AquariusPanta
Well-Known Member
Hello Everyone
This is my first thread that I've posted on Rollitup and it feels like something that I can get down to occasionally.
So I think it's safe to say that LED's are like the hybrids of grow lighting. They have been noted as supposedly being more power efficient and greener then their predecessors but are still working on some kinks such as penetration. Every inch filled on those branches counts.
If you've ever found yourself researching LED's, then you've probably encountered the endless amounts of products found in the market. Most are foreign because, lets face it, anything and everything plastic comes from China. You have your cheap knockoff brands that copy the image of the prominent brands and instead use cheap parts, leaving you scratching your head while wondering why your plant caught on fire. Then there are the prominent LED companies that tout the priciest LED chips and hardware, asking you for in exchange a considerable amount of compensation for their high-powered products.
Somewhere in middle of all these choices, I found myself considering LightHouse's Blackstar LED unit. I was skeptical about buying any grow lights, let alone LED's. After trying and returning a T8, I eventually made up my mind and bought an original Blackstar 240 Watt HO (Veg) unit from Gothamhydroponics.com back a few years ago. I thought it was pretty darn bright at the time. The light performed better than the T8 undoubtedly as the plants didn't stretch as much. Soon after I quickly found myself in search of another light for more watts and for flowering. At this point in time I had the phone number for one of the head executives at Lighthouse and was lucky enough to get his scoop on the upcoming models that were about to be launched. He offered me the choice of trying out the unreleased Chrome 6 (~270 watts) model. I took the offer. God that thing was so bright I had to put on two pairs of sunglasses just to keep my eyes from burning through my skull. Ok maybe not 2x pairs but you get the gist of how bright the Chrome series was/is. The results from the Chrome were phenomenal and I later bought another Chrome model, the 8 (~360 watts, currently discontinued). I was overpowered with LED's at this point. The results, after learning the basics of growing, really made the investment and time worth it all. I eventually sold the lights after using as I had to focus on my academics at college. I made like 80% back of my initial investment for those wondering.
I recently decided that I was ready again to start up one of my favorite hobbies. I checked out Gotham's website and noticed they had some new models, like the Blackstar V2 and Ion-8. The Ion is really expensive, as it provides 6watt colored and 10watt 12,000kelvin chips. I'm assuming they were going for even deeper penetration with that model. Being as I just graduated from college, I don't have a bunch of money laying around so I decided that I'd try out the Blackstar V2 240 Watt, as it's reasonably priced (~$270). I had the option between the Vegetation model or the Full-Spectrum (Flower+Vegetation). The website claims both are 6-band, meaning they have 6x different operating LED chips but I think they are intentionally false-adverising or just don't know anything about the main things they sell: LED lights. The reason I say this is that if you look at their pictures they provide, you can only count either 3x LED colors on the HO (High-Output) Vegetation model or 4x LED colors on the UV Full-Spectrum model. I can verify this because the first Blackstar I ever bought had the UVA 385 nm chip in middle, which can be clearly seen on their website. As for the infrared 730 nm chip they claim to include, I can't find it. It should be hidden to the average eye but if you count the LED's on the product, you can only add up to what you see and it comes out to the total LED's that they advertise. To some of you this may not be of concern but for those who take their business seriously, heres to you.
Anyways....
Cons before Pros: It's really a 4-band LED system, only giving the user white 12k, 630 nm, 660 nm, and 425 nm LEDs.
Pros: The LEDs work and the unit doesn't sound too loud. The 3x fans do run though so expect some noise from them. The brightness is a factor (higher penetration I'm guessing) so stock up on sunglasses for you and your pals. Combining attributes from the original Blackstar and the Chrome models, this V2 looks slick. Gives off a nice purple/pink look.
Overall: Depending on how the performance turns out, which hasn't been an issue in the past with the LightHouse brand, this small investment should later on be considered a marginal benefit in capital.
Additionally, it may be beneficial for me to later invest into the 240watt Blackstar 3-Band HO unit on the basis that the addition of 3watt 12,000kelvin LED chips (like over 50 of them) would help spread out the available light spectrum for my honeys. I've heard that 12,000kelvin chips sort of offer wavelengths between ~ 480nm - 615nm, which would help offer some late blues and early oranges, as well as the non-essential yellows and greens. What do you guys think of all of this? Am I on to something?
Sort of a long start to a forum but hopefully my experience with LED's helps others when buying LED's of their own.
This is my first thread that I've posted on Rollitup and it feels like something that I can get down to occasionally.
So I think it's safe to say that LED's are like the hybrids of grow lighting. They have been noted as supposedly being more power efficient and greener then their predecessors but are still working on some kinks such as penetration. Every inch filled on those branches counts.
If you've ever found yourself researching LED's, then you've probably encountered the endless amounts of products found in the market. Most are foreign because, lets face it, anything and everything plastic comes from China. You have your cheap knockoff brands that copy the image of the prominent brands and instead use cheap parts, leaving you scratching your head while wondering why your plant caught on fire. Then there are the prominent LED companies that tout the priciest LED chips and hardware, asking you for in exchange a considerable amount of compensation for their high-powered products.
Somewhere in middle of all these choices, I found myself considering LightHouse's Blackstar LED unit. I was skeptical about buying any grow lights, let alone LED's. After trying and returning a T8, I eventually made up my mind and bought an original Blackstar 240 Watt HO (Veg) unit from Gothamhydroponics.com back a few years ago. I thought it was pretty darn bright at the time. The light performed better than the T8 undoubtedly as the plants didn't stretch as much. Soon after I quickly found myself in search of another light for more watts and for flowering. At this point in time I had the phone number for one of the head executives at Lighthouse and was lucky enough to get his scoop on the upcoming models that were about to be launched. He offered me the choice of trying out the unreleased Chrome 6 (~270 watts) model. I took the offer. God that thing was so bright I had to put on two pairs of sunglasses just to keep my eyes from burning through my skull. Ok maybe not 2x pairs but you get the gist of how bright the Chrome series was/is. The results from the Chrome were phenomenal and I later bought another Chrome model, the 8 (~360 watts, currently discontinued). I was overpowered with LED's at this point. The results, after learning the basics of growing, really made the investment and time worth it all. I eventually sold the lights after using as I had to focus on my academics at college. I made like 80% back of my initial investment for those wondering.
I recently decided that I was ready again to start up one of my favorite hobbies. I checked out Gotham's website and noticed they had some new models, like the Blackstar V2 and Ion-8. The Ion is really expensive, as it provides 6watt colored and 10watt 12,000kelvin chips. I'm assuming they were going for even deeper penetration with that model. Being as I just graduated from college, I don't have a bunch of money laying around so I decided that I'd try out the Blackstar V2 240 Watt, as it's reasonably priced (~$270). I had the option between the Vegetation model or the Full-Spectrum (Flower+Vegetation). The website claims both are 6-band, meaning they have 6x different operating LED chips but I think they are intentionally false-adverising or just don't know anything about the main things they sell: LED lights. The reason I say this is that if you look at their pictures they provide, you can only count either 3x LED colors on the HO (High-Output) Vegetation model or 4x LED colors on the UV Full-Spectrum model. I can verify this because the first Blackstar I ever bought had the UVA 385 nm chip in middle, which can be clearly seen on their website. As for the infrared 730 nm chip they claim to include, I can't find it. It should be hidden to the average eye but if you count the LED's on the product, you can only add up to what you see and it comes out to the total LED's that they advertise. To some of you this may not be of concern but for those who take their business seriously, heres to you.
Anyways....
Cons before Pros: It's really a 4-band LED system, only giving the user white 12k, 630 nm, 660 nm, and 425 nm LEDs.
Pros: The LEDs work and the unit doesn't sound too loud. The 3x fans do run though so expect some noise from them. The brightness is a factor (higher penetration I'm guessing) so stock up on sunglasses for you and your pals. Combining attributes from the original Blackstar and the Chrome models, this V2 looks slick. Gives off a nice purple/pink look.
Overall: Depending on how the performance turns out, which hasn't been an issue in the past with the LightHouse brand, this small investment should later on be considered a marginal benefit in capital.
Additionally, it may be beneficial for me to later invest into the 240watt Blackstar 3-Band HO unit on the basis that the addition of 3watt 12,000kelvin LED chips (like over 50 of them) would help spread out the available light spectrum for my honeys. I've heard that 12,000kelvin chips sort of offer wavelengths between ~ 480nm - 615nm, which would help offer some late blues and early oranges, as well as the non-essential yellows and greens. What do you guys think of all of this? Am I on to something?
Sort of a long start to a forum but hopefully my experience with LED's helps others when buying LED's of their own.
and it will probably yield 6-8 oz. If going for a blackstar I would recommend the ion 8 if you can afford it for just 1 plant. You will get amazing buds but the coverage isn't great. Quality > Quantity for me.