correct code, and my package showed up.
Overall, customer service is there, although I expected a little more, based on my emails with Vipar and Advanced LED.
Product.
The lights were packaged quite nicely in the box, and they were very light. I took them out and they're not in a metal casing, but still pretty sturdy, which is good enough for me. Basically, it'll do for a grow light - it won't do as a weapon in the zompocalypse.
It's also very thin, which I love, since it'll take a lot less space in the already limited grow cab.
I tested these panels and made the mistake of standing in front of it while turning it on - holy shit they were bright. I think I might've damaged the sensors on my camera by taking a photo of it directly.
But that's a good thing. I installed one in my grow tent and left it overnight. I checked it in the morning and the back of the panels were like a warm cup of tea, very little heat. Temps read 79F for a single panel, but I doubt an additional panel is going to add to the heat significantly. They're a LOT cooler than the local CFL's.
One thing to note, and this may be a general rule of all LED's - adhere to the suggested coverage area of your lights. For a 2 x 3 grow space, I'm supposed to use 2 panels, and using only one so far really doesn't cover the edges.
I'm satisfied with the product so far, and while customer service could be better, it's a trade off I'm willing to sacrifice for one of the most recommended lights on the market.
I switched from HPS because living in this tropical country, and added with my small grow tent (2x4x5) led to some serious heat issues. Even with a 4" fan, temps for a 150W HPS rose to 99F... at night.
Sure, my babies are accustomed to growing here, but that's still too high, so I opted for LED. My research initially made me choose between Vipar and Advanced LED, but pricing, local electrical configurations, and shipping costs led me to Hans' panels instead. You can find the thread and the great suggestions here.
First off;
Customer service.
I emailed Hans and he replied within 24 hours to answer to my queries, but I'm guessing English isn't his first language. Where Vipar and Advanced LED gave lengthy, polite, and friendly replies, Hans actually replied with mostly one words and all in caps. Lol, it doesn't really bother me as long as he answers my questions, but yes, don't expect the usual customer service replies.
I made my purchase and made a special request for him to declare the value of the item lower so I wouldn't get taxed, but he made no mention of that when he emailed me the tracking number for my package. When I received the package, he hadn't changed the declaration, so be warned, he doesn't do that.
Oh, and another thing, the package is being sent through Netherland's national post (I think) so the site is in dutch. No, there is no English version of the site, so I had to rely on google translate.
He actual emailed me the wrong tracking number, (he mistakenly replaced a '0' with an 'O') and for the first few weeks I couldn't track my package because I kept copy pasting it. When I emailed him about it, he replied with a screenshot of the tracked package, which made me realize the error. I used the correct code, and my package showed up.
Overall, customer service is there, although I expected a little more, based on my emails with Vipar and Advanced LED.
Product.
The lights were packaged quite nicely in the box, and they were very light. I took them out and they're not in a metal casing, but still pretty sturdy, which is good enough for me. Basically, it'll do for a grow light - it won't do as a weapon in the zompocalypse.
It's also very thin, which I love, since it'll take a lot less space in the already limited grow cab.
I tested these panels and made the mistake of standing in front of it while turning it on - holy shit they were bright. I think I might've damaged the sensors on my camera by taking a photo of it directly.
But that's a good thing. I installed one in my grow tent and left it overnight. I checked it in the morning and the back of the panels were like a warm cup of tea, very little heat. Temps read 79F for a single panel, but I doubt an additional panel is going to add to the heat significantly. They're a LOT cooler than the local CFL's.
One thing to note, and this may be a general rule of all LED's - adhere to the suggested coverage area of your lights. For a 2 x 3 grow space, I'm supposed to use 2 panels, and using only one so far really doesn't cover the edges.
I'm satisfied with the product so far, and while customer service could be better, it's a trade off I'm willing to sacrifice for one of the most recommended lights on the market.