Billy bangalot
Member
Hey dude, not a fanboy here, and I was basically in a similar mindset with the topled vs a51 lights. I don't have an A51, shit I don't even grow weed. So I have no dog in this fight. That said, here is why I think a51 is a superior light:Yeah after spending countless hours scouring through multiple forums, I'm starting to fear I just paid double what I should have paid for my 3x3 tent. It seems like a whole bunch of people are killing it with the Mars II lights.
Other than warranty, I don't see why the A51 lights are double the price to cover the same footprint.
Mac vs PC?
1. Topled does not name their diodes nor give you par/umol readings for their lights. I have always seen them as black dog clones. Some one just posted growers house umol readings for a black dog, not at all impressive.
A51 always gives you diodes, bins, and par readings. Pretty transparent
2. A51 uses top bin cree. Check out the spec sheet for the xte, it's fucking impressive. Again topled will not tell you shit
3. Topled has a sponsor thread on another stoner site. I am thinking this is where you have seen grow journals for them. I used to watch that thread closely, and at one point someone disssembled their light and found a bunch of metal shavings in it. They posted that there and it was deleted by topled within hours. So beware, that thread is prolly heavily edited to be favorable to topled.
4. A51 warranty is pretty sweet. U can upgrade their lights for like 2-300 bucks. To me, that is just unheard of. Return a topled light to china? Don't know, but sounds like a real PITA
5. This shit about topled using the a51 "spectrum". IMO (and I am not led master or anything). using a mostly white/some red is really only effective for a51 b/c of the insane efficiency of the cree diodes. Using shit diodes in ww, it's not going to be the same. IMO, you are better off using specific wavelengths if the diode efficiency is not there for white.
Anyway man, just throwing my .02 out there. Hopefully the a51 works out for ya.