Cheap Lights

Hi chums, I've built a couple of my own lights, a 16 COB CXB 3590, and a 16 COB Vero 29.
They've cost me a fortune and are performing really well.
If I want to build up lighting for another area (primarily for vegging), is there any possibility that these could really deliver 140 lumens/Watt? (like it says in the blurb).
http://www.botanicaled.com/index.php?m=content&c=index&a=show&catid=125&id=149
They are so cheap that another 20% efficiency would not seem all that relevant, but if they are likely to only hit 100 lm/W, I might as well use LED household globes with the tops popped off.
What do you think?

I thought about using the LED bulbs with cover removed. I think there is a couple videos on youtube of the LED bulbs

just build the same thing with chips that are just as good

luminus cxm22 are 1/3 of the cost of cree and 1/2 the cost of vero 29C and do the same thing at <70W per emitter

Dabber68 said:

I thought about using the LED bulbs with cover removed. I think there is a couple videos on youtube of the LED bulbs

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They certainly beat the hell out of other super-cheap ghetto solutions (in my limited experience).
I'm keen for someone's opinion on the Chinese 'High Bay' lights.

CobKits said:

just build the same thing with chips that are just as good
luminus cxm22 are 1/3 of the cost of cree and 1/2 the cost of vero 29C and do the same thing at <70W per emitter

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If I aim at 50W per cob, I've got 50W per Sq ft in a 4x4 but I still need 16 of the suckers and 4 drivers, plus all the aluminium and fabrication time.
4x the High Bay lights (@200W each) sure looks easier and cheaper at around 600AUD all up, done and dusted. If they are shitty efficiency though, I'm not so keen.
Do you know anything about the Luxeon 3030 chips that they (claim to) use?

nobody is forcing you to use 1 cob per square foot

that design is always going to be expensive

I've been researching similar... and I guess I'm a 'ghetto' grower; I am frugal... my 'calculation' is cost per 10k lumens and it includes the costs of nuts/bolts/wire nuts and what ever else I use.

I find even the cheap chinese COB costs to be high (my costs; $2.97/10k lumen). The 100v IC COBs require active cooling and if you look around you can get the 144 LED and reach better than 120lm/w with a fan (according to my light meter).

Strip lights look interesting... have not experimented yet. Claims of better than 200lm/w are hard to believe for cheap chinese strips, but have seen builds in this section confirming for Samsung strips. The footprint of a strip require more space to produce the same number of lumens... it's not much, but if space is tight, COB's may be the better choice. My cheap chinese ghetto parts are in the mail, not sure of final costs yet, but trending at about $1.80/10k lumen. I am experimenting with 5630 double row 144 LED/m rigid strip.

CobKits said:

nobody is forcing you to use 1 cob per square foot
that design is always going to be expensive

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Er - Hello!
That's the whole point of my post. I've been down the expensive road - it works. 800 watts of white leds, widely spread across a 4x4 kicks arse, with not too much heat. Now I'm trying to find a much cheaper way of achieving the same effective par but at a much lower cost. My question is very clear and it's about the efficiency of the LEDs in the linked advert.
Plus, your apparently aggressive tone is quite un-called for - it was you who said "just build the same thing with chips that are just as good", not me.

@uncle!mumbles - let us know how your choices pan out. Like you, I doubt if you can look forward to 200 lumens/Watt with cheap gear.

Mullumbimby said:

Plus, your apparently aggressive tone is quite un-called for - it was you who said "just build the same thing with chips that are just as good", not me.

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im not being aggressive, thats simply the answer. $17 luminus are half the price of the two chips you listed and are equal in efficacy below 70W

citi 1212 gen 5 are half the price of those and 95% as efficient. you can easily get near 200 lumen/W with any of those you just need to use enough

CobKits said:

im not being aggressive, thats simply the answer. $17 luminus are half the price of the two chips you listed and are equal in efficacy below 70W
citi 1212 gen 5 are half the price of those and 95% as efficient. you can easily get near 200 lumen/W with any of those you just need to use enough

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Haha. I just Googled "Citizen 1212 gen 5" and your website holds 1st and 2nd place on page #1.
You've totally fucked my thread with your bullshit, which is the only reason I'm taking the trouble to respond. (Now, that's aggressive).
I'm over it with 16 cob home-made lights - I built a couple and they are great but a lot of work and expense to do properly. I could do it cheaper, I know - time passes and things are getting better but I've found some cheap, high-bay, 200W, Led lights which use Luxeon 3030 'Lumileds' and I'm trying to find out from the Rollitup community if they are likely to exceed 140 Lumens/Watt. That's all.
The answer to this question is not "buy my stuff".
If you've got great products that you believe in, run some ads, or open your own thread.

OK sorry, just offering recs. best of luck!

Mullumbimby said:

I'm trying to find out from the Rollitup community if they are likely to exceed 140 Lumens/Watt. That's all.

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just a guess, if they are claiming 140 lm/W id say that would be the best you would hope for but probably less

I've read the whole thread. How does a paid vendor on this site fuck up your thread ? He offer the most extensive line of COB's and kits and is here on the site for support . Good luck getting support with the cheap over seas vendors. That one of the reasons I don't support the knock of strips and Quantum boards.

Cobkits offerd a cheaper alternative COB chip he has in stock and you flame him lol.

Light looks interesting, uses good power supply. If you try it be sure to post some pictures... Id probably go with the 100w version and just get a few more. Have you looked into the autocobs on cobshop.net?

I grow with one 300 watt Led panel with supp lighting,cfls.and I paid 80 Buck's for my panel,i grow under the stairs in the basement,and I can fit 9 plants in,and harvest every 2 month's.and I made a homemade veg tent out of the box my stove came in I do pretty good with my setup you don't need to go through too much money to grow ,its all about how you grow

Mate, for 600 bucks you could buy 8-10x 4-foot Samsung F Series double-row strips, a couple of 480 drivers and some aluminium and you'd shit it in. It'll take you one afternoon to put together and you won't look back.

I know that's not what you asked, but . . . it's there for the building. No GST and free shipping to Oz, too.

Vendors on this site provide useful information for people seeking their input. I have reviewed their input and have found it helpful in making some of my decisions... I thought the title of the thread clearly stated the topic. I guess the definition of cheap varies?

Cree, Samsung et al are better quality. No doubt. I've built a couple lights using Citizen COB and misc. cheap chinese parts.

I used to pay top dollar, but then discovered I tend to replace equipment after 2-3 years... and no matter the price, they all grow weed. My last 600w HID ballast set me back $40. It is not high quality and I bet would still work if I got it out of the closet (I bet I have several functioning lights in that closet). I am sure I am not the only cheap-ass-mother-fucker on here. I'm just looking to hear other people's experience... like others said, there is virtually no support. Info sharing would be nice.

It's almost as bad as asking if anyone likes barney's farm or green house... god forbid I mention defoliating. FYI, I grow barneys and green house and defoliate. And I wear white pants after labor day, but not socks with sandals, I have my limits on rebellion.


FYI, one out of 12 AC COBs I used burned out after about 5 days. It looks like it smoked the first three LED's on the input side. Buying a couple extra doesn't sting as bad anymore... at less than $2 I don't think it's worth my time to get a refund/replacement.

I like these from aliexpress.com. The 24v version are as advertised. I used 10 meters as half meter strips stuck to a sheet of aluminum 8"x21.25", two 80mm fans on top - by my meters at 24v; 222w and 47,800lm:

Mullumbimby said:

Haha. I just Googled "Citizen 1212 gen 5" and your website holds 1st and 2nd place on page #1.
You've totally fucked my thread with your bullshit, which is the only reason I'm taking the trouble to respond. (Now, that's aggressive).
I'm over it with 16 cob home-made lights - I built a couple and they are great but a lot of work and expense to do properly. I could do it cheaper, I know - time passes and things are getting better but I've found some cheap, high-bay, 200W, Led lights which use Luxeon 3030 'Lumileds' and I'm trying to find out from the Rollitup community if they are likely to exceed 140 Lumens/Watt. That's all.
The answer to this question is not "buy my stuff".
If you've got great products that you believe in, run some ads, or open your own thread.

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Samsung F-series strips. No heatsinks needed, just a frame. They will run fine with a Meanwell LRS series regulated voltage power supply, no need for pricey Constant Current drivers. Makes for one killer light in a 4x4 space for $350-$400