HLG / Timber LED vs blurples

StareCase

StareCase

Well-Known Member
Greetings fellow growers. Last night, my wife bought a couple of vintage Singer sewing machines and to thank me, gave me the green light to upgrade from blurples to QB/COB LED. 8-) For a 2 x 4, I have narrowed it down to either the HLG 320 XL RSpec or the Timber 3VL.

The existing Viparspectra blurples produced good looking bud:

Blurple Bud.png

This stuff takes me to the promised land ... but they just don't feel as dense as the stuff I used to purchase at a dispensary.

Will the QB or COB LED's be worth the outlay? Do they produce denser bud?
 
HolyAngel

HolyAngel

Well-Known Member
Can't go wrong with HLG or Timber. I personally have two of the R-Spec boards on a 320w driver in a 3x3 tent and they are absolutely killing it. They did great in veg and are doing fantastically in flower. So good I went back and bought more boards to do a dedicated veg tent with and will buy more to flower with later. I haven't tried Timber myself but have heard the same praise for them from everyone who owns one. Really i'd guess it'll come down to money and spectrum, between choosing one or the other.
 
twalte

twalte

Well-Known Member
I can only speak to the quality of the 3vl....top notch! I just replaced my 1000 watt HID with three of them and they are Intense. I liked that they put out 320 watts. I don’t have a par meter, but I’m getting great coverage according to my Lux meter (which works well under white LED). No regrets here.

Best of luck with your decision!
 
Airwalker16

Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
Boards on the HLG will be using quite a bit more advanced technology and far more efficient diodes on it. Timbers kick ass, don't get me wrong, but the single point source light COBs offer, is being left obsolete to the spread of a board or a strip nowadays. Especially where there's added reds now, there's just more to be had.
 
Chip Green

Chip Green

Well-Known Member
StareCase said:
gave me the green light to upgrade from blurples to QB/COB LED
Click to expand...
YESsSssss!!!!! Ah, man, I'm so happy for you...
If you're getting that with the blurples, you had best buckle up.
Consider height restrictions when choosing, both those options are top notch, repeat TOP notch.
 
StareCase

StareCase

Well-Known Member
Airwalker16 said:
... You want a pre built fixture I'm assuming? ...
Click to expand...
I have watched the assembly of the RSpec so I have some reference. I can handle a screwdriver and some wire stripping. Most times I use a lighter and burn off the sheathing cause I sometimes squeeze too hard with an actual pair of wire strippers.

8-)

Airwalker16 said:
... Boards on the HLG will be using quite a bit more advanced technology and far more efficient diodes on it. Timbers kick ass, don't get me wrong, but the single point source light COBs offer, is being left obsolete to the spread of a board or a strip nowadays. Especially where there's added reds now, there's just more to be had ...
Click to expand...
That's what I have been reading as well AW 16. Penetration on the Timber is a bit better but the even spread on the QB's is superior. Although, there are those who report that the canopy penetration for the QB's is nothing to sneeze at either. With an even spread, the 3' long RSpec should have no problems reaching corner to corner cause I SCROG the entire 8 square feet of grow space.

So ... the QB288 board now comes with some supplemental red diodes? Or they are strictly white LED?

If not, I still have two T5 floro fixtures (80 watts each fixture) of 2700K warm whites that I could toss in there. That's a total of 480 watts - just a little too much light?

Chip Green said:
... If you're getting that with the blurples, you had best buckle up ...
Click to expand...
Thanks Chip. I really can't complain about the bud that these Viparspectra DS600's pumped out - thank you Guangdong! I will still use them for the veg as they are GREAT veg lights - but they do lack that extra punch for flowering. Just like your first car that's run it's course, it's time to move on.

Oh wow ... buckle up!!! Now I can't wait to get them in and start flowering. With some vacations coming spring and early summer of this year, I was going to order the new rigs late summer/early fall since I will be taking a temporary hiatus from growing until then. I hope I can wait that long!!

:-)
 
Airwalker16

Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
StareCase said:
I have watched the assembly of the RSpec so I have some reference. I can handle a screwdriver and some wire stripping. Most times I use a lighter and burn off the sheathing cause I sometimes squeeze too hard with an actual pair of wire strippers.

8-)


That's what I have been reading as well AW 16. Penetration on the Timber is a bit better but the even spread on the QB's is superior. Although, there are those who report that the canopy penetration for the QB's is nothing to sneeze at either. With an even spread, the 3' long RSpec should have no problems reaching corner to corner cause I SCROG the entire 8 square feet of grow space.

So ... the QB288 board now comes with some supplemental red diodes? Or they are strictly white LED?

If not, I still have two T5 floro fixtures (80 watts each fixture) of 2700K warm whites that I could toss in there. That's a total of 480 watts - just a little too much light?


Thanks Chip. I really can't complain about the bud that these Viparspectra DS600's pumped out - thank you Guangdong! I will still use them for the veg as they are GREAT veg lights - but they do lack that extra punch for flowering. Just like your first car that's run it's course, it's time to move on.

Oh wow ... buckle up!!! Now I can't wait to get them in and start flowering. With some vacations coming spring and early summer of this year, I was going to order the new rigs late summer/early fall since I will be taking a temporary hiatus from growing until then. I hope I can wait that long!!

:-)
Click to expand...
The r in Rspec is for red diodes. Lol.
 
Boatguy

Boatguy

Well-Known Member
StareCase said:
Greetings fellow growers. Last night, my wife bought a couple of vintage Singer sewing machines and to thank me, gave me the green light to upgrade from blurples to QB/COB LED. 8-) For a 2 x 4, I have narrowed it down to either the HLG 320 XL RSpec or the Timber 3VL.

The existing Viparspectra blurples produced good looking bud:

View attachment 4473919

This stuff takes me to the promised land ... but they just don't feel as dense as the stuff I used to purchase at a dispensary.

Will the QB or COB LED's be worth the outlay? Do they produce denser bud?
Click to expand...
With the rollitup discount i would take the timber 4vs over the hlg. Its 100 more watts at the basically the same price

Edit... Just saw your space. 4vl will kill it in there
 
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StareCase

StareCase

Well-Known Member
Boatguy said:
... Just saw your space. 4vl will kill it in there ...
Click to expand...
Thanks Boatguy.

I did have an online chat pretty recently with "Timber Dan" and he said that while the 3VL would grow some good plants, the 4VL is not too much light for a 2 x 4. I believe that "they would kill it in there" was his quote as well.

:-)

And that if I ever were to expand the area, as I hope to increase to a 4' x 4' middle of next year, a second 4VL would be a great pair of lights for that larger footprint.
 
race winslow

race winslow

Well-Known Member
StareCase said:
Thanks Boatguy.

I did have an online chat pretty recently with "Timber Dan" and he said that while the 3VL would grow some good plants, the 4VL is not too much light for a 2 x 4. I believe that "they would kill it in there" was his quote as well.

:-)

And that if I ever were to expand the area, as I hope to increase to a 4' x 4' middle of next year, a second 4VL would be a great pair of lights for that larger footprint.
Click to expand...
So, better late than never..... what did you end up going with?
 
StareCase

StareCase

Well-Known Member
race winslow said:
... So, better late than never..... what did you end up going with? ...
Click to expand...
Howdy Race.

I went with the RSpec. At the time, I thought that the spiked hair-do of the 3VL heat sinks would give me a little grief should I need to raise the lights close to the top of the tent. And while the heat sinks were my initial rationale, it ended up that with everything all-in, the RSpec arrived at my door for about $60 less - which went towards the BlueLab pH pen. The kit was assembled in less than 30 minutes.
 
race winslow

race winslow

Well-Known Member
StareCase said:
Howdy Race.

I went with the RSpec. At the time, I thought that the spiked hair-do of the 3VL heat sinks would give me a little grief should I need to raise the lights close to the top of the tent. And while the heat sinks were my initial rationale, it ended up that with everything all-in, the RSpec arrived at my door for about $60 less - which went towards the BlueLab pH pen. The kit was assembled in less than 30 minutes.
Click to expand...
They are a good company and make effective products. Judging from your photo of the plants under the Viparspectra blurples you know what you're doing. I assume that you're getting better results and are happy with your choice. So many other things go into getting good results besides light.

I bought an HLG 600 RSpec Diablo and a Timber Fatty at the same time as I was having a hard time choosing between the two. I ended up returning the HLG and they were great about the return. I love the Fatty. I've added a couple of UV fixtures to it as well.

Happy growing to you and thanks for responding.

RWPXL_20210309_010557926 (1).jpg
 
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