Best LEDs for under 200$

T

typeonebud

Member
I have a 60”x32” grow tent and I am hoping to get 2 led lights for under 200$ each. Is the mars hydro ts1000 a good option? 140$ each on amazon. I’m reading a lot of mixed things about LED lights and I definitely want to stay LED due to temperature and maintenance issues. Any other recommendations? Is this a good option?
 
PJ Diaz said:
This is a better light for less money than the ts1000:

horticulturelightinggroup.com

135W QB V1 LED Kit

Ultra High Efficiency LED Boards for DIY. QB288 has 288pcs Samsung 561C for 5000K or Lumileds 2835HE for 3000K
horticulturelightinggroup.com horticulturelightinggroup.com

Also you would need more than just 2 ts1000's for that space.
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That’s awesome! Thank you for the reply. Do you think 2 of those would be adequate? I’m currently running 8 autos in 3 gallon pots in my space
 
Chip Green said:
If you put 3 of those V1 kits in there, you could probably run them at 80% each and have a photon quilt across the canopy.
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My tent is exactly the same size and 3 HLG 135v1s would be more than adequate, will probably have another soon
 
hillbill said:
My tent is exactly the same size and 3 HLG 135v1s would be more than adequate, will probably have another soon
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The other alyernative would be buying single boards + heatsinks for 49 each and get suitable driver. Im not sure of current pricing of the 135 kit but i expect it too be a bit cheaper.
 
Rocket Soul said:
The other alyernative would be buying single boards + heatsinks for 49 each and get suitable driver. Im not sure of current pricing of the 135 kit but i expect it too be a bit cheaper.
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In this case I think the DIY kit might actually be cheaper, unless they already have wagos, wire, m3 mounting screws, hanging clips etc.

$49 for board/heatsink + $65 for driver, + $15 for the assembly stuff... i think with shipping of individually sourced parts from different vendors would put you over the top, or be very close in price.

Unless they just get a single driver to power multiple boards, that would save a few bucks for sure.
 
ilovereggae said:
In this case I think the DIY kit might actually be cheaper, unless they already have wagos, wire, m3 mounting screws, hanging clips etc.

$49 for board/heatsink + $65 for driver, + $15 for the assumbly stuff... i think with shipping of individually sourced parts from different vendors would put you over the top, or be very close in price.
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You definitely shouldn't be paying more than $50 for an HLG-120H-54A! But you may still be right about the cost/value of a kit over full DIY - haven't done the math myself. But no one should be spending that kind of money on that driver! (At least not in the US; I don't know what kind of prices folks are seeing elsewhere.)
 
Humple said:
You definitely shouldn't be paying more than $50 for an HLG-120H-54A! But you may still be right about the cost/value of a kit over full DIY - haven't done the math myself. But no one should be spending that kind of money on that driver! (At least not in the US; I don't know what kind of prices folks are seeing elsewhere.)
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You are right I was thinking of the price of a 240W driver. And I guess to be fair if you buy all the extras from Amazon and get free prime shipping you could definitely build it for cheaper. Sorry @Rocket Soul you were right. I need more coffee.
 
PJ Diaz said:
This is a better light for less money than the ts1000:

horticulturelightinggroup.com

135W QB V1 LED Kit

Ultra High Efficiency LED Boards for DIY. QB288 has 288pcs Samsung 561C for 5000K or Lumileds 2835HE for 3000K
horticulturelightinggroup.com horticulturelightinggroup.com
Click to expand...

just a stupid Noob question but this light would work well for veg and flower in my 2x3x4h grow box? I think I’ll finally get it operating now that I’m a legal pothead... er, patient.
thanks
 

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BoomerBoognish said:
just a stupid Noob question but this light would work well for veg and flower in my 2x3x4h grow box? I think I’ll finally get it operating now that I’m a legal pothead... er, patient.
thanks
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Is it a full 2x3, or is that an approximation? (It looks a wee bit smaller than that.) If it's really 6 square feet of space, one QB288 would be a little on the low side. Generally, with QBs, you want at least 30w sq/ft. Atreum lighting sells 60w 2" strips with added 660nm red diodes - three of those would kill it in your cab (don't know if they're in stock at the moment though).
 
BoomerBoognish said:
just a stupid Noob question but this light would work well for veg and flower in my 2x3x4h grow box? I think I’ll finally get it operating now that I’m a legal pothead... er, patient.
thanks
Click to expand...

Yes I think it would work great! I ran the v2 DIY 135w kit in a 2x2x4.5 tent for year or so. Im about to build a similar size grow cab for another flowering space. Only thing I would suggest is try to remote mount your driver to help with heat, and if possible put your exhaust fan on outside of your box drawing the air out so you can use the full 4 ft for your plants.

Humple said:
Is it a full 2x3, or is that an approximation? (It looks a wee bit smaller than that.) If it's really 6 square feet of space, one QB288 would be a little on the low side. Generally, with QBs, you want at least 30w sq/ft. Atreum lighting sells 60w 2" strips with added 660nm red diodes - three of those would kill it in your cab (don't know if they're in stock at the moment though).
Click to expand...

If he is just starting out I think the 135W kit will be plenty for now. Lots of other stuff to dial in before that extra few watts matters. Maybe even for now just plan to have the footprint be 2x2?

Also those atreum strips are $60 each. 3 v1 boards @ 50W each in parallell on a 150H would be a little cheaper and you would have a ceiling full of diodes and would be crazy efficient. Thats my plan but using a 120H since I already have one and my new flower box is only 31" x 24".
 
ilovereggae said:
Yes I think it would work great! I ran the v2 DIY 135w kit in a 2x2x4.5 tent for year or so. Im about to build a similar size grow cab for another flowering space. Only thing I would suggest is try to remote mount your driver to help with heat, and if possible put your exhaust fan on outside of your box drawing the air out so you can use the full 4 ft for your plants.



If he is just starting out I think the 135W kit will be plenty for now. Lots of other stuff to dial in before that extra few watts matters. Maybe even for now just plan to have the footprint be 2x2?

Also those atreum strips are $60 each. 3 v1 boards @ 50W each in parallell on a 150H would be a little cheaper and you would have a ceiling full of diodes and would be crazy efficient. Thats my plan but using a 120H since I already have one and my new flower box is only 31" x 24".
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Also a very worthy approach!
 
BoomerBoognish said:
just a stupid Noob question but this light would work well for veg and flower in my 2x3x4h grow box? I think I’ll finally get it operating now that I’m a legal pothead... er, patient.
thanks
Click to expand...
That would be fine for veg and slightly sub-par for flowering. You might want to ask yourself, will this be your long-term space, or will you want a larger area in the future? You could start with that v1 kit for now, and add wattage later if needed. Another option would be to DIY it and buy two board/heatsinks for $100, then get a 185w driver, some wago connectors and wire, and put it all together for under $200. Maybe go for a 240w driver instead for $15 more. Get dimmable drivers, like the kit has so you can adjust your wattage needs.
 
typeonebud said:
I have a 60”x32” grow tent and I am hoping to get 2 led lights for under 200$ each. Is the mars hydro ts1000 a good option? 140$ each on amazon. I’m reading a lot of mixed things about LED lights and I definitely want to stay LED due to temperature and maintenance issues. Any other recommendations? Is this a good option?
Click to expand...
Timber grow single cobs 3500k is best option if I had to pick
 
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