LED vs HID

C

Canuck3

Well-Known Member
I'm currently running 600W MH & HPS as I already had the equipment from my previous grows, but I'm thinking about adding onto my room so I can have a dedicated flowering room and can begin my next crop while the other one is finishing.

I have 2 HID fixtures, so I could use one in each room, but are LED fixtures the way to go now? I don't necessarily care about the money savings, I just want whatever will produce bigger yields! Can you gurus weigh in here?

Thanks!
 
Jjgrow420

Jjgrow420

Well-Known Member
No guru just some guy who grows dope here. Hid vs led.... There really is no answer to your question. It really all depends on your growing style, space, environment, and personal preferences. Hps are hard to beat for yeild and initial investment costs but bulbs should be changed every 3 grows or so or the efficacy drops significantly. They also run hot and draw a fair amount of power so of coarse more effort must be made in ventilation. Some leds can get you there as well and last far longer without much decrease in light output, but unless you build your own higher powered higher end LEDs can cost a pretty penny. Just weigh all your pros and cons and take the option that works best for you in your own personal situation. Personally I run cmhs and smds together sometimes cobs as well/instead. Sometimes I'm running all smds and cobs no CMH. All depends on the factors of that specific grow. Just don't buy cheap fixtures and expect the same results as hid. 600w hid be looking around 450w of led to even be on the same planet as hid yeilds wise.
Note I said yeilds wise
 
Last edited:
calvin.m16

calvin.m16

Well-Known Member
There are SO MANY pros and cons and honestly with LED the variation of performance/quality is way too abstract. There are lights claiming to be "2000" as LED and really are the same as like 1/6th of a 1000w HPS.

I use LED for VEG Growers Choice ROI-720 and they work great, for yield and large colas I use 1000w Double Ended HPS fixtures. I can pull 2-3 pounds off a 1000w LED with the right genetics in large pots, LED I'm lucky to get 1.5 pounds with a 800 watt LED fixture.. I'd rather run air conditioners and have heat than run LEDs save a few hundred on power and lose a couple pounds of yield.

Pros and cons my friend. LED will never get you the huge yields and big sticky buds that HPS or even MH will get you.
 
calvin.m16

calvin.m16

Well-Known Member
LEDs draw less amps, LEDs produce less heat, LEDs require less maintenance (no bulb swaps or reflector changes)
HPS draw more amps, HPS produce more heat, HPS require more maintenance such as bulb changes etc

In my personal experience of 2 years with LED and 3 years with HPS with many genetics HPS is my choice for yield and quality balance. I could honestly probably go on for days on the differences.

HPS will typically cause a more heavy and support-dependent plant that needs lots of things such as trellis netting and stakes to support it where LED will usually have stronger branches and not as much weight while also producing denser buds with more terpenes due to lower temperatures not cooking all the terps off.

To replace 8 HPS with even close performance LEDs would cost me ~8,000 US dollars. To replace all the fixtures and bulbs it would cost me 2000. The bulb swaps for 8 Gavita 1000w DE Fixtures are usually around $680 every 16 months with Double Ended HPS bulbs (EYE Hortilux Super HPS 1000 DE)
 
Severed Tongue

Severed Tongue

Well-Known Member
best thing to do is look at some grow journals,
but I'm of the opinion the current offerings of LED strip bar style with UV is the way to go today.
50,000 hours and 5 year warranties, tons of competition in the market atm so great prices to be had
no heat issues, so no need for constant heat exhausting
very efficient and minimal power usage compared to everything else.
no bulbs to replace at the cost of basically a new fixture
very light (weight)
very portable (most are just strip bars you mount on 2 rails, the bigger ones that are not fold in half)
easily customized to cover odd spaces (if they are strip bars)
very thin so minimal real estate in a tent leaving lots of room for stretch
easy to clean, simply dust with a damp micro fibre cloth when light is off
almost all have a dimmer now so no need to lower/raise the light anymore either
 
kwigybo88

kwigybo88

Well-Known Member
calvin.m16 said:
There are SO MANY pros and cons and honestly with LED the variation of performance/quality is way too abstract. There are lights claiming to be "2000" as LED and really are the same as like 1/6th of a 1000w HPS.

I use LED for VEG Growers Choice ROI-720 and they work great, for yield and large colas I use 1000w Double Ended HPS fixtures. I can pull 2-3 pounds off a 1000w LED with the right genetics in large pots, LED I'm lucky to get 1.5 pounds with a 800 watt LED fixture.. I'd rather run air conditioners and have heat than run LEDs save a few hundred on power and lose a couple pounds of yield.

Pros and cons my friend. LED will never get you the huge yields and big sticky buds that HPS or even MH will get you.
Click to expand...
What a load of crap.
 
C

Canuck3

Well-Known Member
@Jjgrow420 @calvin.m16 @Severed Tongue Thank you guys I appreciate the info. Taking all that into consideration I'm going to stick with my HID fixtures, and honestly I prefer the heat they give off, I live in northern BC where temperatures are already dropping close to 0 C at night, and I grow in my basement where it stays cool. The heat from my HPS keeps my tent at a nice 75 degrees and keeps the RH at 50%, I only have to run the dehumidifier sometimes in the evening. Starting to use the woodstove for heat now as well so likely won't need the dehumidifier much at all anymore.

Thanks all!
 
V256.420

V256.420

Well-Known Member
I switched to LED 6 months ago and I'll never go back to HPS. I'm averaging 27 ounces per grow in a 4 x 4 under 600 watts of LED. I was averaging 18 ounces per grow with the same exact plants under 660 watts of HPS.

Each light paid for itself in one grow under the LED. I'm hooked.
 
Bignutes

Bignutes

Well-Known Member
calvin.m16 said:
There are SO MANY pros and cons and honestly with LED the variation of performance/quality is way too abstract. There are lights claiming to be "2000" as LED and really are the same as like 1/6th of a 1000w HPS.

I use LED for VEG Growers Choice ROI-720 and they work great, for yield and large colas I use 1000w Double Ended HPS fixtures. I can pull 2-3 pounds off a 1000w LED with the right genetics in large pots, LED I'm lucky to get 1.5 pounds with a 800 watt LED fixture.. I'd rather run air conditioners and have heat than run LEDs save a few hundred on power and lose a couple pounds of yield.

Pros and cons my friend. LED will never get you the huge yields and big sticky buds that HPS or even MH will get you.
Click to expand...
lol
 
Richard Drysift

Richard Drysift

Well-Known Member
Canuck3 said:
I'm currently running 600W MH & HPS as I already had the equipment from my previous grows, but I'm thinking about adding onto my room so I can have a dedicated flowering room and can begin my next crop while the other one is finishing.

I have 2 HID fixtures, so I could use one in each room, but are LED fixtures the way to go now? I don't necessarily care about the money savings, I just want whatever will produce bigger yields! Can you gurus weigh in here?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
No question about it. My Timber Redwood VS outperforms my old 600w eye hortiluxe HPS w/xxl hood. Produces bigger buds, deeper penetration, and denser lower nuggets. The bottom buds are as dense as the tops which equates to more weed curing in the jars. Under the HPS we used to get a lot of loosey larf buds & popcorn better suited for concentrate/edibles. With COB LEDs more of the bottom growth is viable as everyday smoke. The quality of the trichomes is also impressive.
That being said I’m really not saving much on power; Redwood VS uses the same 600w from the wall as the old HPS. It is dimmable though so in early stages of bloom or for vegging you can turn it down around 70% to shave a little off your energy bill. That’s really the only advantage for power efficiency. I run it perpetually so there’s plants in different stages of development in the bloom room all the time; it’s pinned at 100%. I am saving up for a smaller unit from Timber to veg under and replace my old 400w MH which tbh I’ve not seen a better veg light for getting tight nodal stacking. Panel style leds just don’t penetrate deep enough in my exp.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top