tstick
Well-Known Member
Seems to be two schools of thought out there at the moment.
A: You buy a budget-priced Chinese knockoff light and dispose of it in a couple years. Buy another new budget light when the old one becomes outdated.
B: You spend a high amount of money for the "best" light with the highest efficiency, etc. and hope that it doesn't get outmoded in a year or two.
In practical experience, almost any strong light source will successfully grow marijuana...doesn't matter to the plants how efficient it is. Plants just want photons. Almost any kind of light will do. The whole efficiency thing seems to be relevant only to light designers and also to very large grow ops who are burning tons of electricity. But for most of us, we might commit to 15 or 20 weeks out of each year for our gardening hobby. Is the most efficient light going to make a big difference to the small time guys? I'm not sure. In my state, electricity is fairly cheap so super efficient lights aren't a big necessity. In other areas, it might be different. But hey, I like cool lights as much as the next grower....
The pricing on the new ChilLED fixtures is kinda what motivated this thread. They're at (or near) the top of the efficiency game and their prices reflect it (pun intended). Sure, I want one...in the same way I used to want an Apache Tech light back in 2012. I want to be the kid with the cool new Stingray bike, too! (By the way, Apache Techs are still available and for the same high prices -but the technology hasn't changed.) In a way, I respect that because it means that if you commit to an Apache Tech light, today, then in 5 or 10 years of having them dialed into your system, you can always get another one when (and IF) you need. They haven't seen the need to update anything in terms of their lights -or their terrible website!
I guess they believe in their product enough to not evolve it. But, other than them, almost every light design that was out 5 years ago has completely evolved. It used to be Cree COBs and then that switched to quantum boards and Samsung chips....If I had to guess, I'd say that boards are here to stay for awhile...but the chips and spectral options will continue to get better and better.
So, which school of thought do you subscribe to? Commit to today's best lights? Or just keep upgrading every year or two?
A: You buy a budget-priced Chinese knockoff light and dispose of it in a couple years. Buy another new budget light when the old one becomes outdated.
B: You spend a high amount of money for the "best" light with the highest efficiency, etc. and hope that it doesn't get outmoded in a year or two.
In practical experience, almost any strong light source will successfully grow marijuana...doesn't matter to the plants how efficient it is. Plants just want photons. Almost any kind of light will do. The whole efficiency thing seems to be relevant only to light designers and also to very large grow ops who are burning tons of electricity. But for most of us, we might commit to 15 or 20 weeks out of each year for our gardening hobby. Is the most efficient light going to make a big difference to the small time guys? I'm not sure. In my state, electricity is fairly cheap so super efficient lights aren't a big necessity. In other areas, it might be different. But hey, I like cool lights as much as the next grower....
The pricing on the new ChilLED fixtures is kinda what motivated this thread. They're at (or near) the top of the efficiency game and their prices reflect it (pun intended). Sure, I want one...in the same way I used to want an Apache Tech light back in 2012. I want to be the kid with the cool new Stingray bike, too! (By the way, Apache Techs are still available and for the same high prices -but the technology hasn't changed.) In a way, I respect that because it means that if you commit to an Apache Tech light, today, then in 5 or 10 years of having them dialed into your system, you can always get another one when (and IF) you need. They haven't seen the need to update anything in terms of their lights -or their terrible website!
I guess they believe in their product enough to not evolve it. But, other than them, almost every light design that was out 5 years ago has completely evolved. It used to be Cree COBs and then that switched to quantum boards and Samsung chips....If I had to guess, I'd say that boards are here to stay for awhile...but the chips and spectral options will continue to get better and better.So, which school of thought do you subscribe to? Commit to today's best lights? Or just keep upgrading every year or two?
