Better than American knockoff manufacturers dont you mean.
so you had a stingray? if i may try to guess your age you dont have to answer lol but you old me too! i have been using HPS but i may take the plunge soon myself so i would like to see what you decide and how it perfomsSeems to be two schools of thought out there at the moment.
A: You buy a budget-priced Chinese knockoff light and dispose of it in a couple years. Buy another new budget light when the old one becomes outdated.
B: You spend a high amount of money for the "best" light with the highest efficiency, etc. and hope that it doesn't get outmoded in a year or two.
In practical experience, almost any strong light source will successfully grow marijuana...doesn't matter to the plants how efficient it is. Plants just want photons. Almost any kind of light will do. The whole efficiency thing seems to be relevant only to light designers and also to very large grow ops who are burning tons of electricity. But for most of us, we might commit to 15 or 20 weeks out of each year for our gardening hobby. Is the most efficient light going to make a big difference to the small time guys? I'm not sure. In my state, electricity is fairly cheap so super efficient lights aren't a big necessity. In other areas, it might be different. But hey, I like cool lights as much as the next grower....
The pricing on the new ChilLED fixtures is kinda what motivated this thread. They're at (or near) the top of the efficiency game and their prices reflect it (pun intended). Sure, I want one...in the same way I used to want an Apache Tech light back in 2012. I want to be the kid with the cool new Stingray bike, too! (By the way, Apache Techs are still available and for the same high prices -but the technology hasn't changed.) In a way, I respect that because it means that if you commit to an Apache Tech light, today, then in 5 or 10 years of having them dialed into your system, you can always get another one when (and IF) you need. They haven't seen the need to update anything in terms of their lights -or their terrible website!I guess they believe in their product enough to not evolve it. But, other than them, almost every light design that was out 5 years ago has completely evolved. It used to be Cree COBs and then that switched to quantum boards and Samsung chips....If I had to guess, I'd say that boards are here to stay for awhile...but the chips and spectral options will continue to get better and better.
So, which school of thought do you subscribe to? Commit to today's best lights? Or just keep upgrading every year or two?
I upgraded 5-6 years ago to a AC-DE bulb and hood that I bought instead of an LED set up. Still using the same bulb except for veg,. now using a CMH 600 DE in the fall that's the beginning a 3 harvest year. I fucked up and bought a TSW-2000 Mars last year in a moment of stupidity which I'm flowering with in a tent right now and that's a little challenging for an HPS guy. So I'll upgrade to a new DE bulb in a few years and probably not try anything new unless it's one of those "gotta have" things.Seems to be two schools of thought out there at the moment.
A: You buy a budget-priced Chinese knockoff light and dispose of it in a couple years. Buy another new budget light when the old one becomes outdated.
B: You spend a high amount of money for the "best" light with the highest efficiency, etc. and hope that it doesn't get outmoded in a year or two.
In practical experience, almost any strong light source will successfully grow marijuana...doesn't matter to the plants how efficient it is. Plants just want photons. Almost any kind of light will do. The whole efficiency thing seems to be relevant only to light designers and also to very large grow ops who are burning tons of electricity. But for most of us, we might commit to 15 or 20 weeks out of each year for our gardening hobby. Is the most efficient light going to make a big difference to the small time guys? I'm not sure. In my state, electricity is fairly cheap so super efficient lights aren't a big necessity. In other areas, it might be different. But hey, I like cool lights as much as the next grower....
The pricing on the new ChilLED fixtures is kinda what motivated this thread. They're at (or near) the top of the efficiency game and their prices reflect it (pun intended). Sure, I want one...in the same way I used to want an Apache Tech light back in 2012. I want to be the kid with the cool new Stingray bike, too! (By the way, Apache Techs are still available and for the same high prices -but the technology hasn't changed.) In a way, I respect that because it means that if you commit to an Apache Tech light, today, then in 5 or 10 years of having them dialed into your system, you can always get another one when (and IF) you need. They haven't seen the need to update anything in terms of their lights -or their terrible website!
So, which school of thought do you subscribe to? Commit to today's best lights? Or just keep upgrading every year or two?
lol and the DIY is so simple its hard to even call it DIY more like some assembly required
come on noob, the more nutrients you give them, the more they weigh!!!
except when you throw in "run them in parallel or series. lol. DIY isn't for everybody, you do need some basic electric knowledge
remeber this doesnt work as long the nutrients dont come from at least 10 bottles and the more colors the label on the bottle have the more THC.
It's only a no brainer if you've overlooked the possibility that the premise for this point is entirely bollocks.
I saved approx $150/hr for the time I spent putting together my rig. You're right, that's not trivial.. but it sure was easy.
I don’t smoke and I pulled 1.3gpw out of my LED on my first run with it. It was nearly 1/3 the cost of a gavita 1700e and is actually more powerful. It already paid for itself.
6 a year a little far fetched don’t you think? That would need 2 flower rooms and a large veg room
but when a new light comes out that outperforms what you now have, do you buy it? what if the new light would get you 125 grams more??Good job on your first grow brother.
What is amazing about led .
Is that it allows new growers to have decent yields. As they are quite powerful and are easier to control the environment .
The right environment is even more important than light. (Requisite that you have adequate light )
2 gpw would be in the realm of your possibilities if you keep improving brother.
But what I am trying to say .
You bought a light that is 1/3 of the gavita.
But for how much do you sell your weed?
If you have obtained 2gpw.
That's 3 pounds .
Where I stand the quality tested reputable light with warranty would have paid for itself. In only 1 harvest and I have 6 in a year.
So why even take a chance with lesser lights
Quality was not as good as I would have liked but it had nothing to do with the lights. It was due to a bunch of rookie mistakes with nutes, trying to build a grow room while growing, power outages from fires and my drinking problem lol. I have 2 lights and harvested 4.25lbs plus almost 3/4 lbs of larf and baby nugs that I used for extracts or gave away to friends. It was still high B grade and 1lb went for over 3x what I paid for a single light.Good job on your first grow brother.
What is amazing about led .
Is that it allows new growers to have decent yields. As they are quite powerful and are easier to control the environment .
The right environment is even more important than light. (Requisite that you have adequate light )
2 gpw would be in the realm of your possibilities if you keep improving brother.
But what I am trying to say .
You bought a light that is 1/3 of the gavita.
But for how much do you sell your weed?
If you have obtained 2gpw.
That's 3 pounds .
Where I stand the quality tested reputable light with warranty would have paid for itself. In only 1 harvest and I have 6 in a year.
So why even take a chance with lesser lights
Are you going to offer a guarantee?