$500ish LED budget..

[shw123]

So finally after many questions and research.. I am not going to buy ebay knockoffs and want to get a good quality LED. I have a max budget of $550ish. Looking for an 400mh/hps equivalent and knocked it down to these choices..
Looking to buy end of month.
Rhinogrow
Area51 SGS-160
Advanced LED Diamond DS200
California Light 200w
BlackDog BD240u (will shell out the extra cash if worth it)

 

[JasonM007]

Maybe you miss the www.apachetechinc.com and www.lumigrow.com ,both are USA made reliable quality products .
Advanced and Black dog are all Chinese made ones .

 

[LEDmania]

500$ budget cannot get a Aphche nor lumigrow panels.
Area 51 is also made in China from evergrow, EH has admitted.

 

[PSUAGRO.]

So finally after many questions and research.. I am not going to buy ebay knockoffs and want to get a good quality LED. I have a max budget of $550ish. Looking for an 400mh/hps equivalent and knocked it down to these choices..
Looking to buy end of month.
Rhinogrow
Area51 SGS-160
Advanced LED Diamond DS200
California Light 200w
BlackDog BD240u (will shell out the extra cash if worth it)

First thing is scratch off advanced ds200 and blackdog== both china made panels with "questionable" leds. BD still won't tell us what TRUE "5W" NOT STACKED leds they use...sorry but they go on the list until pero nero spills it

Rhinogrow is nice but will NOT give you a 400w HID coverage area due to small fixture size. 2 panels will rock it though

2 CLW 100w solarflares will do nicely, use the bloombooster models=== just enough blue/white diodes to keep the stretch in check and flower well IMO

Area 51 sgs-160 is a great panel......... I'm not sure if it is equivalent to a 400w hid in coverage, maybe someone can chime in that owns it....

Also consider these panels http://www.bonsaihero.com/ledgrow.html two will cost $500 shipped. Just updated , so brand new tech for you bro keep the bitches short under these and you'll be amazed at what they can do for the wattage.

 

[shw123]

Im working in a either 24"x24"x36"height and looking to lst, or mainline. I just want to be able yield maximum of 4-5zips. I was planning on purchasing 2 secret jardin and stacking them on top. One for a veg chamber and one for flowerimg so I can keep a steady supply. Or I can get a 24"x24"x72" and just lst/mainline one plant.

Looks like ill be purchasing either CLW or Bonsai. Thank you PSUAGro

 

[jcmjrt]

You'd be better thinking about the area that you need to cover with light vice some mythical equivalency to a HID light. There's some variety but basically an LED fixture will only flower well what is directly under it and about 2 - 6 inches per side (so add 4 - 12 inches to the physical size of the fixture to determine flower coverage). Any fixture will veg over a large area but flowering - only what is almost directly under them.

 

[jcmjrt]

Im working in a either 24"x24"x36"height and looking to lst, or mainline. I just want to be able yield maximum of 4-5zips. I was planning on purchasing 2 secret jardin and stacking them on top. One for a veg chamber and one for flowerimg so I can keep a steady supply. Or I can get a 24"x24"x72" and just lst/mainline one plant.

Short grow height, it would be hard to beat Hans...and he JUST released his new panel with even better LEDs and a couple white ones (I like having a little white light for filling in spectrum). If you do go with the one tall tent though, look harder at area51...the panel will penetrate farther than Hans'

 

[djwimbo]

Im working in a either 24"x24"x36"height and looking to lst, or mainline. I just want to be able yield maximum of 4-5zips. I was planning on purchasing 2 secret jardin and stacking them on top. One for a veg chamber and one for flowerimg so I can keep a steady supply. Or I can get a 24"x24"x72" and just lst/mainline one plant.

Looks like ill be purchasing either CLW or Bonsai. Thank you PSUAGro

My space is 21.75x30" with an overall height of 48". Read my journal (link in sig), I have the SGS-160. 24x24x36 would be a tight squeeze for that panel, you would have 18" of medium and plant combined to keep a reasonable distance. I'm currently flowering at my max height, and the closest tip is <11" away from the panel.

If you want to run the split system, I'd go with two HansPanel's instead. Have a veg and flower chamber separate, but your expectations of yield are "lofty". 5.6zips would be 1GPW on the SGS-160, and I don't think you could pull that with only 36" overall height. You could hit that with one or two decent sized plants using 60-84" overall height.

24x24 is 150-250 watt territory IMHO.

If you want to use the full height, I'd get the SGS-160(I have one).

 

[CaliJoe]

I built this one for $450, uses Cree, OSRAM, and Philips LEDs (420nm, 430nm, 445nm, 460nm, 630nm, 640nm, 650nm, 660nm, and a few warm white LEDs to cover any missing minor spectrums) with meanwell drivers. 215w to run and took me about 1 hour to assemble.

 

[mc130p]

Are those 3W LED's?

 

[tags420]

Im working in a either 24"x24"x36"height and looking to lst, or mainline. I just want to be able yield maximum of 4-5zips. I was planning on purchasing 2 secret jardin and stacking them on top. One for a veg chamber and one for flowerimg so I can keep a steady supply. Or I can get a 24"x24"x72" and just lst/mainline one plant.

That is a tough goal specially when you only have 36" total to work with. If you have the option to get the 72" then do it.

When nugbuckets says he got 7 zips off a 27"-32" plant...that's from the top of soil, doesn't include the 5gallon geo he uses. And he originally used a 48" cab, with the hps outside/on top.
You can probably pull off a grow in the 36" but it won't get you to you weight goal. But mainlining is definitely the best bet for better yields in small space.

 

[CaliJoe]

Are those 3W LED's?

Yes, 3w LEDs, but all running at 700mA (so 2.1w). If you push 3w LEDs at 3w you get so little extra light output while using much more power usage. 5% more light pushing almost another watt each to them and reducing the lifespan by 1/2 just isn't worth it for me. From my testing with a PAR meter and spectrometer, the light I made is equivalent to around 2000w of MH if you just look at the spectrums needed for photosynthesis and not waste energy on wasted spectrums, ie, it would take around 2000w of MH (differs slightly with bulbs) to put out the same amount of blue and red spectrums as my LED light. This isn't my first LED light by a long shot.

 

[tags420]

Cali joe that is such a legit DIY. It' like you were in my head.
I posted this the other day

If I was to make my own light I would use 24 cree xt-e's on a 48" long bar system like illumitex. Space on the bar and driven pretty 700ma. But put reflectors on like hans. Then link 12 bars together and it would cover a 4x4. Pricey as fuck for a DIY but it's a dream. But maybe one day I will spring for a crazy good DIY.

Different chips in mind but the concept is spot on. Major props man, cant wait to see it in action.

What is the par reading?

 

[mc130p]

Yeah, in general for diodes of any type, you don't really want to go past 70% of their maximum current rating.

 

[CaliJoe]

What is the par reading?

PAR reading at the screen is between 500-600 and the screen is 12" below the lights. PAR at the top of the plants which is 6" below the light is around 950. This is without making the proper math corrections to compensate for the Apogee meter not measuring the blue spectrum accurately. The formula for getting a proper reading on the Apogee meter with blue lights is to measure each spectrum and multiply by these numbers.

Wavelength : Multiply the Apogee reading by
400 - 3.3
410 - 2.5
420 - 2
430 - 1.6
440 - 1.4
450 - 1.25
460 - 1.2
470 - 1.1
480 - 1.1

 

[shw123]

Just saw the hanspanel are 10x15 . If I buy two, they wont both fit in my dr60 tent which is 24x24 ... will putting two in my tent in a V position effect light. For example / \ cuz they wont be able to be flat...

 

[puffenuff]

Just saw the hanspanel are 10x15 . If I buy two, they wont both fit in my dr60 tent which is 24x24 ... will putting two in my tent in a V position effect light. For example / \ cuz they wont be able to be flat...

If you add the dimensions of both hans panels hanging parallel and touching together you would get 20x15. You could leave an inch or two inbetween them and still have an inch or so on the sides left.

 

[shw123]

Im so stupid. .. thank you. Will start a journal next week.. haha.

 

[loveinfinity]

im also wanting the best bang for my buck in the same price range

my space will prob be 48"x24"x60"height what do you guys suggest? i am hoping for at least 5-6 zips harvest

 

[PetFlora]

Im working in a either 24"x24"x36"height and looking to lst, or mainline. I just want to be able yield maximum of 4-5zips. I was planning on purchasing 2 secret jardin and stacking them on top. One for a veg chamber and one for flowerimg so I can keep a steady supply. Or I can get a 24"x24"x72" and just lst/mainline one plant.

Looks like ill be purchasing either CLW or Bonsai. Thank you PSUAGro

I would not let 'china made' frighten me off. I am confident that EH tells them precisely what he wants, whereas many just want shit built to a cheap price point.

Also, you would be amazed how many items, including 'merican cars (and Harley Davidsons) where ~ 25-40% of the parts are not American made, BUT, it is legal to market them as "Made in USA". I helped a buddy build a HD from frame up and was shocked how many so-called HD parts were made in China, said so right on the boxes

It's a crazy world, but we live here. It's long past due to fire those who stuck a knife in our back (anyone who voted for NAFTA) and continue to stick a knife in the back of the American tax payer.