# Help Making the Right Choice



## Dogweed (Jan 6, 2018)

Hello everyone, I decided I want to lose the HPS and go all LED to try and cut down on heat. But Im finding it hard to choose a led light to go with. I want to max out my tent for light but Im not sure how high I can go with the watts before I run into heat issues again. Or what brands hit the right spectrum?  I think I want one with uv and IR included but some of the highly recommended lights dont seem to have them or Im missing it.  Then there is the question do I do a single power house or multiple smaller lights? I know the coverage would be better with multiples but do I get the same light penetration with more lesser watt LEDs? And would 2 lights of 300w put out more heat than 1 600w?  
So what I have currently is a 39x39x70" tent with a 600w HPS closed hood and find it tough to keep the temps down below 80* at times.
I've been looking at Mars-hydro, PlatinumLED, Viparspecra, BlackDog, KindLED, and fluence. But the Spydr lights are too big for my tent. 
So far Im leaning towards 2, Mars ProII epistar160s or Cree128s.  Would it be worth it for the Cree128 or would the Epistar160 give me better wall to wall coverage? 
My 2nd choice is the PlatinumLED but my question is, are they worth the price? for these guys I was looking at either 2 p450s or 1 p9-xml2.   

Any advice or input or experience would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you.


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## Locked (Jan 6, 2018)

I have one of these and will be getting a 2nd since the price has come down.

King Plus 1200w LED Grow Light Double Chips Full Spectrum with UV and IR .
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01JLKUA2W/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20


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## Dogweed (Jan 8, 2018)

What kind of results do you get with the King Plus? The thing that turns me off by lights like them are when they advertise 1200w but its really a 230w draw.  I get why they do it but it makes me question everything else they say too. 

A friend of mine just pointed me at Perfect Sun LED's, particularly the perfect sun cob.  Does anyone have any experience with these lights?  they look good and sound good but again, are they?


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## umbra (Jan 8, 2018)

I have the spydrx in my tent. I replaced 2 1000w MH and it performs better than they did with no heat and 330w instead of 2000w. Lights were so bright I started to bleach the plants.


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## Dogweed (Jan 8, 2018)

umbra said:


> I have the spydrx in my tent. I replaced 2 1000w MH and it performs better than they did with no heat and 330w instead of 2000w. Lights were so bright I started to bleach the plants.



Before I posted this thread, I was hovering over the buy button on the spydr but decided to check its dimensions. And unfortunately its just a bit too big for my tent and I don't have the space to get a bigger one. Otherwise a new tent would have been in the shopping cart as well.  I really like the coverage it gets.


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## umbra (Jan 8, 2018)

I turned it sideways. 1 dimension is 48" the other 42". When I turned it, fit like a glove.


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## Locked (Jan 8, 2018)

Dogweed said:


> What kind of results do you get with the King Plus? The thing that turns me off by lights like they are when they advertise 1200w but its really a 230w draw.  I get why they do it but it makes me question everything else they say too.
> 
> A friend of mine just pointed me at Perfect Sun LED's, particularly the perfect sun cob.  Does anyone have any experience with these lights?  they look good and sound good but again, are they?



I have had nothing but good results since leaving HID lighting and going to all LED a couple years ago. The King is great and for the price you can hang 2 of them in a 4x4 Flower Tent and they will kill it. I would venture to say that they would outperform 2 600's with less wattage drawn and way less heat. Not to mention there is something about LED Grown nugs that has to be seen to be appreciated. Plants seem to love the spectrum. Not to mention you get the outside spectrum lighting as well with no special bulbs or added lighting.


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## Hackerman (Jan 8, 2018)

I am looking at converting from 1000w HPS to LED so I am watching this thread.

However, one recommendation is $135.00 and the other is $1350.00.

There must be quite a difference. What is it?


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## umbra (Jan 9, 2018)

Mine was $900


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## Locked (Jan 9, 2018)

Hackerman said:


> I am looking at converting from 1000w HPS to LED so I am watching this thread.
> 
> However, one recommendation is $135.00 and the other is $1350.00.
> 
> There must be quite a difference. What is it?



I think most of it comes down to 2 things.

Budget and why you are growing.

Of course, the high end LED Lights are better than the low end. 

No low-end light could compete with a Spydrx light. That being said most of us really can't afford to pour that kind of money into lighting.
Anyone just starting out or looking to try LED Lighting can luckily find go lights that are budget friendly. 
I only have a 4x4 flower tent and I can produce decent amounts of great bud with the low-end budget LED lights.  
I think anyone with the money to get a high-end LED Light who hasn't already given LED a try can also afford to try a budget light first. Just do your research and go by word of mouth from trusted sources. 

Just my 2 cents.


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## 2RedEyes (Jan 9, 2018)

No idea how these would compare to the spydr but they are configurable to different space requirements and they are doing a decent job for me. Pretty easy to put together a system and doesn&#8217;t break the bank either.
https://solstrip.com
Here&#8217;s mine for a very small space. 

View attachment 587EB772-B8F2-4BB5-BBB0-CBA0A8F7C3D2.jpeg


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## umbra (Jan 9, 2018)

You could build something for sure. Red's Samsung 561c led build or even BBP's cob builds are very user friendly. Both of these builds yield great lights.


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## umbra (Jan 9, 2018)

my setup 

View attachment tent w spydr.jpg


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## Hackerman (Jan 9, 2018)

Hamster Lewis said:


> Of course, the high end LED Lights are better than the low end.




Why?

What makes the high end better? 

@redeyes... I have been watching your build with interest.


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## Locked (Jan 9, 2018)

Hackerman said:


> Why?
> 
> What makes the high end better?
> 
> @redeyes... I have been watching your build with interest.



I would guess better build quality and materials. Better light penetration perhaps as well. All I do know is I have been using the lower end budget LED Lights and they have worked well. I have 2 units I use now. A Mars and a King.
Will be getting another King this week and I will run all 3 of the units I have in the 4x4 tent. I should be able to run 9 plants in there instead of the 4-5 I have been running.  I think power wise I will still be using less juice than when I had a 600 and 400 HPS going in there.


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## Locked (Jan 9, 2018)

I just purchased the next model up of the King. 1500W that draws 260W. 
165 US with Free 2 day shipping. 150 10W chips on it.


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## Dogweed (Jan 9, 2018)

Hamster Lewis said:


> Will be getting another King this week and I will run all 3 of the units I have in the 4x4 tent. I should be able to run 9 plants in there instead of the 4-5 I have been running.  I think power wise I will still be using less juice than when I had a 600 and 400 HPS going in there.



What kind of heat do they put off? Id be curious if it starts to get warm with all 3 going at once.  
I have 2 old mars 300's for veg and they dont put off much heat if anything really but when I use both at once the tent tends to warm up. Nothing concerning but I do notice more warmth with more units.
Which brings up another question,  Does running multiple smaller units produce more heat than a single unit that uses the same power as the smaller ones combined?   I know the coverage would be better but that's not a huge concern for me in a 3x3.


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## Locked (Jan 9, 2018)

Dogweed said:


> What kind of heat do they put off? Id be curious if it starts to get warm with all 3 going at once.
> I have 2 old mars 300's for veg and they dont put off much heat if anything really but when I use both at once the tent tends to warm up. Nothing concerning but I do notice more warmth with more units.
> Which brings up another question,  Does running multiple smaller units produce more heat than a single unit that uses the same power as the smaller ones combined?   I know the coverage would be better but that's not a huge concern for me in a 3x3.



Funny you should ask. Somebody on another forum asked me the same thing so I waited till lights on, let them go for 45 minutes and then went in and took temperature readings with a Temp Gun.

100f on the side of the unit. 97f on top and 106f at the bulbs.
Yes as with anything that produces heat the more you add the hotter the tent gets. If you have adequate ventilation you will not have a problem. Obviously, if you are in a hotter climate you will have problems. That is why I take the Mid Spring and Summer off. Not worth it. I can crank out enough bud to last the wife and I for at least 2 years in one grow period.


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## Hackerman (Jan 9, 2018)

@umbra. why isn't your setup all purple like the other LED setups I have seen? Could be just the way you took the pic but every LED pic I see is real purple.

I actually like some heat from my light. I like it to be about 10 degrees warmer during lights on than during the dark period. Hopefully, the LED light will do that.

I remember a lot of the early LED setups had problems with individual 'bulbs' burning out. Is that still a problem?

Thanks again for the guidance.


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## umbra (Jan 10, 2018)

Hackerman said:


> @umbra. why isn't your setup all purple like the other LED setups I have seen? Could be just the way you took the pic but every LED pic I see is real purple.
> 
> I actually like some heat from my light. I like it to be about 10 degrees warmer during lights on than during the dark period. Hopefully, the LED light will do that.
> 
> ...



There are some red and some blue leds but most are white. It is 1 of their differences. Why,  I can only guess it's about the spectrum and PAR values.


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## Hackerman (Jan 10, 2018)

I think you're right with the PAR values. Not sure about the spectrum. I am just starting to read up and I am seeing posts about the white being PAR superior to (what they seem to call) blurple LED. LMAO

So, it looks like that may be the way to go. Also, I'm not sure what they mean by COB LED's. More reading to do. LOL


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## Locked (Jan 10, 2018)

http://www.cob-led.com/What-is-cob-LED-chips-on-board.html


COB. Chips On Board.


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## umbra (Jan 10, 2018)

They use several led on a single chip. Some have lens or optics.


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## Dogweed (Jan 10, 2018)

Correct me if I'm wrong but some COB are capable of full spectrum?


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## umbra (Jan 10, 2018)

Yes.


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## Hackerman (Jan 11, 2018)

Are all COB's white (or mostly)?


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## umbra (Jan 11, 2018)

No


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## Hackerman (Jan 11, 2018)

What's my line. LMAO

Do the LED's really use less electricity?

We went with smart meters a couple years back and now I am getting letters from the electric company telling me that I am using 2x more electricity than all my neighbors.

Freaks me out. LOL So, a reduction in electricity usage would be a plus for me.


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## umbra (Jan 11, 2018)

Yes they use less electricity


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## Dogweed (Jan 13, 2018)

Chiro said:


> PlatinumLED is the best for sure)))



They are priced like they could be, I was eyeing them for a while. 
Do you use them? If you do, what kind of results do you get in what kind of setup?


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## Locked (Jan 13, 2018)

So I got my 1500W King LED Thursday and just had a chance to plug it in and check what kind of Voltage it actually draws.  Hooked it up to the voltage meter and it pulls 297 watts. So 37 more watts then advertised. Bright as helll. It will get hung in the Flower Tent tonight. At that time I will test the Mars unit I have in there and see what it draws.


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## Hackerman (Jan 13, 2018)

Hamster... what kind of meter are you using to measure the draw?


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## Locked (Jan 13, 2018)

Hackerman said:


> Hamster... what kind of meter are you using to measure the draw?



Kill A Watt P3.

The Mars light clocked in at about 10 watts lower but the King 1500 is way brighter. 

View attachment Image_A.jpg


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## Locked (Jan 13, 2018)

Here is a pic of one of the buds the King 1200 grew. Just pulled this lady tonight. Fat heavy buds. 

View attachment 20180113_232142.jpg


View attachment 20180113_232210.jpg


View attachment 20180113_232220.jpg


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## Dogweed (Jan 14, 2018)

Now that's evidence that's hard to argue with.  Those look great!


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## ArtVandolay (Jan 16, 2018)

Hamster Lewis said:


> I have had nothing but good results since leaving HID lighting and going to all LED a couple years ago. The King is great and for the price you can hang 2 of them in a 4x4 Flower Tent and they will kill it. I would venture to say that they would outperform 2 600's with less wattage drawn and way less heat. Not to mention there is something about LED Grown nugs that has to be seen to be appreciated. Plants seem to love the spectrum. Not to mention you get the outside spectrum lighting as well with no special bulbs or added lighting.



Nice find, Hammy!! Mine arrived yesterday and I have it up and running. It's the answer to all my problems - tropical heat, need for serious ventilation to feed the S&P inline cooling fan, it's compact, no need for cool tube, low energy usage... Ima buy another for the veg tent.

400 watt HPS, ballast, noisy S&P fan and cool tube free to a good home :clap::headbang2::smoke1:

You da man, Hammy. Over!


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## Locked (Jan 16, 2018)

ArtVandolay said:


> Nice find, Hammy!! Mine arrived yesterday and I have it up and running. It's the answer to all my problems - tropical heat, need for serious ventilation to feed the S&P inline cooling fan, it's compact, no need for cool tube, low energy usage... Ima buy another for the veg tent.
> 
> 400 watt HPS, ballast, noisy S&P fan and cool tube free to a good home :clap::headbang2::smoke1:
> 
> You da man, Hammy. Over!



Awesome Art. Glad you like it. Green Mojo.


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