Are you going LED because it’s cheaper to run? Just curious.
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Fire suppression is not ridiculous. It’s probably worth it just for your peace of mind. However, buying a POS that you worry about catching fire, is.
Those lights are junk.
If budget is a major concern you might be better off with a small HID. The mars TS or SP is good advice. As is building your own.
It depends on your goals really. How much do you want/expect to crop?
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Use those fire balls, but not that brand. AFO is a rip off brand.
They intentionally made balls that look like AFG which is the original brand used by some fire depts.
Auto fire guard is the brand to get IMO, watch a few videos on YouTube, the AFO never works as well if at all.
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Yes mostly cause it’s cheaper and it’s new technology which atttacts me to it for some unknown reason.
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Budget isn’t a major concern but i am trying to do this on a budget if possible, its not those lights in general it’s just any light whether it be HID or even a $500 LED i just have a fire paranoia mostly cause of all the scare crap associated with cannabis like it will mold your house or it will burn your house etc…
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well consider depending on how the new units are built, they are far from hps and shattered bulbs of old. Like my diy lights temp barely gets above 35ish degrees C, unless i start overdriving them and even still.
So what size tent are you thinking of starting with ?
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If your have safety concerns which you should being a responsible person, I would recommend sticking with a higher end brand that is known to be used commercialy. Aside from building your own which alot of people choose to do, I would look at brands that are based in your country as it makes returns and maintance faster and easier if ever need be. I like California light works , and a few other us based brands but the prices are high, prob higher then they need to be. There is alot of discussion here on the site which is very helpfull, and a member here even offers his own pre built and do it your self options under the brand solstrips. The nice thing about solstrips is you get alot of bang for your buck and are able to communicate directly with the source here on the site. Customer service means alot to me as it has become a undervalued lost art, I myself will prob go with solstrips if I can ever afford to upgrade my old digital mh/hps set up.
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I am gonna order the vivosun 24"×48"×60" tent.
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I’m definitely not looking for DIY right now but definitely something that interests me in the future… I notice some of the grow shops locally sell mars hydo but the price tag is alot higher than the mars hydro on Amazon… my biggest thing is safety. I have a friend that uses lights from wish.com without issue and he’s telling me just order whatever… Honestly this is the only thing stopping me from making my order i need to find a affordable but safe light…
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you’ll be looking at the SP-250 or TSL2000 for marshydro, or spiderfarmer SF-2000 if going those brands…
@TrevorLahey has a sp-250 but hasn’t done a full grow on it but can comment about heat on it
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Watch out for Mars hydro from anywhere but their site… they have sneaky warranty rules
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I have a blurple led it runs good im just getting sick of the color it drives me crazy sometimes. I will be switching to the Marshydro ts1000 which will fit my grow tent perfect just waiting on some funds. I also have a 24x48x60 tent not be used at the moment if I was growing in that I would go with the marshydro ts2000 as someone stated above just do your research happy growing 
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Been still doing alot of research and even been into a few shops that are local to me and something I’ve noticed that i can’t find a answer to is how come some LED lights have ventilation fans and others don’t? I looked at some yesterday at a local nursery that were branded “mars hydro” with a $500 price tag that had no fans at all… i asked the person working why and he had no idea… Does anyone know why and is one better than the other? I tend to over think things and i apologize for that… My buddy tells me anyone else would have everything set up and seeds popped already and here i am still researching and being a nutcase😜
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Mars hydro I’d avoid. $500 seems really expensive. They are a sponsor here on OG and in my own honest opinion I’d rather burn that money instead of giving it to Mars hydro.
The lights themselves work fine but any problems with diodes burning out etc within the warranty period you will struggle to get them to honour it.
Some lights use passive cooling using large heat sinks to help spread and dissipate the heat. These lights are quieter for stealth
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Interesting… This is where I’m stuck cause i hear that from many people about all different brands then I also hear complete opposite from others which make it hard because i have to make the right choice the 1st time because there is no upgrade in the budget anytime soon.
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It all depends on your budget. If you want a pre built light or if your willing to put one together diy.
Have a word to @Baudelaire about his solstrip solsheet lights. They are basically diy builds but pre built for you and easily upgradeable in the future if need be
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I was thinking about that… my plan is to order something ready to go out of the box and after abit when i have the money for a upgrade i wouldn’t mind getting into some DIY led lighting
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Solstrips would work perfect then. It’s what I run personally and hit the 1gpw watt most grows.
@Baudelaire is a member here. It has to be worth a PM for a better explanation on what these can do and how easily they can be upgraded
OG did an evaluation of the Mars SP-250 over here:
Not knowing the model number, a $500 price tag per unit sounds like a considerable mark-up. If you consider them, order direct. Experience has been that they ship fast.
They do have a somewhat checkered past based on their last generation models. Time will tell with their newer models. The SP-250 appears to be a decent fixture for a small space. Multiples would be even better.
Lighting, while expensive, is one place where it’s worth the extra research and spending a bit extra for quality units that’ll last over time, are safe, etc…
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