IF you are new to LED and want help choosing what to buy, POST HERE!

[Scotch089]

The Area 51 XGS-190 would be my top pick, in fact, I just purchased one yesterday.
I would at least get the 240W model if you go the Black Dog route.
I agree with Scotch above, if you go the California Lightworks route, you'd need their 400W light.
The Vipar's are rebranded Chinese panels, therefore are not recommended at all.
Good luck.

Vipar use the same vendors as 2012 '51's.. and are probably the most honest secondhand vendors you are going to find. Every time I have spoken to them, been straight up about what is inside and where their market is directed. (middle class I.e. new age Blackstar's)

The coverage under the 2x3 '51 were some noteworthy numbers, but things fell off past the panel- I don't know the dimensions of the 3x3.

I did not list an Apache tech. Everything I see on their website is like $800... Is there a product I'm not seeing that's comparable to the area 51??

It was not on your list, but you also stated your #1. Which is quite frankly- doable with any of those choices. LEDs have one up on other Light Sources..

And second, I didnt put a comma between the two,,,, I do not feel like starting a comparison argument here and now. If you want a thread ask someone politely. I own both and both have their place in different environments, and are both the Top Dog for that scenario. It is about what fits your scenario.

I am simply reminding you that other options are out there, Versatile is Valuble.

 

[Bad Karma]

Vipar use the same vendors as 2012 '51's.. and are probably the most honest secondhand vendors you are going to find. Every time I have spoken to them, been straight up about what is inside and where their market is directed. (middle class I.e. new age Blackstar's) .

I'm not sure that's true Scotch, those same panels are listed on TopLED's site, and all over Ebay.

 

[daesonn]

Fair enough, looks like i'm probably going with an area51 as well..

 

[Scotch089]

I'm not sure that's true Scotch, those same panels are listed on TopLED's site, and all over Ebay.

I suppose I am getting old and delirious or other's werent around for that conversation between EH and Vipar here at the forum?? Stating the cases, drivers, and heatsinks were the same. I suppose I could be delirious.. ha



Shit hit the fan with FERO, at that time 51/fero were using different vendors... who others (companies) have stumbled onto "better business senstive prices" and are just now getting around to pricing out panels.

It is all about staying ahead of the game. E has said that himself. (and he is damn good at making the path, the ONLY people that were ahead of him are the guys at Apache- who had WR/W 5+ years ago)

Do not forget it is in fact a market, and competitors will replicate no matter what.


Area 51 is my go to answer, it is Versatility in it's finest definition, quiet and delivers, period. but there leaves a lot of variables in a grow room/scenario to be considered and not just expected, what if you dont NEED Noise Ordinance/Security? Or discern a company because of a reputation? Go look 100 pages back in LED comp's. Everyone starts somewhere, EH built his reputation with the panels we are talking about, and the ones before that..


OP the XGS looks too legit to quit, be safe!


EDIT: Just to be clear, that is a '51 panel, and you notice the mcpcb board txt 'evergrow,'

-Coincidence?

 

[hyroot]

I saw those posts between eh and vipar. Then I later stated the same thing. Eh replied to mine saying they never used evergrow so..
I don't know. Either way the old a51's work. The new ones do too.

 

[Enissophobic]

Sorry for the late replies, been super busy with work/life.

Top once and scrog that lil shit! I've got nothing on the light tho, someone here will help ya. Good luck!

Thanks for the advice man, hopefully it turns out pretty sweet.

He needs to check out SS's SCROGs ....he uses a 250W lamp, IIRC.

JD

P.S. HERE

P.P.S. Someone here will recommend an LED alternate....that small might do
with a Hans panel, from what I hear.

With that, I think his grow room is like 4/5 square feet? Which is a fair bit bigger then mine, any other suggestions on LED's?

What Javadog said:
The Hans panel (also called Bonsaihero panel) would fit nicely in and wont be overkill for that space.
There is 65 and 80 watts versions (they are real watts, not supposed maximum watts), I think the 65 would be enough.

Yeah pretty sure 65W would be heaps, is there any other brands or is this basically the only half decent one around?

 

[PSUAGRO.]

Yeah Scotch your not old or delirious.........I remember that shit!! lol

But area 51 was using BETTER leds than Vipar...........helios?helos? wtf was the company called again?????? damn i'm getting old

 

[vladimiroslav]

the swedes?

http://www.heliospectra.com/

Yeah Scotch your not old or delirious.........I remember that shit!! lol

But area 51 was using BETTER leds than Vipar...........helios?helos? wtf was the company called again?????? damn i'm getting old

 

[puffenuff]

If I'm not mistaken it was heliopto helixeon leds. Funny thing is, looks like that company is using cree naming conventions like xpe and xml...wonder what the scoop is on that?

http://www.heliopto.com/en/news.htm

 

[PSUAGRO.]

If I'm not mistaken it was heliopto helixeon leds. Funny thing is, looks like that company is using cree naming conventions like xpe and xml...wonder what the scoop is on that?

http://www.heliopto.com/en/news.htm

Yeah that's it puff^^........ . Good looking out ........their just trying to confuse the general public with those led labels.

Damn I wish I owned A Laxus or Mercedis

 

[Bad Karma]

I suppose I am getting old and delirious or other's werent around for that conversation between EH and Vipar here at the forum?? Stating the cases, drivers, and heatsinks were the same. I suppose I could be delirious.. ha

View attachment 2960693 View attachment 2960695View attachment 2960696

Shit hit the fan with FERO, at that time 51/fero were using different vendors... who others (companies) have stumbled onto "better business senstive prices" and are just now getting around to pricing out panels.

It is all about staying ahead of the game. E has said that himself. (and he is damn good at making the path, the ONLY people that were ahead of him are the guys at Apache- who had WR/W 5+ years ago)

Do not forget it is in fact a market, and competitors will replicate no matter what.


Area 51 is my go to answer, it is Versatility in it's finest definition, quiet and delivers, period. but there leaves a lot of variables in a grow room/scenario to be considered and not just expected, what if you dont NEED Noise Ordinance/Security? Or discern a company because of a reputation? Go look 100 pages back in LED comp's. Everyone starts somewhere, EH built his reputation with the panels we are talking about, and the ones before that..


OP the XGS looks too legit to quit, be safe!


EDIT: Just to be clear, that is a '51 panel, and you notice the mcpcb board txt 'evergrow,'

-Coincidence?

I saw those posts between eh and vipar. Then I later stated the same thing. Eh replied to mine saying they never used evergrow so..
I don't know. Either way the old a51's work. The new ones do too.

Yeah Scotch your not old or delirious.........I remember that shit!! lol

But area 51 was using BETTER leds than Vipar...........helios?helos? wtf was the company called again?????? damn i'm getting old

the swedes?

http://www.heliospectra.com/

If I'm not mistaken it was heliopto helixeon leds. Funny thing is, looks like that company is using cree naming conventions like xpe and xml...wonder what the scoop is on that?

http://www.heliopto.com/en/news.htm

Scotch I'm going to have to plead ignorance on that one as I never saw those discussions between EH/Vipar.
I tried searching through the thread for awhile but never came across those remarks.
Thank you to all of the others who jumped in with the correct answers, they are very appreciated

 

[PetFlora]

KISS applies to many growing elements, including lighting

Let's look at father Sun. He emits a broad spectrum of light every day. The amount (%) of blues v reds depends on the time of year- more blue during spring veg... more red during harvest

Simply tilt your spectrums accordingly and you'll have a VG harvest.Beyond that you will be angsting over minute differences.

 

[unclejerry]

Hello Everyone!

I've been a long time reader here at RIU, but this officially marks my first post. I am seeking some advice - I've decided that I want to try growing and have a few questions on some equipment I'm looking at buying. In a nutshell, I've become fed up with both the quality and price of buds in my area, and have convinced myself that with practice and patience, I can grow my own stash for a fraction of the cost of buying it on the street. I'm not looking to grow much - just enough to keep me and the Mrs. happy, plus a little to give away to friends and family when they come to visit. I've decided that I want to use LEDs as my light source, given the climate I live in (Sub-Tropical) and the cooling capacity of my apartment. (I live in a very old house with poor insulation and window AC units). I've also chosen to grow in a tent and use soil as my medium. Here's a list of things I've been looking at:


Light - Area 51 XGS-190 http://a51led.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=65&products_id=181

Tent - Gorilla Grow Tent 2 x 2.5 http://hydrobuilder.com/gorilla-grow-tent-2-x-2-5.html

Inline fan - Vortex S-Line 6" http://hydrobuilder.com/s-line-6-347-cfm.html

Filter - Active Air 13" x 12" http://hydrobuilder.com/active-air-13-x12-carbon-filter-no-flange.html

Soil - Roots Organic http://hydrobuilder.com/roots-organics-soil-1-5-cu-ft.html

Nutes - Roots Organic Players Pack http://hydrobuilder.com/roots-organics-player-pack.html


My questions are:

1. Is the inline fan enough to properly ventilate that size grow tent? (Is it enough, or overkill?) I plan on having a passive intake.

2. Temperatures where I live hover around the mid 70's to lower 80's in the fall and winter, and mid 80's to lower 90's in the spring and summer. The humidity can also be anywhere from 80% - 100%. Would there be temperature issues inside the tent if I didn't keep the AC running during the summer months? (Or the rest of the year for that matter). I typically only turn the AC on when I sleep at night - I'm wondering if I would need to run it all day.

3. I'm still not that familiar with using nutrients - would the product I listed last me for an entire cycle? Do I need additional nutrients? Has anyone had experience with these nutrients/are they worth using?

4. What strains are best suited for a small size grow like this? I was thinking of going the SCROG route to maximize the small space.


Any advice/criticism/questions/answers are greatly appreciated and my thanks in advance.



Uncle J

 

[ellydee]

^^^^Lights-yes
Tent-yes, but way too expensive. Check Gotham Hydroponics or HTG Supply.
Fan- no, total overkill.
Soil-not sure. I would go coco/perlite 70/30 *see note below.
Nutrients-General Hydroponics Floranova bloom, (dose is dependent on medium, age of plant,etc) HCO Crystal Burst (when you're flowering). Maybe a cal/mag product depending on your water supply.

Put a TDS meter and PH tester on your shopping list

Your temps and humidity are going to be a "trial and error" situation-you won't know "what's up" until you get everything up and rolling.

The nutes I suggest are easy and cheap, you almost can't screw it up. Just go easy with them.

*Note
Things to Google;
Mainlining cannabis
Hempy buckets
Coco hempy
Airpots
Autopot
Waterfarm

That should keep you reading for a while. Good luck

 

[Scotch089]

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Bad Karma again.

Wasted it on that Angry Orchard, damnit! My brother karma, dont fret the only reasons I know are from tireless conversations, sticking around here, and digging in.. it is these conversations that bring out the details of what keeps me, and I am sure others, loving this Tech.

heres the bins for those who own the 2012 Area 51 panels, they are powerful, just dont spread as nice as the SGS, and I am sure XGS.. (the distance between diodes, goes a long way.. and withholds intensity w/ Cree's)

Red (630nm)
Part#: HMHP-E3HR
Luminous Flux Bin: VO
Spec. Bin: BO

Deep Red (660nm) - only used for so long as stock lasted, then went to the 13:2 (w:r)
Part#: HBHP-E3LR
Radiom. Power Bin: QO
Spec. Bin: AO, BO, & CO

Royal Blue
Part#: HBHP-E3LB

Blue
Part#: HMHP-E3HB

Luminous flux Bin Codes RO and EO (respectively)


And yes, Area 51 did NOT use Monochromatic blue's in their 2012's..

These blues were encapsulated by Heliopto to make their 5900k (cw) using GAL520 and RR6238 Intermatix Phosphors,

I do know they used each blue in a 1:1 for an even distribution between the two nm peaks "inside" the White we saw..

I think Puff nailed it- "Heliopto Helixeon" emitters. All of em are driven @550-600mA, just different volts between... I knew I wasnt the only one that had seen this convo, I just couldnt link the page to site it... I even went over to LED users unite and its not there. Ol' Fran was half our Vipar weight, and Alex only visits on holidays.. smuck... I hope they are both doing well! However they are..

Sorry for the strenuous thread but I thought it may get some one else addicted to information, cheers!

 

[Khaavryn]

So... I have some room to play with and this will admittedly be my first grow. I'm wanting to build up to 20 plants going in various stages and I'm trying really hard to redeem LED lighting. I've spent the last 9 hours reading everything I could on IC about LED and took a few of those hours to tear into this thread as well. Im not usually one to just lay my problems out there for others to pick through but I'm curious what ideas you guys might have on my budget, space, etc.

I've read about the effects of particular wl's of light on cannabis, which sparked my initial curiosity to look into LED as a possibility. However I'm sort of shooting in the dark atm with all the Chinese made shite vs. the pricey Euro lights. I preffer to buy right the first time and currently lean towards the Iluminex 300w vs. Luminex Lumibar (175w) vs. Luminex LumiGrow PRo 650.

I'm well aware of the quality differences in the LED market, and I consider these products a good baseline as they were designed and improved through multiple generations with growing in mind.

Space is not an issue as I can wall off whatever I need with some panda. My budget is approx 2 - 3 grand.

thoughts?

:edit: I have a buddy trying to give me approx. 20 clones. So my research has led me to believe multiple light bars augmented by floros for side growth to be the most efficient.

 

[Bad Karma]

So... I have some room to play with and this will admittedly be my first grow. I'm wanting to build up to 20 plants going in various stages and I'm trying really hard to redeem LED lighting. I've spent the last 9 hours reading everything I could on IC about LED and took a few of those hours to tear into this thread as well. Im not usually one to just lay my problems out there for others to pick through but I'm curious what ideas you guys might have on my budget, space, etc.

I've read about the effects of particular wl's of light on cannabis, which sparked my initial curiosity to look into LED as a possibility. However I'm sort of shooting in the dark atm with all the Chinese made shite vs. the pricey Euro lights. I preffer to buy right the first time and currently lean towards the Iluminex 300w vs. Luminex Lumibar (175w) vs. Luminex LumiGrow PRo 650.

I'm well aware of the quality differences in the LED market, and I consider these products a good baseline as they were designed and improved through multiple generations with growing in mind.

Space is not an issue as I can wall off whatever I need with some panda. My budget is approx 2 - 3 grand.

thoughts?

:edit: I have a buddy trying to give me approx. 20 clones. So my research has led me to believe multiple light bars augmented by floros for side growth to be the most efficient.

I would not recommend LumiGrow LED lights, they seem to have issues flowering cannabis.
This problem has popped it's head up in a few grows that I've seen.
Since we know your budget, the other important question is, how big of an area are you looking to cover?
Knowing that will make it a little easier to recommend lights for the situation.

 

[Ilovebush]

Check out my new leds with built in wifi touch sensor...oh yeeaaahhh! I picked up about 100 of them for a great deal and I'm ready to go. How many tomatoes/peppers can be grown under these in a 1x1 space and should I be worried about light burn ?

http://www.amazon.com/T-01-Anywhere-Closets-Garages-Storage/dp/B00GD8OKY0/ref=zg_bs_5772206011_4

ROLMFAO

 

[Abiqua]

Check out my new leds with built in wifi touch sensor...oh yeeaaahhh! I picked up about 100 of them for a great deal and I'm ready to go. How many tomatoes/peppers can be grown under these in a 1x1 space and should I be worried about light burn ?

http://www.amazon.com/T-01-Anywhere-Closets-Garages-Storage/dp/B00GD8OKY0/ref=zg_bs_5772206011_4



ROLMFAO

Are you going to put a 100 pairs of batteries in the landfill each week, lol.

 

[Khaavryn]

I would not recommend LumiGrow LED lights, they seem to have issues flowering cannabis.
This problem has popped it's head up in a few grows that I've seen.
Since we know your budget, the other important question is, how big of an area are you looking to cover?
Knowing that will make it a little easier to recommend lights for the situation.

Just for my own knowledge, you wouldn't happen to know where to find the write ups on those grows, would you? Space isn't really the issue since I have an entire room I can devote to this. I'll be using Panda to wall off the space necessary. I'm more interested in what plant configurations are reccomended with these light bars. I'm highly interested in LST and/or Scrogging, however this being my first grow I'm still wieghing the pros and cons with the risk involved.

Have any nutrients or soils been shown to augment LED growing?