Best LED bang for buck for under £100

Bardon Yark

Bardon Yark

Member
I'm looking for an LED solution powerful enough for blooming for under £100. No point in telling me to spend more, I simply don't have it.

I'm looking at Marshydro and I believe they are a British Company? Would I be better with a board or a cob? IS there any particular model I should be looking at?

I would be most grateful for any suggestions. Thank you.
 
You wont get anything decent for under 100 tbh, the VIPAR`s on ebay are probably the better cheap alternative n they start at around 100 iirc
 
R1b3n4 said:
You wont get anything decent for under 100 tbh, the VIPAR`s on ebay are probably the better cheap alternative n they start at around 100 iirc
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I didn't explain fully. I don't need an expensive, decent light, just a functional light that does something. I can upgrade at a later date when I have more money. I would be happy with a light that could give me a couple of ounces from a couple of autos. Also, the LED will be on 24 hours a day, but I will be supplementing that with between 250 and 400W HPS switched on and off manually as temperatures allow, so they will get a good blasting too. I will have a look at the Vipars if you think they are better than Mars or Galaxy. I don't want to get into building anything. Just want to order today and have it tomorrow. Thanks.
 
Bardon Yark said:
I didn't explain fully. I don't need an expensive, decent light, just a functional light that does something. I can upgrade at a later date when I have more money. I would be happy with a light that could give me a couple of ounces from a couple of autos. Also, the LED will be on 24 hours a day, but I will be supplementing that with between 250 and 400W HPS switched on and off manually as temperatures allow, so they will get a good blasting too. I will have a look at the Vipars if you think they are better than Mars or Galaxy. I don't want to get into building anything. Just want to order today and have it tomorrow. Thanks.
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tbh you will better off just running with the HPS than buying a cheap LED n then supplementing THAT with the HPS etc
 
I have the perfect solution for you, it is the one I'm going to get, I'm pretty sure you can keep 5 plants with it.

http://www.ebay.de/itm/300W-LED-Gro...id=100040&rk=1&rkt=4&mehot=pp&sd=200995281105

As a note, it is rated to be 300 watt but only consumes 140w, this is very normal with LEDs and it is a good thing for your electric bill, I'm sure however, that the PAR will be the same as 300 watt, I have plenty of experience with LEDs in the reef aquarium and they always overperform, in fact, one day I bought the best LEDs for my reef tank (CREES) and they were so intense and I didn't have a dimmer that they ended up being just too much and thus useless.

I contacted them and they told me they are the manufacturers of GalaxyHydro, it is the same lamp just without the name, GalaxyHydro buys from these guys and just puts its brand name on them. GalaxyHydro has been ranked as one of the best LEDs for your buck. I see a lot of negativity in this hobby towards LEDs. I had reef aquariums which are a more popular hobby that has been around for decades before the indoor cannabis hobby, people were very negative about LEDs as well and they ended up being far superior in every sense.
 
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R1b3n4 said:
tbh you will better off just running with the HPS than buying a cheap LED n then supplementing THAT with the HPS etc
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I appreciate your input R1b3n4, but I've already been down this road and have a clear idea of what I want to do next. HPS alone isn't ideal for my particular situation because it's a wardrobe grow with minimal extraction. I've already used just the HPS and when used continuously, it causes my temperatures to go too high, sometimes even above 30. It is the high temperatures I blame for providing the right conditions for Pythium to thrive which destroyed my last grow.

Thank you Avilax, that looks like a decent light, but I had to make my choice and order as I would like it before the end of the week. I was going to go for the 300W MarsHydro, but I couldn't get one that wasn't shipped from Germany, so I ordered the 240W model (48 x 5W) as this is shipped from within the UK and should be with me by Thursday.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MarsHydro...5-True-Watt-/311209384976?hash=item4875865c10

It was more important to me to get an array of 5W LEDs than to get a more powerful array consisting of 3W LEDs as I have read that the canopy penetration is much better with the 5 watters.

I would love to hear from anyone who has any experience of using one of these cheaper LED panels and has had some acceptable results.
 
Bardon Yark said:
I appreciate your input R1b3n4, but I've already been down this road and have a clear idea of what I want to do next. HPS alone isn't ideal for my particular situation because it's a wardrobe grow with minimal extraction. I've already used just the HPS and when used continuously, it causes my temperatures to go too high, sometimes even above 30. It is the high temperatures I blame for providing the right conditions for Pythium to thrive which destroyed my last grow.

Thank you Avilax, that looks like a decent light, but I had to make my choice and order as I would like it before the end of the week. I was going to go for the 300W MarsHydro, but I couldn't get one that wasn't shipped from Germany, so I ordered the 240W model (48 x 5W) as this is shipped from within the UK and should be with me by Thursday.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MarsHydro...5-True-Watt-/311209384976?hash=item4875865c10

It was more important to me to get an array of 5W LEDs than to get a more powerful array consisting of 3W LEDs as I have read that the canopy penetration is much better with the 5 watters.

I would love to hear from anyone who has any experience of using one of these cheaper LED panels and has had some acceptable results.
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Yeah i know ur pain mate, im in a 3x4 cupboard with a 600W HPS lmao
 
Air cooled hood and as much airflow as possible lol, also keeping the room that the intake draws air from cool helps a lot etc, ok now the weather is getting cooler etc but was hassles in summer lol, gonna build myself a DIY COB unit for next summer
 
Hi,
I can supply a Vero 29 4k for 100 GBP. I just have to order the powersupply for it. let me know ...i am in manchester...
 
My 2 cents worth here, I use the Burple LEDS from ebay and I get great results. BUT... You will still get heat and high temps with LEDs. (just not as high) I suggest spending your money on a fan and ducting to cool the room. Use the HPS with cooling and it should fix your issue.
 
I am sorry but if your budget is that low you will not get anything descent.
How many plants do you want to grow?
How big of a space?

LED and all other horticulture lighting is based on Spectrum and PAR/ uMol.
You need high PAR.
Cheap ebay lights are ot going to cut it at all.
MarsHydro is a Chinese based company.
They have good lights and good Par output.

If you can spend the money get a MARS on your budget or....
Go with a Genisis HPS or if you can go DOuble Ended.

If you dont have the money for LED dont do it as all you will get is bad lights.

Building your own DIY LED can work for sure.
Supra is a guy who runs CXB. There are tuts around here have a look
 
I think those Mars and GalaxyHydro are pretty descent for a lot of reasons and are under $100. Seriously, LED is simply the best, I haven't grown weed yet, I'm on the planning stages but in the end it is the same principle: Temperature (light spectrum color) and Intensity (PAR), in the Reef aquarium hobby LEDs arrived 7 years ago and everybody was saying they were not good enough, now 70% of reefkeepers use LED and apparently the weed growing hobby is just catching up with the trend.

The only potential problem with these LED Chinese lamps is that there's some 15% chances of LEDs failing in the first few months, in which case 80% would still work and the whole lamps normally have a 2 year warranty. As far as Temperature (color) there has never been problems with LEDs and the intensity has been tested and now 3w LEDs are the norm and very reliable, for instance, one could buy a much more expensive $350 unit and the only difference is that it will have brighter CREE LEDs which are like 30% brighter and better overall quality so the components will never fail BUT it will have a real consumption of 300 watt and for that cost you could simply buy 3 cheap lamps and have more light coverage and intensity.

If you go with the HPS route the only thing brighter in the same range perhaps than the 300 watt LED is a 250w unit with galaxy ballasts, the best reflector and the best light bulb which together will cost $350 and the bulb will need to be replaced every 6 months, plus the heat issues. That's old technology, not worth it.

It's like I'm taking crazy pills!!!
 
Trippyness said:
I am sorry but if your budget is that low you will not get anything descent.
How many plants do you want to grow?
How big of a space?

LED and all other horticulture lighting is based on Spectrum and PAR/ uMol.
You need high PAR.
Cheap ebay lights are ot going to cut it at all.
MarsHydro is a Chinese based company.
They have good lights and good Par output.

If you can spend the money get a MARS on your budget or....
Go with a Genisis HPS or if you can go DOuble Ended.

If you dont have the money for LED dont do it as all you will get is bad lights.

Building your own DIY LED can work for sure.
Supra is a guy who runs CXB. There are tuts around here have a look
Click to expand...

I don'r understsnd your post. On the one hand you say cheap lights are crap and on the other you say MarsHydro make decent lights, although some of their panels are under £100. Anyway, I have now ordered the MarsHydro 240w jobbie and I think it'll do fine for now. I'm not going the root of full extraction until I buy a grow tent and I won't be buying a grow tent until I make room for it by downsizing to a single bed and getting a smaller wardrobe. (Probably next year)
For now my cooling is done with a 6" fan clipped to the HPS reflector blowing between lights and top of plant towards open wardrobe doors. I also have a 12" oscillator at floor level. I don't how much it will help, it certainly won't hinder but I fitted a 4" PC fan today for minimal extraction.

Yes it's a bitch in summer as I'm in a south facing room which gets up to about 30 degrees. I'm home a lot too and my presence in the room raises the temp in my growdrobe by at least 1 degree centigrade. Looking forward to winter growing and aim to have LEDs coming out my arse by next summer!
 
Bardon Yark said:
I don'r understsnd your post. On the one hand you say cheap lights are crap and on the other you say MarsHydro make decent lights, although some of their panels are under £100. Anyway, I have now ordered the MarsHydro 240w jobbie and I think it'll do fine for now. I'm not going the root of full extraction until I buy a grow tent and I won't be buying a grow tent until I make room for it by downsizing to a single bed and getting a smaller wardrobe. (Probably next year)
For now my cooling is done with a 6" fan clipped to the HPS reflector blowing between lights and top of plant towards open wardrobe doors. I also have a 12" oscillator at floor level. I don't how much it will help, it certainly won't hinder but I fitted a 4" PC fan today for minimal extraction.

Yes it's a bitch in summer as I'm in a south facing room which gets up to about 30 degrees. I'm home a lot too and my presence in the room raises the temp in my growdrobe by at least 1 degree centigrade. Looking forward to winter growing and aim to have LEDs coming out my arse by next summer!
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Cheap lights meaning ebay 80 dollars LEDS.
Mars is not a shit company.
Mars makes some good lights using 5w LED chips from Eipstar.
They also have good spectrum and can make custom spectrum on request.
I never bashed Mars.
Was saying at your budget I can only recommend a Mars lights.

PAR is great with MARS lights as with most LED's some are better than others.
Just dont want you buying gimmick lights and waste your money.

What size tent you plan on using?

LED are great due to very low heat over HPS and DE.
 
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