Olive Drab Green
Well-Known Member
Like I said, unless you are RM3, who even himself recommended you start with LEDs, you should probably go LED or COB (A specific type of even more efficient full spectrum LED.)
200$ bucks too spend and torn between led and t5 type
- Thread starter Walterwhiter
- Start date
SomeGuy
Well-Known Member
https://www.amazon.com/Roleadro-Plants-Growing-Flowering-Generation/dp/B01I50CCPW/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1470670915&sr=8-3-fkmr0&keywords=realadro+cob+led+grow+light
I just bought one and hung it in my room. I would say it covers a 2x2 space well. It is on the one side of my room that has about 600w of vero18 cob lights and a 400w hps.
figured since your looking at cheaper lights you might be interested. I have not ripped the light apart yet to verify cree chip. looks correct though from what I can see.
I just bought one and hung it in my room. I would say it covers a 2x2 space well. It is on the one side of my room that has about 600w of vero18 cob lights and a 400w hps.
figured since your looking at cheaper lights you might be interested. I have not ripped the light apart yet to verify cree chip. looks correct though from what I can see.
Walterwhiter
Well-Known Member
Any issues with the vipars? That's one of the big deals with led lack of info out there. The units you have a super new. So it's hard to get a read
Bubblin
Well-Known Member
Yap, there's a major lack of info @ those lights.
The only thing I know for certain is you would need many of the "450" version to fill a 3x4 foot area.
Cx2H
Well-Known Member
My personal experience with LED lifespans is based on the 4 LED panels I own. The oldest one @ 3 years half the board is pout from a blown bulb, I suppose I could bypass it but why it cost 40$ when I bought it.
2 others have cloudy lens' from heat so lost a % of output until I take off the plastic, (don't really care.)
last one is running like a champ and pissing me off daily when I think about the company.
So overall they all are still going, some have issues but they all have worked off cost so IDC.
My main is 1k hps in a Raptor Ocho, melting the space daily.
SoOLED
Well-Known Member
even from that prospective: his experience with t5 solution is not the same as someone who has never used them. two totally different worlds.
OneHitDone
Well-Known Member
Cx2H
Well-Known Member
What did you recommend? I don't see it up there?Where do you guys get this shit?
Ya bro, get a Vipar - they are cranking out the UV lol
You like to eat liver? I don't.
To digress before it needs to be said: Different strokes for different folks.
Airwalker16
Well-Known Member
Buy the roleadro.
TacoMac
Well-Known Member
In the end, it comes down to what works for you.
T5:
The good: Especially useful for growing multiple plants in a longer grow area. T5's are available in multiple wattage in various lengths to suit any need. They're relatively inexpensive. They last a good while, up to two years in many cases. (Even though they may look fine, replace at 2 years for spectrum as it will fall off over time.) The fixtures are flexible as far as keeping running goes. The ballast, wiring, and holders (socket ends) are all available at Home Depot type stores and take minutes to replace.
The bad: Not much. The longer fixtures can get pricey, but can actually be made from scratch and to order for about the same price or less as any "in the box" fixture. They (the home made ones) actually look cooler to me as well.
LED:
The good: low power usage for light produced is number one. You can get 7000 lumens for about 125 watts of power. That's hard to do with any other type of light. They also tend to run cooler than most any lighting fixture as well, which makes for much easier use in grow tents and other closed grow areas.
The bad: A bit on the pricey side considering the power you get. One can get much more light for the dollar with other fixtures. Also, they're disposal. Once the unit goes south, that's it. The entire unit has to be replaced for the most part once it's goes south, and when you consider that most have the life expectancy of about 3 or 4 bulbs of any other type, that's not a very long time.
Metal Halid / High Pressure Sodium:
The good: Pound for pound the best light there is for brute power bar none. Lighting levels that rival that of the sun, capable of burning your retinas out in a heartbeat and pound out 88,000 lumens in veg mode and 140,000 lumens in flower mode can be had for less than 250 dollars. It's simply the most powerful, cheapest, brightest alternative there is.
The bad: HEAT! Lots and lots of heat. Tons of heat. In any closed system (tents, closets, etc.) they can cause huge problems unless a great deal is put into circulating the air. Power usage. These things EAT power. Lots of it. Be prepared to see your power bill go up considerably, especially during veg stage when it's running 18 hours or more per day.
Compact Flourescent:
The good: Readily available everywhere. In a pinch, you can pick up bulbs and fixtures at Walmart. Reasonably priced. Low energy usage. Easy to build custom fixtures for custom setups with a short trip to Home Depot and minimal tools and know-how.
The bad: Limited in power options for the smaller fixtures. Very expensive in the more powerful fixtures to the point of redundancy.
All of that said, price is relative. Any of these types of lighting can be applied to any grow project. Figure out which one sounds best suited for your needs and go that way. In the end, the best one is the one that works best for your price range and situation. In the end, it's all light.
T5:
The good: Especially useful for growing multiple plants in a longer grow area. T5's are available in multiple wattage in various lengths to suit any need. They're relatively inexpensive. They last a good while, up to two years in many cases. (Even though they may look fine, replace at 2 years for spectrum as it will fall off over time.) The fixtures are flexible as far as keeping running goes. The ballast, wiring, and holders (socket ends) are all available at Home Depot type stores and take minutes to replace.
The bad: Not much. The longer fixtures can get pricey, but can actually be made from scratch and to order for about the same price or less as any "in the box" fixture. They (the home made ones) actually look cooler to me as well.
LED:
The good: low power usage for light produced is number one. You can get 7000 lumens for about 125 watts of power. That's hard to do with any other type of light. They also tend to run cooler than most any lighting fixture as well, which makes for much easier use in grow tents and other closed grow areas.
The bad: A bit on the pricey side considering the power you get. One can get much more light for the dollar with other fixtures. Also, they're disposal. Once the unit goes south, that's it. The entire unit has to be replaced for the most part once it's goes south, and when you consider that most have the life expectancy of about 3 or 4 bulbs of any other type, that's not a very long time.
Metal Halid / High Pressure Sodium:
The good: Pound for pound the best light there is for brute power bar none. Lighting levels that rival that of the sun, capable of burning your retinas out in a heartbeat and pound out 88,000 lumens in veg mode and 140,000 lumens in flower mode can be had for less than 250 dollars. It's simply the most powerful, cheapest, brightest alternative there is.
The bad: HEAT! Lots and lots of heat. Tons of heat. In any closed system (tents, closets, etc.) they can cause huge problems unless a great deal is put into circulating the air. Power usage. These things EAT power. Lots of it. Be prepared to see your power bill go up considerably, especially during veg stage when it's running 18 hours or more per day.
Compact Flourescent:
The good: Readily available everywhere. In a pinch, you can pick up bulbs and fixtures at Walmart. Reasonably priced. Low energy usage. Easy to build custom fixtures for custom setups with a short trip to Home Depot and minimal tools and know-how.
The bad: Limited in power options for the smaller fixtures. Very expensive in the more powerful fixtures to the point of redundancy.
All of that said, price is relative. Any of these types of lighting can be applied to any grow project. Figure out which one sounds best suited for your needs and go that way. In the end, the best one is the one that works best for your price range and situation. In the end, it's all light.
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Airwalker16
Well-Known Member
You're so wrong about leds... if you buy meanwell drivers and cree chips on a good heat sink, they're going to last. Period. And if one goes out, you replace it. Simple.
Bubblin
Well-Known Member
I agree with most everything but the power statement. Watts are watts.
Unless you're in the mystical world of blurple LED's where a 3w led can make 20 million par and cause anyone in the vicinity to shoot sudo full spectrum rainbows out their asses.
600w of T5's = 600w of MH/HPS @ power usage.
But the 600w HPS puts out more lumens per watt than most everything, other than a sexy cob setup. But the heat with MH/HPS is a bitch.
For what it's worth, I've been tempted to try a viparspectra just to see what I could do with it. But I would need more than one and for $300 bucks I would rather just do cobs.
I think/hope he was talking about blurples but tbh I don't know.
TacoMac
Well-Known Member
The problem with that is that it cost more than the standard LED fixture for not more light output, which again makes it redundant. To construct a fixture like the Galaxyhydro 300, you would spend double what the GH actually sells for. Not only that, but the labor on led custom fixtures is prohibitive. It's simply not worth it when you have much lower cost, easier, more readily available alternatives.
RM3
Well-Known Member
there are very few that last 2 years, most (the good ones) should be changed every year, actinics should be changed every 6 months and it should be noted that blue phosphors decay the quickest ie: the GE 4100K's will turn red (from white) in bout 11 months
power bill way too high. the T5s grow, and so will the household led light bulbs.
you don't need much skills to hang a bathroom vanity and load it up with e27 indoor ceiling down lights.
a blue collar worker without household tools like a drill, saw and hammer ? that's an oxymoron.
Walterwhiter
Well-Known Member
Great info!
mauricem00
Well-Known Member
I use these in a 2ft by 2ft vegging closet https://www.1000bulbs.com/product/59543/FC55-DT5565RS.html and they have worked great for me
Walterwhiter
Well-Known Member
Why is that? And I was getting good vibes from yall. I'm just not Tim the fuckin tool man!