Thanks for the info.
If I were you and I had 500 I would get a 180w GLH Spectra (units uses 180w), if not then I would get a '240w' blackstar (really only 133w, most companies mislead on wattage) or the best Isis you can. If you want to aim for the best try to go for all 3w diodes that run on 1.5-2w each (LEDs can't run full power or they die fast), with lens angles less than 120 (ideally 90 to 60). And don't let anyone charge you much more than $3 per true watt upfront (so a 240w (133w) blackstar usually go for about $2 per watt).
Ima go for the 3w one cuz the 5w diodes sounds a little to real to be true. I been using the ufo wich is the 90w but the 240w sound like the one Im gonna get for my second grow thanks.
Who is selling 5w diode panels?
Read the thread man
It was discussed a bit recently, I would have bet within the last 12 pages but who knows. We aren't really sure, the most powerful panels that run 12 spectrum/wavelengths on 3w diodes run 1.5-2w each don't seem to give people trouble flowering at 12in, and with a panel that strong I would usually veg at 2ft unless maybe it was 200w total or less (actual watts so that would be 200/1.5-2w for each 3w diode)
It depends. It depends what light you have, how many watts youre running, and what stage of growth youre in. with my panel, I start higher in veg, about 18 to 22 inches above canopy. Then gradually lower the lights as the plant grows and responds accordingly. The in flower you can lower even more...i try not to let my girls get closer than 8 inches. But I'm also running 3w model. 1w/2w models might be able to get a little closer but I can't speak on them from experience
Which 1 and 2 watt panels are you talking about? As jdizzle pointed out in his post (if you had found it) each brand is different. What total wattages are we talking about here? A 500w panel of 1w is gonna be different than a 100w panel. Just like a panel advertised at 240w (actual pull 133) is gonna be less than a panel that actually draws the 240w. You need more specifics man. This is just all hypothetical pondering. If you'd found the original info, YOU could apply it to each individual light/brand/wattage/etc you wanted to look in to.
I think the '240w' (133-140w) Blackstar are the most proven LED units for under $300 (lowest I've seen is 250). I've never had one but I imagine even 12in veg would be fine since the whole thing is less than 140w counting fans, although you might want to back off to 2ft until they are a bit more than seedlings if starting from seed. I think there lens are a mix of 60 degree and 120 degree angles, and the sellers seem to all say 10-14 in for that model (which as ColoradoLove would probably point out you could have found with a simple google search).
Having never heard of them or seen them in action, it's hard to say. They list the "led power" at 130w and the spectrums seem good enough. id contact them first to ask about the wattage if it's 130 actual or truly less? I do like how they say you can connect upto 10 of them to one timer, kinda cool. At that price it might be worth testing out. Let us know what you decide about them