After growing for a couple years under 432 hot5 mixing bulbs, ala, leds, getting vg results, but not 600 hps results, I have been research leds ever since buying it
A couple weeks ago I received a BML SPYDR (on extended loan) to do a grow from seedling - harvest
Currently using it in place of my hot5 to finish a grow
I was able to choose my own spectrums. Mine looks like 600w hps color
Said to be 600 watt equivalent, but pulling ~ 375w (don't have a kilo meter)
http://www.bmlhorticulture.com/multi-bar-fixtures/
Come by to watch the show
I have used LEDs in some form or fashion the whole three years I have grown. Yeah...a whole three years. Ha ha! Which doesn't really qualify me for shit, but here's my 2 cents on my LED experience. Started with UFOs just knowing nothing. they actually grew really great weed in a small tent. Bulky, medium-dense colas of some of the stickiest ganja. Their wavelengths sucked, they ran hotter than the latest models, but they worked if you used them within their intended limitations. I now am running a 300w reflector LED (has bloom and veg modes, running in veg only, draws about 115w). My plants love this thing, They grow big green leaves and put on nodes at a good clip under it. I would say they have about the same response as under the 432w T5 (all 6500k bulbs, nothing customer or fancy wavelength wise). The one I have in veg was a test really. It was under $200 and I was expecting complete crap. But no, it works awesome. I could flip the bloom switch on and get more of a "full" spectrum with all 11 bands at full strength, but after asking around on many forums dealing with the same light, everyone said that there would be no difference in veg, so less $ to run
. The one I just installed for flower is made by the same company and was $350 bucks, so I said f*ck it and decided to give it a try. This one is has 5w diodes and there are 180 of them (900w). It covers the 4x4 area pretty well, but could be raised a tad (its about 21 inches off the canopy now, should probably be more like 24-26 - LEDs are different in this regard, especially with the higher wattage diodes); this is the full spectrum model meaning it also has the 11 bands all at full power. These are the same bands you see used on lights that cost $1200 for 450w models. So this is really and experiment. I don't know what to expect (other than the great results I have seen from others using this exact light, I am hoping for the same) but I have some really healthy plants under there that have a good start so should be a good little test.