WoW! WTF happened to this discussion??? LOL!
I once grew with an old HydroFarm light/reflector…I started with a 400 watt MH bulb. The plants loved the light and the extra heat provided a nice day/night temperature difference. I was lazy to change the bulb for a long time and the output went way down….but, apparently, was still burning 400 watts!
I switched out the MH and got a HPS conversion bulb, finally, and the plants loved it, too, but then that bulb's output went way down, too…even faster than the MH. But, again, the plants really grew fast and produced more dense flowers and less leafy colas. I assumed that the HID lights penetrated "into" the interior of the buds…psshhh…tbh, I didn't really question it that much. I just looked at the results.
Then, I decided to explore some of the newer LED stuff and ended up with an SGS-160. It's obviously a lot less powerful light than was the old 400 watt MH, so I guess it wouldn't be fair to compare them. But, I have noticed that the LED grows much leafier/fluffier buds than my old HID setup.
I'm on the cusp of buying a new Optic Vero 29 (360 watt version) and will likely be pulling the trigger on it by next September. I'm hoping that it will get closer to the HID type penetration so that I can get those dense flowers happening again.
I do feel that the LEDs are safer because they don't get screaming-hot like HID bulbs do.
But, I was eyeballing those 315 LEC fixtures, too…but then someone else said that "bulbs are a thing of the past" -and I'd have to agree with that, too!
And even the LED guys give it up when someone mentions "Gavitas". And that's something called a LEP (Light Emitting Plasma)…
It gets very confusing to me, because I can only look into this world as an outsider.
I just want to get a really good light that will grow a personal-use amount of high-quality cannabis -something efficient and safe and plug-n-play!
Thanks and please stop arguing with each other.
I need guidance! Thanks!