Adjust-A-Wing = Not so Great :(

[Rusty Shakelford]

HI Everyone,,

I purchased an Adjust a Wing because of all the Great Feedback I had been reading, but have to admit, I am not that impressed with it, so I thought I would see if anyone else had some advice / comments on this Reflector.

I do like the fact that the bulb sits in the middle of the reflector and it can be adjusted up or down, but this reflector by NO Means spreads an even light.. My main concern is the Edges,, I am not talking about the Edges that come all the way down on the sides, where you really get that BRIGHT Light, but more regarding the edges that are Directly in front and in back of the bulb. These tend to be quite shady and growth in these area's really does not perform well, and it shows..

I am wondering if anyone else is noticing this problem, and if so, what did you do about it?

I am using a Phillips 400w CMH Lamp, which is full spectrum, so I can use it for both Veg and Flower.. Also runs cooler than a MH or HPS.

I did catch on another forum, someone stating they were the Inventor and Owner of the Adjust a Wing, and he had given some advice to the poster, but his advice was to keep the reflector like 2' above the plants using a 400w lamp.. This to me sounds kinda like the opposite of what we are supposed to be doing (getting the light as close as possible to the plants). I wanted to respond to his reply, but my registration never got approved for the forum

Lets hear your experience with the Adjust-a-Wing.

 

[fir3dragon]

i had one standard with my hps... i had to immediately get rid of it and get a cooltube in order to control temps....

 

[jondamon]

I use the medium version with good results. +400g each harvest.

The main trouble with them is you have to mount them correctly.

They cover a 1.2mX1m footprint.

1.2m from wing edge to wing edge

1m from front to back.


I use a 400w.



J

 

[ProfessorPotSnob]

Those adjust-a-wings are best used in conjunction with other hoods or paired and set opposite from another to compensate for there design . I use one but it sits beside a bank of inline hoods .

 

[adower]

If you can keep the heat down they work great.

 

[Rusty Shakelford]

Yea, I can keep the heat down (enough), and the lamp is 7" above the canopy, but I am not seeing it work great. Shaded Spots over my SCROG Sucks, and its not spreading the light very evenly either..

 

[jondamon]

How large is your screen?

7" above a SCROG if its pretty full is a little tight for throwing out the light well.

IMO you'd be better upping it to about 10-12".



J

 

[Rusty Shakelford]

How large is your screen?

7" above a SCROG if its pretty full is a little tight for throwing out the light well.

IMO you'd be better upping it to about 10-12".



J

Screen is a 3' x 4'. At 7-8" above the canopy, I am able to light the edges just fine, but of course I am talking about the Right and Left Edges, the Front and Back Edges are in the Shade,, hence the problem

 

[jondamon]

Are the front and back on the 3ft or 4ft?

Also a 3x4 SCROG is really pushing a 400w.

Ideal size for a 400w SCROG is about 3x3.


J

 

[skunkd0c]

Screen is a 3' x 4'. At 7-8" above the canopy, I am able to light the edges just fine, but of course I am talking about the Right and Left Edges, the Front and Back Edges are in the Shade,, hence the problem

you seem to be saying not as much light comes out of the ends of the reflector, more light comes out of the sides
i think this is normal ?
when the bulb is mounted horizontally most of the light will come out of the sides no matter what reflector since most of the light is coming out of the sides of the bulb
not the end of it ?

i use more than 1 light sometimes having them hang in different directions so the footprint overlaps and covers those end edges that get less light
the shape of my grow space is 4x9 it is a more extreme rectangle shape, rather than a 3x4 which is more square shape
i do not think adjust o wing reflectors are best suited to square shaped spaces if you are only using 1 light , since the light footprint is more naturally a rectangle shape spread
perhaps the large parabolic reflectors that allow lights to be mounted vertically would be better for a square shape and spread the light out evenly all around the area

good luck

 

[Rusty Shakelford]

Are the front and back on the 3ft or 4ft?

Also a 3x4 SCROG is really pushing a 400w.

Ideal size for a 400w SCROG is about 3x3.


J

3' is the Front and Back Sides.. I re-read your previous post, and went ahead and adjust the light up to 10" off canopy to see if it helps light up some of the dimmer areas.. It did expand the light a bit,, Not sure if its enough to keep me from going back to my HPS Cool Tube,, I dont remember having these problems when I was using it.

 

[Rusty Shakelford]

you seem to be saying not as much light comes out of the ends of the reflector, more light comes out of the sides
i think this is normal ?
when the bulb is mounted horizontally most of the light will come out of the sides no matter what reflector since most of the light is coming out of the sides of the bulb
not the end of it ?

i use more than 1 light sometimes having them hang in different directions so the footprint overlaps and covers those end edges that get less light
the shape of my grow space is 4x9 it is a more extreme rectangle shape, rather than a 3x4 which is more square shape
i do not think adjust o wing reflectors are best suited to square shaped spaces if you are only using 1 light , since the light footprint is more naturally a rectangle shape spread
perhaps the large parabolic reflectors that allow lights to be mounted vertically would be better for a square shape and spread the light out evenly all around the area

good luck

I agree with you that most of the light comes from the Sides of the Bulb, but I dont remember having this problem with my Cool Tube Reflector and HPS Bulb.. With the Adjust a Wing, these area's really noticeably hurt yield. You may be right about the shape as well, but according to Adjust a Wing, 4' squared is what this reflector is supposed to light up.

 

[skunkd0c]

i have never used them mate, i did not like the look of them they look flimsy for the price
i do not like the method of adjustment , i am heavy-handed i would most likely snap them or something when trying to adjust them, i am not good with things that are fiddly

i use the regular type of reflector with no adjustment , i notice a lack of footprint at the ends of the bulbs
the reflectors i am using are essentially the same material and reflective pattern as the adjust o wing they are just non adjustable lol

did the cool tube cover the space better than the adjust o wing, ?
i would of thought it would be the other way round,
did your cool tube have clip on reflective side flaps ?

if you buy the budget reflectors with the same pattern as the adjust o wing they cover a larger space they are bigger
and you can bend them open to cover more space, but making the sides of the reflector flat is obviously going to cover more space
in a rectangle shape

it seems to be a standard for some reason to measure coverage in squares , when in real growing situations it not like that
it is said that a 1000w will cover 5x5 while a 600w covers 4x4 400w 3x3 etc

a 600w mounted in any horizontal reflector will cover a space more like 5x3 than 4x4 in a real situation

i agree with you, they should state things correctly what area the reflector covers , but these folk think in squares LOL

peace

 

[jondamon]

http://www.adjustawings.com/ajw_layout_tips.htm

It says 1.25mx1.0m for the ENFORCER MEDIUM with 400w but IMO that's for roughly 4x 2ish ft tall plants that could occupy that footprint. Its a little different with SCROG. I think there are calculations you can do to work out the correct size screen for your light and I think it ends up working out to 2.72ft x 2.72ft.

With a screen that's 3x4 realistically you should be running a 600w.


Personally I just harvested 427.9g from 3x2.5ft tall plants and 4 SOG style clones using my 400w enforcer medium.

Harvest before that was 439g.

I utilise a 3.2ft wide closet by 7ft long by 8ft high. My growing area is 3.2x3.2 roughly.


What kind of yields were you achieving versus what you're getting now.


J

 

[Sativied]

400 watt is designed for 3x3, or 1 sqm. For a basic reflector the ideal height with 400watt is roughly 12-16" but with the spreader on the AaW it can go lower and still cover 3x3. That's the advantage.

AaW hoods used to be very popular here in NL also amongst commercial (quantity-) growers, still are but I see more and more Gavita/Lumatek nowadays. Including the one I got (see first or second page in my journal) which works great for 3x4 (deep, medium, wide setting). I have 3x4 too, use 400 watt for vegging and sexing.

 

[Rusty Shakelford]

http://www.adjustawings.com/ajw_layout_tips.htm

It says 1.25mx1.0m for the ENFORCER MEDIUM with 400w but IMO that's for roughly 4x 2ish ft tall plants that could occupy that footprint. Its a little different with SCROG. I think there are calculations you can do to work out the correct size screen for your light and I think it ends up working out to 2.72ft x 2.72ft.

With a screen that's 3x4 realistically you should be running a 600w.


Personally I just harvested 427.9g from 3x2.5ft tall plants and 4 SOG style clones using my 400w enforcer medium.

Harvest before that was 439g.

I utilise a 3.2ft wide closet by 7ft long by 8ft high. My growing area is 3.2x3.2 roughly.


What kind of yields were you achieving versus what you're getting now.


J

Keep in mind also that part of the Sales pitch on the AAW is that it will light a bigger area than the normal hood, and therefore increase yield. Now that being said, I am doing just fine lighting the 4' Width, its the 3' Width that is coming up short.

 

[Sativied]

Quality hoods including the AaW are good to create a uniform light pattern, not as much to spread the light for a larger surface, which you can do with a $10 hood as well (folding it open) but will always be limited by the light.

 

[Sativied]

Now that being said, I am doing just fine lighting the 4' Width, its the 3' Width that is coming up short.

Ow, that's odd. Sounds like you have no option other than to raise it then. Topshield, another hood manufacturer, creates a similar product, but has an additional small sort of flaps on the front and back in addition to the wings.

Point is, even with a AaW it's a trade off between height and surface area.

 

[Rusty Shakelford]

Thanks to everyone for all the input.. It looks like I will have to give up distance in order to Kinda Light the Dimmer area's under the AAW, which means I will end up going back to my Cool Tube. The Reflector is the Box Type and seems to light the entire area much better. Too bad, the AAW was pricey!

 

[Wetdog]

What does work well is the large AAW with 2-400w mounted on each end (actually CMH).

I don't bother trying to run in in the summer anymore, but an un heated basement in the cooler months works well when the basement stays ~55* or so.

Wet