I have been looking into buying an iL8x light from Iluminar lighting. SOLID specs and 899$ on amazon. Anyone here uses it or has used it that could give any info? Ive only seen few people talk about them on threads and posts so just want some insight on the brand, TIA
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That does look damn nice. Tons of uvb
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you can get better for cheaper if youre willing to wait a couple weeks for shipping
look into the meiju f8 plus on alibaba, they have the best price on bars out there atm. if you want to add uv, the standalone t5 fixtures are still the way to go imo. uv diodes just arent there yet from what i can tell. i redid my entire personal grow with meiju gear recently, and i am very satisfied with the results
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You got some advice already and I don’t know that light but Welcome to OG 
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Thank you! For sure will take a look
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Mechanically the light is good, but the efficacy is a little low and the price is too high.
Their HASH controller is also interesting.
If you are mechanically inclined check out:
lots of us here have built our own.
Otherwise 420 sales should be starting very soon, keep your eyes peeled for deals.
Cheers
G
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I second Gpaw’s suggestion. I just finished building my light today, based off of the info in that thread.
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Welcome!
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hmmmm, I’d like to recommend a grow light,do you intersted?
This is a great price for this light. I got one for Christmas. 680watt is 1000watt hps equivalent. Fits a 5’x5’ tent. All you need to do is plug it in and hang it.
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@thenasty1 is on the money with the Miejiu recommendation and the info about not using UV diodes on a fixture - the reptile bulbs are WAY better. That’s what I’d do if I were you. Best retail bang for your buck right now, hands down.
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Jesus this light alone is the cost of my entire flowering setup.
But…must…have…
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I’ve been wanting to upgrade from HPS for awhile… but this is what I always come back to. The upfront cost is so prohibitive when I can get a discount 1000w hps bulb for $20
Looking at DIY alternatives, still pretty darn expensive though.
Diy will be the same price for what you get
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Think long term. It’s worth the upfront cost
@MG_Canna I need to do some formal calculations.
But at 10cents per kw that I pay here for hydro, the pay back from switching from my 1000w plus 400w of led to a 700w led system isnt that much.
On a 12 hour cycle is 0.84 cents per day savings dropping from 1400w to 700w.
Quite a long backpack on a highend led that would cost me over $1000 - around 3 years.
I can totally understand why that’s such a barrier - especially since (IMHO) they’re still tweaking this & that or making new discoveries every day.
HID by contrast is boring - bulbs available at Home Depot if you’re desperate and a long, well documented history to guide new growers to the appropriate product(s).
- no “1,200w” fixture pulling 250 at the wall.
- no “One unit will flower a 4x4 at 12 inches”
- no 16 week shipping from Shenzhen or Quandong province and minimal customer support.
- no DIY, “Well, 50/50 shot this burns my house down coz I wired it backwards.”
Boring. — and reliable.
Very hard to argue with that, and you just might be well served by waiting until the ROI makes more sense to you rather than a serious case of buyer’s remorse.
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Herbal House in New Zealand sell a full spectrum( not “blurple”) LED grow light for NZ$790.
It has the Samsung and Osram chjps and Mean Well drivers, is an equivalent to a 800w HPS but only draws 400w at the wall.
I have one in a 1.2m square tent and its more than adequate.
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