I wish I could do those light map thingies the Prawn does, I never know how many strips of Samsung are enough and how to adequately space them. I'm pretty sure I am still overkilling it.
I really like the double row Fs and probably the H_Influxess don't look too shabby either... still double row, for cheaper construction. The local market is very price sensitive.
In the Form factor that Samsung chose to put the strips, the F's actually give me a greater total output (in lumen), but also eat 144W instead of 140W at the 1.05A I am looking at. all dif is probably 30 dollars on a fixture, I might go with either. The F's pricepoint is nudging it
The F Series have always been good value, and I built my first veg frame with them. But when it came to building my first flowering frame, I used H Series single strips for a few reasons.
Firstly, there was a price break at 25x (H562D) strips that made them cheaper.
Secondly, due to the LED spacing, they are more efficient (less heat). In fact, have a look at the H Series and H_Influx series data sheets and they have the same efficiency, even though the H Series use LM561C and the H_Influx use LM301B.
Thirdly, more strips with fewer LEDs per strip means better spacing and a more even canopy. Each of the frames below are 48V and max rated at 345W (7.2A), but the flowering strips use six U-channels (two H strips per channel in series = 48V, then in parallel), and the veg strips only use four, due to the double-LED layout of the F Series.
There are some advantages to the F Series, IMO. They are easier to mount, and the double-row strips are aluminium, compared to fiberglass. If you have a big grow room, then there is a lot less work with the double-row strips. But then, we ended up going to Quantum Boards precisely because strips are so fiddly.
After a while you have to ask yourself: what is my time worth? And honestly, would I rather a save a few dollars on strips, or buy the best LEDs available knowing I'll pay for them many times over on the first grow?
I can understand wanting to save a few $ on your first grow - where set-up costs can be significant - or if you only have a small, personal grow space. But if you harvest more than a few ounces every grow, then it's a lot easier to justify spending the money.
When it came to fitting out a large commercial grow, there was no way we were going to fuck around with strips - no matter how cheap they were. We just designed and built our own boards. That's actually how this whole thing came about.
