would this be a mistake?

Xsan

Well-Known Member
Howdy experts i am getting ready to upgrade my light and have been doing the debate between the hlg 600 on sale right now, the meijiu a8 for better spread, or 2 320 meijiu boards. I was sold on the a8 until i realized it was a 600 watt driver being advertised as a 650 light. Then i started thinking, what if i ran two 320 drivers to make it a solid 640. I asked Mandy at meijiu if they would sell me a8 with that setup and she agreed. What do you all think I should do? a8 as is with 600h driver, a8 with 2 320 drivers, or sacrifice watts and go with the HLG 600r.

I know alot of you will say HLG or else but there are plenty of people running meijius without issue so I cant write them off as a garbage company simply because they are not HLG
 
Last edited:

GBAUTO

Well-Known Member
Assuming they're using the same diodes, I think any real difference is going to be from their form factor.
Panels need to be separated to get uniform coverage, that's the primary advantage of the bar style.
I"ve used a Meiju QB clone in my 4x4 pheno tent for about a year now with zero issues.
 

Xsan

Well-Known Member
Yeah i like the coverage aspect of the bars and also being able to shorten the canopy gap a little as I am in a short tent. I am pretty sure I read a post by @Rocket Soul about it not being a good idea to run two smaller drivers because of the initial load when they turn on or something along those lines but I am not sure where. I am also not entirely sure how I would connect two drivers to the plugs on the a8 as it seems to be set up for a single driver. I do like the idea of having 640 rated watts vs 600 and also if one of them were to fail, i would still have some light and not be completely s.o.l. was my logic behind wanting to do it, just not sure that my logic is sound and hoping some of the experts will know. As far as I know they would all be the same diodes, meijiue ill swing for the 301h just because I am already skimping by going alibaba but the hlgs i believe run either bs or hs. From what I am reading it wont make a difference between b and h for my growing skill level. Maybe the super ultra master growers can tell but i am far from there
 

PadawanWarrior

Well-Known Member
Hey @PadawanWarrior you got any input? I know you like HLG but you aren't completely against meijiu either.
I would pick the HLG 600 for $721 in a heartbeat over the Alibaba, but that's just me.

I can't wait to see @Doug Dawson 's next grow. Especially since he added the UV bar too. Lucky sucker. What would've been even better is if he did a run before he added the UV so we can see how much of a difference it makes. But I already know what's gonna win, so I wouldn't be able to help myself but to run it from the beginning. But I like frosty nugs, lol.
 

HydroKid239

Well-Known Member
I would pick the HLG 600 for $721 in a heartbeat over the Alibaba, but that's just me.

I can't wait to see @Doug Dawson 's next grow. Especially since he added the UV bar too. Lucky sucker. What would've been even better is if he did a run before he added the UV so we can see how much of a difference it makes. But I already know what's gonna win, so I wouldn't be able to help myself but to run it from the beginning. But I like frosty nugs, lol.
It is on sale now. I forgot.
 

Xsan

Well-Known Member
Yeah they extened it until tomorrow. It certainly makes it tempting. Just not sure the name is worth sacrificing 40 watts and doing a board style vs bar for a tent setup. Not saying it isn't, just cant decide lol.
 

ilovereggae

Well-Known Member
edit - riu10 works too!

20201105_232103.jpg


edit again. I didnt realize he was looking the 600R lamp and not the DIY kit. never mind lol
 
Last edited:

Xsan

Well-Known Member
No, I'm saying the best judge needs to be you. You don't know how high we really are, lol.

if im the best judge im in deep shit lol. im completely new to decent lights, im currently running less than 500 watts of blurble in my 4x4 so anything i listed should be a significant improvement from what I am gathering but other than that I have no first hand experience with any qb style light
 

Xsan

Well-Known Member
Most drivers pump out more then they actually say. No regular QB can or would stand up to bar lights. I run a F10 and A8 and both shit on crammed QB setups.

I have read that a few times as well. In one of the other threads about this light I beleive @NukaKola explained that it pulls 650 at the wall but due to driver loss it becomes 600 at the canopy if I understood it correctly.

Too bad I cant go to the lgs and put my hands on both, it would make this decision a lot easier
 
Last edited:

PadawanWarrior

Well-Known Member
edit - riu10 works too!

View attachment 4735133


edit again. I didnt realize he was looking the 600R lamp and not the DIY kit. never mind lol
if im the best judge im in deep shit lol. im completely new to decent lights, im currently running less than 500 watts of blurble in my 4x4 so anything i listed should be a significant improvement from what I am gathering but other than that I have no first hand experience with any qb style light
This is what I'm talking about.
 
Top