There's other chips besides cree that are high quality, unfortunately Mars hydro do not use those chips and fall into the china junk area.
I interpreted his remark the same way. "Crees are good, they're made in China, therefore my MarsHydro is good because it's made in China."
But, I think what he's saying is "just because another LED is better doesn't mean Epi-whatever fixtures are 'junk.' They're both made in China, so it's a matter of degrees."
The mods should change the title of this thread because I think it only serves to inflame the very people we want to listen.
@REALSTYLES is a perfect example. He was clearly a sponge ready to absorb the CXA information. But, it took 3 weeks longer than it needed to because he was focused on people calling his MarsHydro "junk."
I see limited usefulness for Epi-whatever fixtures. But, even if they're only as efficient as HPS, that doesn't make them "junk." Just no better than HPS. (There's also build quality, but we settle for lower quality all the time. Guys making COBs without drill presses, etc.).
It would be interesting to hear from realstylze whether he would have found the COB path without the "shocking headline" to draw him in. I think 3 weeks were wasted due to the title of this thread. But, I suppose it's possible he would have skipped the thread entirely if not for that big stick in his eye.
Maybe he should decide if the title of the thread changes. Maybe after he finishes a grow with both his lights.