Why should I use LEDs...

Endur0xX · Nov 17, 2012

When I say they are not for everyone I dont mean that they don't deliver!! I meant something more like too expensive to purchase and risky to buy because they are so many out there...

Sorry for the peeps that follow my journal, I guess you dont need to look at them pics again!

just a collection of what's happening in my gardens recently ... I am very proud too so I like to show them off!! :eyesmoke:

oh yeah everything is 12/12 from seed too!!

View attachment 2414083

tenthirty · Nov 17, 2012

I'm not a led whore, I'm just a whore.

What leds bring to the table is better spectrum and less heat.
At a minimum, if you live in a desert climate, the savings in AC is more that enough to justify the higher price.
(I build my own fixtures at a cost of about $2.00 a watt.)
In my situation, 400 watts of led replaced 600 watts of hps with a net increase of dried weight of >30%.

Now for the bleeding edge of arc tube lamps.

Here is an excerpt from an email from Cycloptics.

8 All-Bright in 36 sq ft = 1,167 micromoles X .97 (95% Mylar vs. 98% WhiteOptics) = 1,130 micromoles X 25% the area (9 sq ft vs. 36 sq ft) = 2 All-Bright delivering average intensity of 1,130 micromoles at 32 below apertures of All-Bright luminaires. With the units 50% dimmable you can deliver between approximately 565 and 1,130 micromoles.

Lets do the math.
8 luminaires for 36 sq ft.
36/8=4.5 sq ft per 315 watts.

Each one of these is over $600.00 a pop.
Over a 3x3 table, you could use 2. Well I'm already using 600w of hps there. (no savings)
The bulbs do last longer and the spectrum should be sweet, but..........

The same 3x3 table can be covered with $600-$800 worth of leds and yield the same results, if not better.

Here is a study on the bulb.
http://www.cycloptics.com/sites/default/files/Utah State Elite Agro 315W Spectral Characterization Study.pdf

Hal Incandenza · Nov 17, 2012

Endur0xX said:
When I say they are not for everyone I dont mean that they don't deliver!! I meant something more like too expensive to purchase and risky to buy because they are so many out there...

Sorry for the peeps that follow my journal, I guess you dont need to look at them pics again!

just a collection of what's happening in my gardens recently ... I am very proud too so I like to show them off!!

oh yeah everything is 12/12 from seed too!!

View attachment 2414083 View attachment 2414084 View attachment 2414085 View attachment 2414086 View attachment 2414087 View attachment 2414088 View attachment 2414089 View attachment 2414090 View attachment 2414091 View attachment 2414092 View attachment 2414093 View attachment 2414094 View attachment 2414095 View attachment 2414096 View attachment 2414097 View attachment 2414098

Ok, not bad, not bad :blsmoke:

What brand/type of LEDs do you use?

stardustsailor · Nov 17, 2012

.... I am very proud too .....

And you should be proud...
Along with ,you make us proud too,all the rest,of the led -growers...

Beefbisquit · Nov 17, 2012

Here's some of my LED buds

Endur0xX · Nov 17, 2012

My main lights are FERO and AREA 51 ... and if you were to talk to the owner of AREA 51, (aka Eraserhead) he would even tell you what other brands he would consider buying from if he wasnt making his own lights. There are other good lights out there and there are also a group of maniacs assembling their own lights !! ^^^^^^^this guy... stardust)

I dont know all that much about the spectrums and lense angles and yadiyayaya ... Enough peoples with brains are doing the research now ( not that I dont have a brain!! ), and from the results I have been getting so far, I trust that they are doing a fine job :eyesmoke:

Beefbisquit · Nov 18, 2012

My main lights are also Area-51....

I rock a AF240 in my main tent, it does a smashing job! ( as you can see!)

Noahp123 · Nov 19, 2012

the only thing thats kept me from using LEDs is the price, less heat would be great and they look cool as hell. Can anybody point me to some 150w leds that cost less than 100 bucks?

LED noob - http://www.ebay.com/itm/E27-RED-BLUE-80-LEDs-3-8W-Hydroponic-Plant-Grow-Growth-Light-Bulb-220V-new-/251185272861?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a7bcf181d

Is that actually 304 watts for $11.99

I'm just looking to make a small setup for 1 short indica until spring.

Hal Incandenza · Nov 19, 2012

Noahp123 said:
the only thing thats kept me from using LEDs is the price, less heat would be great and they look cool as hell. Can anybody point me to some 150w leds that cost less than 100 bucks?

LED noob - http://www.ebay.com/itm/E27-RED-BLUE-80-LEDs-3-8W-Hydroponic-Plant-Grow-Growth-Light-Bulb-220V-new-/251185272861?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a7bcf181d

Is that actually 304 watts for $11.99

I'm just looking to make a small setup for 1 short indica until spring.

I would be very wary about buying your grow lights on eBay. Bear in mind that high-end LEDs have a higher lumen-to-watt ratio (~150L:1W) than any HID, but low end LEDs are much worse (~60L:1W).

Which is my main gripe. Crappy LEDs are cheap, but the LEDs worth growing with are still fairly pricey...

Chronikool · Nov 19, 2012

Noahp123 said:
the only thing thats kept me from using LEDs is the price, less heat would be great and they look cool as hell. Can anybody point me to some 150w leds that cost less than 100 bucks?

LED noob - http://www.ebay.com/itm/E27-RED-BLUE-80-LEDs-3-8W-Hydroponic-Plant-Grow-Growth-Light-Bulb-220V-new-/251185272861?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a7bcf181d

Is that actually 304 watts for $11.99

I'm just looking to make a small setup for 1 short indica until spring.

Nope thats 3.8w of absolute crap....Christmas is coming up...great for a tree topper... :-P

Beefbisquit · Nov 19, 2012

Noahp123 said:
the only thing thats kept me from using LEDs is the price, less heat would be great and they look cool as hell. Can anybody point me to some 150w leds that cost less than 100 bucks?

LED noob - http://www.ebay.com/itm/E27-RED-BLUE-80-LEDs-3-8W-Hydroponic-Plant-Grow-Growth-Light-Bulb-220V-new-/251185272861?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a7bcf181d

Is that actually 304 watts for $11.99

I'm just looking to make a small setup for 1 short indica until spring.

I wouldn't piss on it to put out a fire.

oceangreen · Nov 19, 2012

Hps does better in flowering Nuff said. No need for led rage heads to argue because they are obsessed with their colorful light. We are ere to get weight not look pretty

Endur0xX · Nov 19, 2012

oceangreen said:
Hps does better in flowering Nuff said. No need for led rage heads to argue because they are obsessed with their colorful light. We are ere to get weight not look pretty

why do you bother wasting your time here then? My colourful lights are giving much better results than my hps were...

GrowinTheDank · Nov 19, 2012

stardustsailor said:
-It seems that you never tried out some "led weed"...The quality is astonishing...Regarding potency,aroma and taste...This kind of quality ,only a HQI + MH combo of HID lights ,will probably be able to provide ..HPS will never reach that kind of quality...Never...-Soon,the quantity per watt ,is going to be surpassed ,by leds also....-Electricity bills ? There 're already ,plenty of led grow lights,outhere, that provide an efficiency ( grams / kWh ) ,that HPS growers can only dream of....-Plants do not spend their photosynthesis energy yields to protect themshelves from heat...-Better climate conditions ..Healthier plants...-Ever had a broken lamp ? Fond of house fires or Quicksilver (Mercury ) "treated" weed ? -Ever got shocked-electrocuted from Fe/Cu ballast ? ....(Makes nice dread-lockish hairstyle,though..After the short "low-flight" across the room )......-In fact ,HPS lamps are supplementary lighting to MH lamps .Check out what HPS/MH makers ,say about their lamps and growing plants......i.e. ....View attachment 2412617 View attachment 2412618....HPS ? Prehistoric....Lux Neardental....At 70's they had HQI....At 80's-90's had HPS/MH....Now,year is 2012 ....Technology moves fast forward ....Of course ,it's not obligatory to follow along ...To get on board...But,it's never too late...Adjust-a-wing can be recycled into a nice toy-airplane,with a bit of cutting & mending .... Or a nice home-made , light reflector for photography purposes....Furthermore...What leds have to offer to a grower (and to plants) comparing to HPS ? ......Let's just say ,that render HPS useless ...Along with any kind of reflector .............

HPS is not useless. HPS is better than LED at this point in time. I personally believe LED will take over the future of the light market, but at the moment HPS is still going strong and for good reason.

oceangreen · Nov 19, 2012

Endur0xX said:
why do you bother wasting your time here then? My colourful lights are giving much better results than my hps were...

Because for one. There are so many garbage led companies ripping people off. Number 2, Ive never seen a single led light yield over 1 pound a plant. I seen it with hps..

Depends on the hps bulb.. You have options with hps.. Please swap all your led with regulars ballast and use ushio optired bulbs.. You get an extra pound a harvest..

Why do I know because I've run 4000 watts of LEDs...only...

Those lights are collecting dust. Donet even use them as suppementary.

Endur0xX · Nov 19, 2012

too bad you got such bad results, what brand were they? sorry to hear you spent 8000$ on lights and that you are not using them now... why not reselling them on ebay?

how about 5.5 oz 12/12 from seed? and it's not like I was trying, it just happened, the plant was sharing the light with a bunch of other plants. I believe I posted a picture of her earlier in this thread...

oceangreen · Nov 19, 2012

They were from mike at GLH. What brand are you running. What's good out there anyways. If I went back I'd get the lumigrow pro.

Nice on the 5.5 oz.

Reselling. It's not about the money.. I like them collecting dust.

Beefbisquit · Nov 19, 2012

That sucks about your lights man...

My LED experience is spotted as well, but good companies do exist that provide great products at reasonable prices.

Some are shit, from what I've heard GLH included.

Check out Area 51 lighting.... check out Enduro's journal, or "The Dawg's" journal, or mine for that matter... lol

Bottom line, if you can sift through the bullshit there are good companies out there that provide high quality, industry leading lights that, as proven, out perform HPS in many scenarios. Not many 1000W HPS get 1000g, or 2000g even, I've seen journals that had even higher gpw ratios with LED.

Endur0xX · Nov 19, 2012

I have 2 90watts UFO from ebay collecting dust as well :eyesmoke:

they were the first LEDs that I bought and I dont know why I kept buying them but I am glad I did :eyesmoke:

I understand where you are coming from... At least if you put in enough watts with HPS you know what you are gonna get... loads of sticky stinky hard nugs... I like my LEDs!

My main lights now are FERO and AREA 51 ... you can see my journal in my signature ... I basically started the journal when I bought my first big fixture about 6 months ago, and I have been growing 12/12 from seed since then so there is a lot to see in my journal ... earlier in the journal I was at work a lot so my woman was taking care of my plants ... then around August-September it got better :eyesmoke:

oceangreen · Nov 19, 2012

Yes in the future might switch back, but I either do 4k watts of led or nothing

Why should I use LEDs...

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