Ah okay thanks. I'm still new to learning the lights and as with those Monios ones, I obviously misunderstood quite a bit. I thought by adding more, it would increase the lighting, which it did, but not to the extent I thought it would. The highest reading with how I spread them out was only at 240~ umol.
Do you mind if I ask what lights you use? I think I may end up just splurging and going with one of the LM301H EVO lights because that would be my ultimate upgrade. I can only base that though on what I know and I haven't found a ton of other decent looking lights for a decent value. I know you mentioned the ViparSpectra XS1500, but I could only find those for $130~. They also appear to be 150 watts. How many would you use if you were to try and get full coverage of the tent? I think 4 would be good. For that size of light they do seem to be some of the most uniform and powerful at the edge lights I have come across.
Figured it out - you used an inline link. I saw it first time through but missed it the second time. Most folks just plop in the pictures.
THe Vipar XS-1500
Pro is $100± on Amazon. I check the price every few weeks and there's often a coupon. It's a great price for a very good product.
You've got a 5' x '5 area? (It's much easier for everyone if you state that up front. Also, "My budget is …".)
The reason I brought up the XS-1500 Pro is because you posted a link to a low end light that was designed for a 2' x 4' grow area that doesn't put out enough light to grow cannabis. To people reading the thread, that implies that you're in a small grow and very budget constrained.
Only under very unusual circumstances would I recommend that a grower use the little Vipar in a 5' tent, multiple lights, of course.
I just ordered a Spider G4500 for my 2' x 4' tent. I'm retiring my Growcraft X3 flower light. Over the course of a grow I'll use the Vipar XS 1500, a Rapid LED Royal Blue puck, a Growcraft X3 veg light, and, now, the Spider for flower. If need be, I can use my Mars SP 3000 for "fill light". I've bought each of those lights at different times in the three years that I've been learning about grow lighting.
I retired the Mars when I got the Growcraft lights. and I bought the Vipar when I needed a fill light. Per above, the Spider will replace the Growcraft flower light. Ideally, I'd have the spectrum of the Growcraft flower light with the PPFD of the Spider but the Spider generates about 30% more light and has a far better PPFD map so I'm retiring the Growcraft.
If I were looking to fill a 5' tent, I would look at the higher end lights from Mars or Spider. Those prices are approaching $1k and they're a completely different product than the $50 light you started this thread with.
What's your budget for a light?
Do you want to fill a 5' x 5' tent with plants or would you consider just using 4'?
A 5' tent is a good sized tent. Are you comfortable that you want your starter tent to be 5' x 5'? I ask that because the light you've picked out can't be used for growing cannabis, loosely speaking, yet a 5' tent is a not insignificant commitment in terms of time, materiel, and money.