Hey
I’m looking to get a grow light to veg a few dozen or so plants to set outside this year.
I left the growing community for a few years and when I’ve returned, it seems LED has taken over.
I was looking into the ole t5s, the four footers, and I’m wondering if anyone still uses these for veg, or is it better to switch to LED.
Thank you
For veg… I absolutely love my Growers Choice ROI-E200 LED.
Excellent results. I’ve even used to to flower with its 4k spec. with great results.
Good light all around. Just my opinion.
All of my light sources except My clone Dome has evolved into led.The only thing i miss about my old HPS and metal hal was the heat warmed my concrete garage tent up to 77 with no problem.Now i struggle with mid to high 60s but i can dim my light or crank it up And its so bright I only need to run it in veg at 30% and 70 in flower life span will be ten times that of what 6 months of a HPS ?and not blow a 89$ bulb run my tent in summer and my light bill is a third of what it was and its a Cheapo Hyphoton flux 600w light…Florescent bulbs make the best Clone Bulbs second to none i dare anyone to say otherwise,They have a place still and the companies have a direct tie to growers its a win win
Nowadays you can get a veg-specific LED light with the right spectrum rather than universal one, and the light spread is usually wider for a given driver wattage since you’ll never need to hit flowering levels. That said, powerful LED lights are now cheap enough that a lot of people use a large and powerful light turned dimmer down for efficiency and run close to the canopy like the old fluorescent bulbs. Here’s a few to consider as you look around, if you want to specify a desired wattage or area coverage just let us know.
I like these a lot so far @ $80 + tax shipped per 150w light and they dim/daisy chain easily
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8% OFF with code: DrMJCoCoPRO
This one is the latest in Samsung diodes for $100, better spectrum and efficiency than that Vipar or the Barrinas below
Or these are the modern version of the T5s they’re self contained and chainable.
Newer T5 are switching to leds too anyway. 
Classic neons will become rarer and more expensive. But if you already have all the T5 connectors, it’s easy to switch to LED T5s. Remove the ballast and the starter , plug the T5 are you’re done. If you’re used to growing with old T5, you’ll have to get used to LED though, it’s a bit different.
I am still using t5 fluorescents for veg and I love them. I actually just picked up a few more used locally. The 4ft 8 bulb fixtures for like $40 each with a bunch of extra bulbs. I’d check out your local Facebook marketplace or Craigslist (etc) if you’re looking for one. Problem is, fluorescent lights and bulbs are being discontinued everywhere. So you may want to buy some extra bulbs now (while you still can) if you pick one up.
I do use LED’s too, but honestly, I prefer fluorescent or metal halide (or ceramic metal halide) for veg. I seem to get healthier plants that stack up better (I find LED’s seem to make the plants more hungry for cal/mag). Both my metal halide and CMH just died though, so I need to replace them. I am using LED’s in their place at the moment.
If you do go LED, a couple cheaper ones that I can recommend from personal experience:
Cheapest light I can recommend:
I also have a new AC infinity ion frame EVO 3 LED that I use for veg sometimes, but I actually prefer the other two LED’s I listed for veg.
I use LED for flower. Running PhotonTek lights for flower and I love them. 600 watts of LED yield like a 1000 watt HPS (or better!). But for veg, I prefer fluorescent or MH.
That’s one big reason why I still like using MH or CMH for my main veg room. Without the heat they produce, my temps are in the 60’s and it required me to run some type of heater basically 24/7. I’d rather run 315w CMH’s or 400w MH + a space heater for the 6 hours lights are off vs. lower wattage LEDs + a space heater 24/7. The former actually saves me money on the electric bill.
Also, if you use the old coil & core ballasts, they will last forever and when the capacitor in the ballast eventually fails (after 10+ years), it’s super easy to replace.
I actually prefer the old coil & core to newer digital ballasts. I know, I’m old school… lol
I’ve just had too many newer digital ballasts give me issues. The last 3 digital ballasts I bought failed within 3-4 years (just outside of the warranty, every time. lol)
Doomsday’s lamps, same church.
Would you believe me if i told you ive had the same Light for about 4 years now and knock on wood shes still as bright as the day i got her?Nothing too expensive its a Hyphotonflux for a 6x6 footprint in flower im in a 5x5 it just squeaks in.That lights so bright for the area i cant even run her past 30% in veg and 80% in flower.Going to 100 is so bright its like its goes to 11 so over kill but i never run her at full bore i can imagine has something to do with the longevity of the leds.Flower at 80 runs a bit warmer but its just enough to have some pretty decent runs.Ive had a grow in that tent since i got it with 6 days to dry out dor down time for harvest here and there and shes up and running again.That light has paid for itself at least 20 times by now as well as the tent the light bill the nutrients.Other than time and learning and suffering occasionally the rest is free
Nice! That looks like a really nice light for the money. Which model do you have?
I’ve had good luck with LED’s too, so far anyway (knock on wood). I just recently starting using some LED lights for veg in the last couple years.
And I switched over to LED for flower maybe 3-4 years ago. I have the PhotonTek x600w pro’s. I’ll probably try something different next time I by a LED for flower though. The new mammoth lights caught my eye.
I was referring to the digital ballasts for HPS/MH/CMH are what seem to keep dying on me. Sorry for the confusion! lol
I have the HPF400 she’s practically an antique now with all the leaps they make with the LED technology,if you can see it shes at an even 30 and man do the plants love it any higher and they go haywire.
I ended up going with a 2x4 by spider farm.
Seems decent…
