Beware of EBAY LED auctions

[Dont Fear The Reefer]

Watch out, they say 225 and you think it means 225 Watts. Well it is 225 led's or 14 watts....
Not worth it.

 

[Nikolaj06]

Pretty much says it.. Too many got tricked by this.. But I think most people on these forums nowadays knows this

 

[Dont Fear The Reefer]

Well I do now, The seller was nice enough to cancel the transaction before it shipped!

 

[TheGaussianMan]

Dude, you always have to do the research and no, no light under 170 will be worth your while. So much chinese crap on ebay that's there to trick buyers.

 

[hoss12781]

well speaking of 170 bucks I was able to get a pretty much brand new pro grow 180 off ebay for that price. They retail for $300 so Ebay isn't all that bad you just have to know what you're looking for and find brand names you can research or you're probably gonna get screwed.

 

[bigv1976]

This is where we need to use common sense people. If it is too good to be true it usually is.

 

[KushDog]

they sell 4 led light fitures 225led ea for $75 they work great, i have a 4 pack, no they arent going to replace your 1000 watt HID lighting system. but they will help with giving you a wider spectrum of lights, i use them for my house plants and veggies all winter

 

[KushDog]

if you want a badass led setup that will grow trees. you will have to spend over $1000 .

 

[bigv1976]

if you want a badass led setup that will grow trees. you will have to spend over $1000 .

Or spend like $200 on an HID.

 

[hoss12781]

More or less yes. That is what I spent total on my four panels. Am I ultimately happy with my purchase - you bet. Took a tad less than $1,000 to replace two 400w air cooled hps and about 400w of cfl side lights. Went from over 1200 watts down to a little less than 500w power consumption. That and my lights are under warranty for the next three years - won't have to replace a bulb or ballast.

 

[Jogro]

The rule on Ebay is the same as everywhere else: "buyer beware". No matter what you're bidding on, you have to read the listing carefully before you bid, and questions if you need to clarify something.

That said, every listing I've seen for these cheap 225 diode panels has explicitly specified 14 watts NOT 225W. So unless you just blindly bid without actually reading the listing, I don't see how you're going to get fooled here. Doesn't seem to me like the sellers are trying to trick anyone.

In terms of the actual merits of these panels, I've opened a thread specifically on this question:
https://www.rollitup.org/led-other-lighting/489381-cheapo-14-watt-225-diode.html

Without ever having tried one, it seems obvious to me that with only 14 watts of output (let alone 14W divided between 225 individual point sources) that you're not going to get much light intensity.

Even stipulating that LEDs are three times as effective as HID lights on a per-watt basis (and that's debatable), you're not going to get very far with only 45 watts of HID either. At best a small 14W panel like this is going to be OK for one small plant and not much more.

That's OK. Believe it or not, there actually are people want to grow things that are NOT cannabis! If you just want to keep a small houseplant alive in your office, I'd imagine something like these 14 watt lights would be perfect, since they use little juice, generate negligible heat, and ought to last a long time.

 

[hoss12781]

my brother actually bought one of the sunlight systems 14w 225 panels for wintering his regular outdoor plants. It did work, until half the diodes stopped working. He was unable to get in touch with anyone to honor the warranty or replace. I'd be scared of anything that doesn't have a fan cooling the diodes and heat sink (if those cheap models even have heat sinks) as cooling the diodes is a major contributor to a led lights longevity.

 

[Endur0xX]

man it was obvious, .. you had 14 Watt in the title... I mean it's not like the wattage was in small print? most people on here are already aware not to buy junk LEDs but thanks anyway

 

[hoss12781]

yeah but when we get people stomping on our led journals I'd wager eight times out of ten its some pissed off grower who was duped and bought some of this crap under the assumption (ass outta you and me!) that all led horticulture lighting is created equal. I agree it's been widely outted for what it is but some people don't bother with the research.

 

[Jogro]

if you want a badass led setup that will grow trees. you will have to spend over $1000 .

Or spend like $200 on an HID.

Or grow outside for free.

 

[hippy132]

thinking about using one of my spectra glh 180's for that