HailTheLeaf
Well-Known Member
from 400w digital ballast and MH/HPS bulbs to 120w LED...is it worth it? How long do these lights last?
Thinking of upgrading my lights...
- Thread starter HailTheLeaf
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grow space
Well-Known Member
nononno dont do that-led isnt good in my opinion.stay true to a good old hps or a mh lights.
laserbrn
Well-Known Member
I'm not sure if this is a joke or not.
Anyone else think this would be an "upgrade"?
HailTheLeaf
Well-Known Member
No joke...it uses 120w and is supposedly equal to a 600w, It uses about 1/3rd of the electricity my current 400w setup does, and barely emits any heat, there's no ballast and they are about $400-$500 for the equivalent of a 600w light, so yeah, quite serious.
laserbrn
Well-Known Member
If only it produced enough light, that would sure be nice. Be even better if it would actually grow bud.
BUT, they don't, so you might as well stick with your light. It's an expensive step down from CFL's.
HailTheLeaf
Well-Known Member
That shitty huh? I was hoping they actually worked as advertised...no one has had good results with them? damn.
So I should probably just suck it up and replace 2 of my bulbs in 3 months? Maybe get a decent reflector? The most I can grow is 10-12 plants at the moment anyways.
So I should probably just suck it up and replace 2 of my bulbs in 3 months? Maybe get a decent reflector? The most I can grow is 10-12 plants at the moment anyways.
laserbrn
Well-Known Member
I wouldn't say that no one has had decent results, but they haven't been GOOD results. HPS will outperform it hands down all day long.
10-12 plants with a 400w is pretty tough anyway, I finished 10 plants under 2 400w's and it was decent, but I'm going to just upgrade to one 600w as it's just more efficient.
HailTheLeaf
Well-Known Member
How much more electricity does a 600w use?
Twistyman
Well-Known Member
That and the heat are the main draws ..if you don't mind me asking whats the $$ you're looking at for those LED's.....?
laserbrn
Well-Known Member
200 watts more.
I was using 2 400's which was about 100,000 lumens and 800w's of electricity.
I can get a 600w that puts out 96,000 lumens for 600w's of electricity.
I also ran lights that weren't air cooled and my space was a different shape then. Now I'm using a 4x4 tent so an air cooled 600w seems the right choice. I'll put a 3x3 tray in it and should be able to bang out some solid results hopefully.
Ap0c0leS
Active Member
No no no no ... Dont listen to these guys that are not willing to give any information becides " OH LEDS SUCK, even though they have no experience with them whatsoever and they just spout hear-say. Do some research idiots.. The best lighting conditions are a mix of different technologies... get your head out of your asses
For this to be an upgrade you need to run the 120W LED ( HTG?) With the 600W HPS at the same time. If you are looking to cut back on energy, when you have sprouts or clones, put them in pure BLUE or even mixed LED.. when they reach VEG go 12 hours LED only then 4-6 Hours of LED and HPS at the same time. During flowering Run everything you have for 12 hours. This may include adding a few 2300K 300W(eqi) CFL's to compliment the LED and HPS. I guarantee you save a ton of money running the HPS less and you still come out with the same amount of product as if you used the money wasteing HPS for 18 hours durnig VEG.. Trust me!
Talk about saving some serious doe.. if you dont belive me check it out.. Leds are great for making non stretchy healthy plants during VEG.. Both blue and red light from the LED should be used.
For this to be an upgrade you need to run the 120W LED ( HTG?) With the 600W HPS at the same time. If you are looking to cut back on energy, when you have sprouts or clones, put them in pure BLUE or even mixed LED.. when they reach VEG go 12 hours LED only then 4-6 Hours of LED and HPS at the same time. During flowering Run everything you have for 12 hours. This may include adding a few 2300K 300W(eqi) CFL's to compliment the LED and HPS. I guarantee you save a ton of money running the HPS less and you still come out with the same amount of product as if you used the money wasteing HPS for 18 hours durnig VEG.. Trust me!
Talk about saving some serious doe.. if you dont belive me check it out.. Leds are great for making non stretchy healthy plants during VEG.. Both blue and red light from the LED should be used.
Ap0c0leS
Active Member
The only thing that is desputed about LEDS is the fact that they are not strong enough to produce SOLID buds like HPS lights... This will be changed once the LED makers get thier heads out of their asses and realized that having one point of light useing LEDS is just retarded.. You need a bunch of different LED fixtures hanging in different locations to cover more angles of the plants. LEDS are slowing becoming more powerful and will soon be even greater compliments to traditional lighting then they already are.. Please take the time to Give LEDS a try as supplemental lighting.. you will be suprised what you can find... Also mount that 50W LED panel vertically next to the sides of the plants... dont forget to rotate
laserbrn
Well-Known Member
My friend has tried just about every LED product on the market despite all of my warnings. I've seen what they can do and it's not impressive as of yet.
As far as use in veg, yes, they work REMKARBLE for vegging. But for the cost floro's are still more efficient. I don't use HID for veg at all as I consider it a waste, but I'm not retarded enough to go drop all that money on silly LED's that are overpriced and can't be justified.
If you want to waste your money buy a 120W LED panel. Then another one because you'll need a larger panel to cover the same space that would have been covered using more appropriate lights.
Everyone knows that LED's will come around and they will make them cheaper. The already make LED bulbs that can produce enough light, but the cost is still something like $5.00/bulb (I haven't looked in about 2 months). At that cost you'd have to sell an array of lights for at least $10.00/bulb to make anything as a manufacturer. If you want to go drop $600.00 on an LED light go right ahead, if you want to continue to wait like the rest of us and use what works your life will be much easier.
I'd bet that in a couple of years you'll be able to buy reasonable LED fixtures for a reasonable price and make them a viable part of your growing operation. Right now it's just still not there.
As far as use in veg, yes, they work REMKARBLE for vegging. But for the cost floro's are still more efficient. I don't use HID for veg at all as I consider it a waste, but I'm not retarded enough to go drop all that money on silly LED's that are overpriced and can't be justified.
If you want to waste your money buy a 120W LED panel. Then another one because you'll need a larger panel to cover the same space that would have been covered using more appropriate lights.
Everyone knows that LED's will come around and they will make them cheaper. The already make LED bulbs that can produce enough light, but the cost is still something like $5.00/bulb (I haven't looked in about 2 months). At that cost you'd have to sell an array of lights for at least $10.00/bulb to make anything as a manufacturer. If you want to go drop $600.00 on an LED light go right ahead, if you want to continue to wait like the rest of us and use what works your life will be much easier.
I'd bet that in a couple of years you'll be able to buy reasonable LED fixtures for a reasonable price and make them a viable part of your growing operation. Right now it's just still not there.
HailTheLeaf
Well-Known Member
$400-$500 for 120w, (supposedly=600w hps) depending where you look...
Twistyman
Well-Known Member
A girl I know vegged with them and was happy, (but CFL veg fine too)..but as said above the flower is where the back & forth is.... some say the $$ it takes is way too much...
If you do use LED...do a journal.... I'm sure everyone will be interested...
Whatever you chose..Luck.
Thanks for prices.
If you do use LED...do a journal.... I'm sure everyone will be interested...
Whatever you chose..Luck.
Thanks for prices.
HailTheLeaf
Well-Known Member
I'm not looking for a compliment to my lighting, I'm looking for a replacement that produces more light, uses less electricity and emits less heat...but I guess that's not available yet.
I guess I'm looking at a 600w digital HPS/MH with an air cooled reflector...and maybe a grow tent..
Ap0c0leS
Active Member
Well the thing is ... LEDS are not magic... The claims that a 120W LED is equal to a 600W HPS is bogus.. yea maybe in veg but notwhere close in flower.
600W's of LED = 600W of HPS.. No matter how you look at it they are both gonna be using 600W's of power...Now the Lumens/watt will change depending on what type of lighting you are using. There is no magic trick involved. That isnt the point of LEDS... LEDS are designed because they can pinpoint the accurate spectrum of lights that the plant uses (Which is why lumans are not used with LED lighting) therefore using more of the power for REAL uses unlike HPS light which is 80% wasted as heat. Not to mention LEDS run COOL to the touch and greatly reduce the risk of fire. If you are refuring to the $5 CREE LED Lights used in lights like the TI-SMARTLAMP and TI-SMARTBAR or the Pyrocon 100... Even these lights are not strong enough to make dense buds like a 600W hps is capable of.
I am not saying go out and buy just a 120W LED.. they are way overpriced and you will be dissapointed if that is the only light you are using. LEDS right now are GREAT for supplemental lighting and as i said. You can save yourself some doe by useing LED instead of HPS during flowering. Even throw in just a little bit of HPS light for 4 hours or so during veg and use the LED's for the rest. All the money you spend on a 120W Triband LED you will save in a year by running your HPS light less...
Nuff said
Ap0c0leS
Active Member
I have the following LED lights, And i plan to use them with the other lights mentioned during flowering
120W Triband LED
90W Triband LED
50W Triband LED panel
50W All Blue LED panel ( For Clones / Seedlings)
I plan on using the 3 TRIband LEDS during flowering along with my 250W HPS (32000 Lumens) , Two 300W CFL's
, A 10.0 UVB Bulb , And an infared bulb just incase i want to experiment
During flowering that is
120W Triband LED
90W Triband LED
50W Triband LED panel
50W All Blue LED panel ( For Clones / Seedlings)
I plan on using the 3 TRIband LEDS during flowering along with my 250W HPS (32000 Lumens) , Two 300W CFL's
, A 10.0 UVB Bulb , And an infared bulb just incase i want to experiment
During flowering that is
laserbrn
Well-Known Member
See problem is you're not going to get any kind of yeild with that setup. Well, not much more than you would with just the 250w HPS.
I've done a complete grow in 8 weeks with a 250w hps and got 4.5 oz's (from clones). I don't think you'll be able to outperform that much.
The cost of the LED's aren't going to save themselves in a year due to electrical costs savings, you are losing money over the year because you could have used a better light and produced more bud. Bud has a value and needs to be considered. If you are cutting your yeilds down by 20% to save even 50% on your electric bill, are you really SAVING?
Electrical cost for my entire year: ~1800.00
Average annual yeild running my HPS setup:
~48 oz's
So if I changed my lighting to achieve a 50% cut in electrical cost to $900.00 (50%)and my yield sufffered by 20% and was now 38.4oz did I make a good decision? I've lost out on 9.6oz's of bud over the course of a year. At a value of ~$300/oz I've lost out on $2880.00 worth of harvest.
That's stepping over dollars to save pennies.
Stay away from LED's.
If I tried to cut that down to