45% more expensive one time vs 26% better every crop that is.......
Define better? I can use my 45% savings to run more 3070s at better efficiency. I can also just run more chips, more watts, and more light at a cheaper build cost.
45% more expensive doesn't mean, "hey I'll just save 45% on leds", it means "hey, I can afford 1.45x as many 3070s in my build, and run them 45% softer and get better efficiency than I'd have for the same build cost of 3590s" or "hey, I can afford 1.45x as many 3070s and I'll just run higher light output"
For example. Let's say schools starting soon and you need some pencils. You go to the store, see a 50 pack for $2, right beside it is 30 for $1. You get 66% more pencils with the big pack, but it costs 100% more.
Or a stoner example. So you want some smoke, you see some hash for $50 a gram, it looks great, we'll say its 50% THC. I could also take my $50 and get 3.5g of some 20% THC flower, then I get 100mg more THC overall for the same price.
In these examples, pencil quantity, or THC quantity is representing efficiency capacity. The ability to drive 3590s 26% more wattage for the same efficiency of 3070s.
Now some people may be getting the 3590s cheaper, just going by the cutter prices for leds only. If you add in an extra $5 expense each additional chip(holder, reflector, etc) $53 vs $38, and it's only 40% more expensive for 26% better efficiency capability. But that still means you could build a 14 x 3070 cob design(5-4-5 for example) at the same overall watts(and better efficiency and spread) as a 10 x 3590 cob design(3-4-3) at lower efficiency. Same build cost, and more efficiency with the 3070s softer.
And our build example:
10 x 3590s on a hlg 600 36 @ 1.67A each, 92,760 lumens for 585w or 158.7lm/w. Or 14 x 3070 on a hlg 600 36 @ 1.19A each, 92,916lumens for 580w or 160.2lm/w. Same build cost, but more light, less watts, better spread, less heat, more yield, more profit, etc. Actually with more chips spread out you'd see a drop of chip temp also, adding to efficiency. Factor the 3070s would be at 45℃ instead of 50℃ like the 3590s, now you get 93,700 lumens for 581w or 161.3lm/w. An extra 1000 lumens, 4 watts less, the same cost to build.