They were leading efficiency at one time now not so much. But yeah i guess you are paying more for binning. Then you have to fight everyone for top bins. But really thats the only extra thing they do that other companies don't. Smart i guess sell the worst chips @ a price they all should be sold at then the ones that are better they sell for more. Switched to Vero a few years ago and they grow just as good as my Crees.
My experience with far red is it does in fact speed up flowering. Especially if your running 80Cri cobs. 90cri cobs seem to have some far red in them to get shorter flowering periods. It is a proven effect though. Without that far red when the lights go out it takes quite a few hours before the plant goes into flowering hormone production. If it gets that far red when lights go out , the plant starts making flowering hormones right away. It will stretch the plants out though one of the reasons people report stretchier growth with 90cri cobs.