Led Users Unite!

PERFECT!!!

Hey all, has anyone had any experience with these LED manufacturers/models:

Apache Tech RED and Blue LEDs - AT120RB http://www.apachetechinc.com/red-and-blue-leds/10-red-blue-leds-at120rb.html (NASA?!)
(Proudly lists NASA, USDA, ect...as clients)

LumiGrow ES330 LED Growth Light http://www.lumigrow.com/products/es-330-led-grow-light/

Agrihouse Light Array 240 Watts http://www.biocontrols.com/secure/shop/item.aspx?itemid=38 (NASA?!)
(I realize this is NOT an LED, however it's cool and come on...NASA pretty sure they know what's up )

Now I have read countless threads, watched countless videos, talked to local knuckle heads at all the local Hydro shops (I'm in Northern Cali so there's plenty of overpriced jerk off Hydro stores ready to pound ur tight hole and tell you everything is "GREAT" and "oh I use that one.."), and have yet to see anyone use what I have come to understands as the leaders in this technology designing for none other than...yup the good ol Gov.

I also understand that these may be "commercial" products (maybe not, regardless), but the pricing on these and say Hydro Grow 336X-Pro http://www.hydrogrowled.com/Penetrator-336X-PRO-LED-Grow-Light-P87.aspx and others (just used that one because the tab was open and price is ridiculous) but I still find no use data or any blogs or tests with these units.

WTF is my point?! Damn it, lost track a lil .....

Here it goes..I don't mind spending money, I do NOT like being taken advantage of and/or misinformed, I respect the effort others have put forth, time/funds invested, I respect opinions from credited people (pictures, journals, videos! All GREAT)...honestly hell of a thread/website and others....

Why have we not seen these used?

What companies are actually out to better the market and technology, not shaft "us"?

Who has gone LED against LED? Results?

Thanks for any comments, I want to pull the trigger on some LED's, maybe I'll have to be the first with these other guys and start me own thread...one way or another!

Regards,
savage007

i hear ya savage its a brutal shit storm in the led grow lighting world i was in your position a while back and i went out and bought a couple panels and thought they were ok but overpriced and not the best built units , then i came across VIPAR led's and man o man what a world of sifference i have seen , the prices are fair , the units are the best i have used both in build quality and in performance and probly most importantly i didnt feel ripped off or like i was having info hidden from me. Edd over at vipar is top notch stuff he will glady answer all your questions via email or even over the phone if your so inclined, its easy to tell that he really cares about his products and cares that the people buying them are happy. i suggest checking them out for sure the web page is viparled.com also i have a couple threads in which i used them ..... although my first grow had some hiccups i was still very impressed with the lights and this time around is gonna be wayy better, cheers man hope this helps ya in your search a bit

also i wouldnt be swayed by claims that NASA has anything to do with any of those companies thats just crap to get you to buy their lights ..... apache tech is a joke ... 1100$ for a 120-150w light????? fuck thats nutty that people would pay that not to mention i heard a guy pick one up on craigslist for 150$ basically brand new ....tis a shame companies like this can even stay in business they are truely fucking the led industry.

what's up savage? I have an apache tech at120wr (3:2 ratio) and the panel kicks some serious ass for its wattage. I'm sure the at120rb will do just as good of a job. Check out this youtube video of a guy using a bunch of them and getting great results:

[video=youtube;fSlVMC1Jvec]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSlVMC1Jvec[/video]

Like I said, I'm really happy with my apache. Check out my journal a couple pages back, I just finished up my recent grow.

I also have been very interested in Lumigrow lately as they actually just came out with the pro series which are an improved version of the es330 you linked to. I'd definitely get the pro series over their older one.

puffenuff - Yea those guys are right by my area, i've seen that...so you have one yourself, i'll have to check that out! Surprised I missed a few back, been staring at this form for too long!

curley604 - Exactly, my thoughts as well, "claims" haha

Shitballz! Did I put this in the wrong thread?? Should this have been under the Companies thread??

I am going to get a dp90 (36x24x24) for bonsai moms would a 200w led be too much (it isn't dimmable)?

Also I can get the LED customized with whatever led's I want in there. What mix and what colors (kelvin and nm) should I go with just for mommies?

Savage
I have 3 of the black dog led panels and am very happy
as curly said customer service is important a d Corry will answer all questions
the lights kick ass and are reasonable priced
Good luck and happy growing

I have been using Apollo's that I mod once here. for the bud lights I choose a tight lenses because I am gonna put them on a light rail. Heavy on red I also tend to replace every few disks with one that has a white led with a 6500k. if they break I just fix them all the parts are cheap and most are made in america except the mounting. 1 large LED light can easily cover anything under the rail just as good as HPS. that's a spacedawg ran in coco heavy soil using our own compost and fed a nutrient tea. I also include an led on the edge of the UV in every disk because I think it helps with trichome density. The smaller Apollo is for veg and with more blue it comes off as a dark purple. Because of this I use a much higher driver to power the discs because the low end spectrum seems to draw more, the increased intensity is dispersed thru a wider angled lense the only other mod I am gonna do is put a white LED in a few spots so I can see the frikkin ground in the veg room. The plants do fine in what seems to me low light. However most of the light they are using is outta my field of vision thru a camera the veg light looks like a purple sun. one light on a 12ft rail does the whole veg room and is so intense we have to raise it about 2-3ft above most of the canopy. only disadvantage is sometimes an UV light with melt its optic lense off. has only happened to me once but daaaaaamn made me wanna be under that light alot less.
still runs about 75' degrees farehnhiet same as the larger ones. I have several HPS users drooling over my production. power bill is down and weed is up hell ya. as far as lumens needed I always figured if the light was being used more efficently I needed less of it to achieve the same results I am hoping with the addition of the white LEDs we will begin to see even more explosive growth. the only strange thing is sometimes upon removal from the bud room some plants begin to change colore as they enter the natural light.

hehehe ... i love my SG602. just chopped down another girl that turned out stellar. the plant I chopped a couple weeks ago produced @90 grams dried. never spent a dime on cooling this summer either, so I'm happy with the $$ I paid can't get rid of her .... she still has @46,000+ hours of life left (can you tell i don't miss my HID)

Thanks all for the response, I just had some electrical done today, getting lights soon..I'll will be sharing, might have to try my luck at those girl scout's...PERFECT!!!

Y'all seem like you're very familiar w/ many types of LEDs ... This weekend I'm helping a friend start a grow and he just purchased a no name LED (see link below) ... I use two Advanced LED lights, one the Extreme Flower120 and the other a DS100 for a 3'x2' space ... I'm very satisfied w/ the results of these lights for both veg and flower ... w/ these lights I start out about 30" above the seedlings and work my way down to about 18" ...

My question is ... How does one start a grow w/ an unknown LED ... Height above seedlings to start ? Height above mature plants ? The info that came w/ the light said 2-3" above mature plant canopy but I'm thinking that something was lost in the translation ... do LEDs ever get used that close ? The write up says it's got 3 watt LEDs so I find 2-3" really hard to believe ... I would appreciate any and all input ...


http://www.ebay.com/itm/200794760371?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

just my opinion and maybe a lil different 'cause I have a different panel config. my light is kept 6-10" from my tops. always start higher, rather then lower - not as easy to recover from a shocked plant trying to adjust .... or get a light meter to give you a closer idea as to the strength at certain distances and compare that to your own. different LEDs have different dispersion cones - 30degree - 180degree .... the tighter the cone, the deeper it can penetrate and push photons ... a wider cone spreads that out more, so not as much intensity. hard to say what most companies use as they don't tell you.

With the no-name brands it seems like most of those panels need to be relatively close to the canopy to promote growth, but if it's a true 3 watt you'll definitely want some space between the light and the canopy. I would do what eyecandi said, always start higher. I started my lamp(CLW) as high as 32" away to make sure the light wasn't too intense for the clones, and once they came out of a little shock I started inching the light down day by day until I noticed heat stress. Then I just raised an inch or so and left it (~19 inches in veg right now).

I have seen other growers use the same lamp as me within 8-10 inches and have very solid productivity, so I think it all depends on strain, temp, medium, etc. You're just gonna have to experiment with your light. Good luck.

i have a 125w procyon and i keep it bout anywhere 6-12 inches away..depending how the strain likes it..i would imagine more wattage/more distance.

Most LEDs have a 'sweet spot' , the distance where at least 75% of the colors mix ... I'll be growing auto Blue Mystic, a plant that I know from past experience will stay low and produce well w/ my leds.

Can anyone give me a review of the [h=1]500W LED Grow Light Lighthouse Hydro BlackStar 500 Watts Flowering?[/h]
I have one of them and I want to know what sort of results other people had with them.

I use the 240w blackstars (same LEDs just half as many) and am a fan. the main issue you'll have is finding the right distance for your plants. I only have blackstars in my veg room and did my last flower all blackstar (this time doing combo hps + blackstar) - i definitely did not have any issues with getting plants with big buds from them. If you've got it just start using it -- plenty of people here to help you if you have any issues.

Senseimilla said:

I use the 240w blackstars (same LEDs just half as many) and am a fan. the main issue you'll have is finding the right distance for your plants. I only have blackstars in my veg room and did my last flower all blackstar (this time doing combo hps + blackstar) - i definitely did not have any issues with getting plants with big buds from them. If you've got it just start using it -- plenty of people here to help you if you have any issues.

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Yeah I got it all set up now. Its about 10 inches away from my plant. She is about 2 weeks into flowering and just starting to show her first pistils.

I'm hoping I don't have to move the light up to much anymore cause I have a limited amount of room.

Yikes you are going to have problems when she stretches... 10 inches might work, might not... depends on the strain and growing conditions... but you're gonna need to move'em up as the plants stretch and put out more buds.