Photobio Quantum meter
- Thread starter LordEnki
- Start date
lusidghost
Well-Known Member
Yep and I bought one because of his findings. It seems accurate to me and didn't break the bank. I've never had a par meter, so getting one was like being able to see a new color for the first time in my life.
CWF
Well-Known Member
I am a "buy once, cry once" kind of guy, and have debated the full-monty Apogee for a time, but at the end of the day, the paid Photone ($6 US) app will do. I am only growing one friggin' plant at a time in a fuckin' ridiculous felony state. I do have a nice collection of Fluke, Hewlett-Packard, and other cool maxi-EE-dweebie gear. PS one friggin plant is all I need for stash, I am giving the shit away, lol. I need new flavors, is what I need.
I only looked at this meter once, and don't really have input, but my friend likes it.
I only looked at this meter once, and don't really have input, but my friend likes it.
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Milky Weed
Well-Known Member
People always seem to forget there is an intermediate option lol, LED luxx readers work fine. i have a $20 dr.meter and while it is no quantum reader it is good for getting a rough idea on how far to keep my lights.
It dosent have to be phone app vs lab equipment!
It dosent have to be phone app vs lab equipment!
Billy the Mountain
Well-Known Member
^^^ Agreed ^^^
A $20 Uni-T lux meter was within a few % of an Apogee PAR meter as tested by Migro
A $20 Uni-T lux meter was within a few % of an Apogee PAR meter as tested by Migro
lusidghost
Well-Known Member
This is along the lines of why I bought the Photobio. I was never going to drop $500+ on a professional meter, but I don't really mind spending $150 to get useful, accurate data that I've been wondering about since I started growing. I've always used a green two prong combo piece of crap meter for my seedlings and vegging plants, but that finally died this past month. I think a basic meter like yours is ample for that purpose though.
Jjgrow420
Well-Known Member
It's super handy to really know what's going on
lusidghost
Well-Known Member
Really any meter that can go up high enough will work as a point of reference. Adjust the light, get a reading, see how your plants respond, remember the reading. Strain requirements will vary, but not by a whole lot.
Milky Weed
Well-Known Member
Yeah, ide probably invest in one if i was playing with building lights or if i could tweak my spectrum.
LeastExpectedGrower
Well-Known Member
Yeah, I have a Phantom Photobio too. Mostly because of what's been posted here in terms of how it's pretty close the Apogee but at about 20% of the price. Mine was $130(US) delivered. I'd been using Photone for iPhone XS Max which by all accounts was decently accurate, but there's always that question mark and I know that it all depends on the phone hardware etc. My results in testing the Photobio vs. Photone found that they were really in that 5-10% range from each other (I'd have to look up the results that I posted).
I do like the Photobio Phantom because I can entirely zip up the tent and see readings from outside. You'd be surprised at the difference in lighting with a fully reflective interior vs. having one side open or slightly open.
I do like the Photobio Phantom because I can entirely zip up the tent and see readings from outside. You'd be surprised at the difference in lighting with a fully reflective interior vs. having one side open or slightly open.