LED light for 4x4 Grow Tent

The other risk that we face now is,investing in these lights now not so good, because the technology may change a lot (much like computers and televisions,) Then we are left with sub par fixtures. If expense is the issue how can combining HPS and LED together going to make sense, right? I have to reduce power cost it's crazy. For a small personal setup. I just have to bite the bullet because overall it's less than the dispensary.

I'm waiting a year. Theirs an explosion in the market of growing itself. It's going to run up to another level, once it stabilizes. Ill buy it. Kinda like a tv.

By then well be looking at Plasma LED quantum bio nuclear photon lazer emitting cock candle lights.

But theirs some serious freaking commercial houses getting insane gpw. But. That tech will be home grower affordable in a year. So.. Whats your fancy.

This is strong and 140USD. COB LED. 2 x 200w. Its not crap. Its a newer model at 90 degrees with a spectrum ive never seen. No blurple.(One on the right.....)



Two would be awesome. But like the guy at the start said. You aint yielding much in flower with leds unless your running 1-3k usd lights. 1200+w per light

What do you want to yield. How many Palants? This is a mars 400 grown plant. Veged very little. Fits your budget easy times two.



However if you have 2500USD plus tax and shipping. And want to yield 1.67 gpw. This works wonders for flower.

DaveTheNewbie said:

so back to the original question kinda : what LED setup replaces a 600w HPS for flowering. I take off the $400 limit, but i want to know what it takes to replace HPS with LED on a serious scale.

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It depends on how efficient you want your setup to be, and how much heat is an issue for your grow space.

You can buy early-generation lights that are based on 3W chips driven at 1.2W each. These are relatively inefficient (~ 20-25%) and you'll probably need more like 1200W of these to replicate the lighting power of a 600W HPS system. An example of something like this is Mars II. It seems to be commonly agreed upon that you're much better off using HPS than these.

You can buy previous-generation lights based on 5W LEDs that are driven at ~3W each. They are also relatively inefficient (~ 30-35%) and you may need around 800W of these to replicate the 600W HPS. Black Dog LEDs are an example of these.

Despite the above LEDs being less efficient (and therefore generating more heat per actual Watt), they direct less heat at your plant canopy than HPS so they may provide desired heat reduction for some growers.

You could also choose LEDs that are as efficient or more efficient than HPS. These are significantly more expensive to purchase than HPS+ballast+etc., but may have lower electrical costs on an ongoing basis, as well as a much longer lifespan (50,000-100,000 hours (20 years of use perhaps? vs 6 months for HPS bulb replacement), so you may see cost savings over the life of the fixture.

You can buy lights that are based on Vero 29 V2 COBs that are hard-driven.
The efficiency is approximately the same as HPS (~40%) so you will need about the same number of Watts drawn from the wall, ~600, and you will get away with paying 800-1000.
A supplier of this kind of light is Area51 (although it should be noted that they are phasing out their V29-based lighting products). There may be others but I don't know the company names.

You can use lights that are based on Cree CXB3070 or CXB3590 that are softly-driven.
The efficiency is approximately 50-60%, so you'll only need about 2/3 to 3/4 the number of Watts, or about 400-450Ws worth. These are the most expensive (the LEDs are themselves more expensive than the other types, and since they're being driven at lower amperages, you need more of 'em) costing around $1500. There are a good number of vendors now selling these.

You can also build your own grow light(s) using either Vero or Cree LED technology, and to DIY will cost about half what buying then ready-built does.

If these are outside your budget, best to stick to HPS - prices should drop over the next couple of years.

Hope that helps!

peteski72 said:

The other risk that we face now is,investing in these lights now not so good, because the technology may change a lot (much like computers and televisions,) Then we are left with sub par fixtures. If expense is the issue how can combining HPS and LED together going to make sense, right? I have to reduce power cost it's crazy. For a small personal setup. I just have to bite the bullet because overall it's less than the dispensary.

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It's either a necessity (due to heat issues or electrical costs) or not.
If it's a necessity, then you gotta go LED even knowing that better ones are coming down the pike.
If it's not a necessity, then you gotta weigh the advantages you'd get over the next year or two from LED fixture(s) vs. the savings you'd register over the following years had you waited for more efficient or cheaper LEDs.

LED HPS is pretty intense.

Leds are quite low consumption and are great for supplemental lighting as they have a few spectrum hps don't cover. I also add a 400w mh HID during the last two weeks.

It depends. How much smoke do you want lol?

Thanks fellow grow buddies. It's with much appreciation you all took the time to contribute to answering this question. I pretty much surmised the similar conclusions. Obviously, we are still in the developing stage of LED's. If we want a good light and reduce our operating cost it will cost a pretty penny. No way around it.
Another question comes to mind after reading these current ones. Does LED technology really make significantly more yield and better all around results? Reading reviews on Amazon cannot give much in expert opinions.
Lastly, I am usually disappointed plants don't grow much, especially after transplanting. There isn't much to show in root development where, I expect more, or a descent stretch after changing to the 12/12 light schedule. Mine get maybe three foot tall and it I don't scrog there isn't much bud in the end. Any pointers? I use fox farm big bloom, grow big, sledgehammer. Sometimes cal/mag or advanced three part fertilizer. Always Ph to 6.0 to 6.5 a 600w HPS 4x4 tent with 6 inch inline fan and temps. 78/82 degrees water mostly as needed ( once a week to maybe twice if necessary) Are theses 90w or so, much like a spot light effect worth adding as supplemental light worth the trouble. Or suggestions for supplemental LED
Thanks again brothers and sisters peace throughout all you encounter and spread the love, ROCKON!!!