I'm wicked surprised more people aren't chiming in on this thread.
Let's face it though, all quality grow lights cost a chunk of money. I think that this year many questions about LED growing have been answered. Allota guys/gals started doing more DIY builds, especially w/ the introduction of the COB. So the true costs of LED grow lights in material & labor is out there basically as common knowledge for anybody that wants to put just a lil bit of time in on reading. So much on the Internet.
Thing is we all do what we can do when we have to buy stuff, as consumers want to know we're getting what we think we're paying for. It's up to the distributor/seller to make sure we understand what exactly that is.
My first LED purchase was 3 different lights & one major reason for this was I just had to test the legitimacy of these companies & justification of the costs. There are many other reasons but this is 1 or 2. I bought an Amare SE-450 to test next to a Hydroponics Hut X5-500. It was the only way I could sleep at night knowing that I did something to find out the truth behind these companies (as I considered them for future purchases) & LED growing in general. This year I watched a ton of guys go from swearing by R+B lighting to loving Kelvin Temp. COBs. N I mean in love w/ them. I watched 5 watt Chips introduced as viable & w/ more penetration. DIY became very popular as growers discovered it's not that hard & very rewarding. We all wanna give that personal touch to our grow rooms that shows we love our girls & jobs as growers. If we're going to buy commercial panels or lights then we need to know we're not getting ripped off. That's why I think threads like this are good.
I also went out on a limb n bought a SunCloak 4416 to really test the boundaries of LED the best I could buying commercial. I mean I really needed to know for myself after reading about it for a year. Had so many theories that I just did not know to be facts, so many opinions & views absorbed & considered, so much bullshit too.
No idea what my point is & I need to go spray for white powdery mold. What a bitch. Never had it before but it's like Herpes for plants. Gotta get some heat in there. Temp. Veg room w/ newly planted clones. All w/ WPM now & it spread to the mothers. So instead of gabbing on, I need to get to work. Just wanted to say I think there should be more threads like this & as much info should be available about quality companies. LED purchasing is allot different then HPS purchasing. Many want to make the switch but don't know which way to turn just getting into it & some wind up wasting a chunk of Cheddda on inferior products based on huge claims made by the companies.
That's why I bought the Hydroponics Hut. They had some pretty wild claims on their web-site w/ NO #'s or anything to back it up. I mean nothing. Answers to my questions were promised but never given. The idea of the technology in that light sounded really good. The spectrum was on point for the previously desired RQE Burple lights IMO. It has 9 COBs surrounded by 5 watters like my Amare sort've. If the answers to your questions are not on the web-site the company should most certainly do their best to answer them when they're asking for that Kind've money. At least allow poeple to make educated decisions. I think that company in particular should provide all that info cuz they're cheaper & for that reason should not have anything to hide. After having it I see the difference in build quality to the Amare. Both 450-500w & designed for the same purpose. $780 for the HH , like $980 or so for the SE-450. Victor gave me quantity discount pricing as I'll be placing a large order soon. But it's listed for $1,145.
To me, the $200 price difference was minut & the difference in growth from each light was substantial. Even if the price diff. was $400-500, I would still think the Amare is well worth it using the HH as a comparison & now I understand the real-deal on company claims. Don't get me wrong, the Hydroponics Hut is a great RQE (Relevent quantative efficiency) light. I'd probobly prefer it in certain situations as opposed to my 600w HPS from what I see so far. Directional growing for a distinct footprint for example, less hear, great suplemental spectrum to an HPS. It's probobly one of the better Hobbiest lights from what I can gather but don't plan on buying anything but the best from here on out. To me I think Amare is the best. Also hoping the SunCloak works out, I want to want another. Doing good so far though, it's different & gives smaller buds but many & surprisingly dense. A lil over half way through the first grow. All are welcome to visit the thread.
It's called - "My Amare & Hydroponics Hut OC GG#4 grow"
- "OC GG#4 in the SunCloak 4416"
I don't know how to post it as a link. If anybody could LMK it would be greatly appreciated. Come by n see why I believe Amare Tech. To be Well Worth The Money. Personally I am very happy to pay it & even happier to open 2 heavy duty double packed boxes to get to my Beast SE-450 w/ lenses heavier then the heat sinks prob. on the HH, LOL! Seriously though, if that's any representation of what some other companies offer as professional competition to the Amare or some of these other high quality LED grow lights then I fully understand why so many growers doubt LED growing w/ a vengeance even. So many try to get their feet wet & buy something sub-par to save money & they end up w/ the most sour taste in their mouths but were so excited to get started based on false yet amazing claims. Ok, huge ranting over. If you made it through the whole thing then thanks for reading what I thought to be useful information to someone somewhere, ha! Good growing wishes & always do your best to be happy with your LED light purchase by making an educated decision. It's so important I can't emphasize it enough. Peace!