1700e’s are only $1000 now
3 Likes
@Gpaw makes a good point in that quantum boards are more prone to hot spots and cross lighting when mounted on the traditional single slab heatsink. I often wish I had a bit more height for my light to even out the spread, even in a 4x4. Might modify the hanging setup from wires to a rigid frame that would get me another 6" of height. You can see that HLG realized this and has shifted their pro line of Diablo lights to a more spaced out design that spreads coverage more evenly, seeing that made me realize that the superior layout would have been two boards on each of two triple (XL) heatsinks, hung spaced out a bit. For me, since I already have the 550, I’m planning on adding a few strings of the Buddies from LED Teknik/Grow Lights Australia on the walls of my tent just at or below canopy level. That will bring my light setup up to around 550 actual watts from 490 and should even out the UMOLs while adding some side lighting penetration.
4 Likes
While I had good results with the qb style boards, the newer bar array style units give you much more uniform ppfd coverage. Much less of a drop off around the edges, not as big of an issue if your running them high in a room but if your in a tent, maximizing the ppfd levels along the edges can make a big difference.
5 Likes
Damn I shoulda waited 6 months… na… lol
1 Like
That was selling point for me… the longer warranty on gavita pro 1700e… and the uniformity of ppfd coverage from center to outside walls are undefeated
4 Likes
Osram/Sammy leds
IR, UV, and Green not just PAR (blue/red).
Warranty
Wattage
PAR specs at different heights and distance from middle.
Price
Features like brick/driver being wired off the actual light fixture, and a dimmer depending on your needs.
1 Like
I run a Spider Farmer SE7000 in my 5x5. Hasnt done me wrong yet. New version is 730 watts from the wall.
6 Likes
Rapidly has their 600w led bar setup for 900 but running 40% off today.
5 year warranty, they are a good company. Just a FYI.
3 Likes
These are the main part of what I use, 200w Lenofocus LF2000. I helped Lenofocus develop them and I’ve been thoroughly happy with them. Can do a 3x3 setup or the long 2x4 setup, the long way is how I run mine cause the PAR is almost even across the fixture that way, fits perfect in my veg tent too.
Size and wattage are subjective to your needs, you can cram all kinds of sizes and wattages into lots of spaces, LEDs aren’t a one size fits all so it takes a bit of research to find what’s best gonna suit your needs. I COULD run about 1400 watts of all the LEDs and cobs I have but my light bill would be higher than your 1000w hps at that point, the idea behind high efficiency LEDs is that you get the same amount of photons being put out by exponentially less power
Looks like a black Friday sale for US customers, pretty sure you can order on Amazon too.
5 Likes
Maybe someone with more brain can help with a related perspective:
If you have the same specific LED lamps (Samsung), the same drivers (Meanwell), and often the same generic lamp pattern layout, and no real variation in reflector, and consistent quality of production – why is one brand of LED lights ‘better’ than any other? Once you remove the reflector design variation it seems not really different that which HID light is better than any other HID light if the other constants are the same you know?
Seems a collection of basic electrical issues rather than any sort of performance pattern. Why pay more money for the exact same components in another company’s brand?
5 Likes
Cool factor. Warranties. Customer service. Reputation.
I actually believe the specs on my current light. Can’t say that for some others.
5 Likes
i bought 2 sp6500s from mars for 1450 cad. one harvest 3 lbs. and i wasnt dialed in. and the smoke was comparable to it being run under 1k hps gavitas. as long as they last i have no issues with mars either. and am actually impressed.
3 Likes
Mechanical design can be a significant difference. Also the configuration of the light.
- dimmable vs non-dimmable
- remote driver capability (driver outside tent)
- ease of assembly (folding vs snap together)
- thermal management approach
I’m sure there’s more but that all that bubbled out tonight… 
Cheers
G
4 Likes
That is probably a decent light,my first light I bought and used before I started making my own ( Samsung Q series, Bridgelux Gen 2’s and Vesta Tuneable COBs) was their LF100 and I still use it for additional veg growth light to this day and it is 30$ cheaper lol
1 Like
Been running side by side 1k HPS vs Mars Hydro FC-6500. My yields have been off a bit ~ 15% lower on the LED, but I believe there are other influences that attribute to the deficit. IMO the FC-6500 still seems like a good replacement by this comparison.
6 Likes
Welcome to OG @Longtooth , you should drop by the introduce yourself thread and say hello to the community.
As for the difference in yields, there are so many factors at play. I have seen people get higher yields and lower yields when switching to LED. Many times it’s just a matter of dialing in the grow to work optimally after the change in lighting. There is also quality to throw into the mix. I would gladly take a 15% drop in yield if it produced better bud. Personally I am an LED guy but have used MH/HPS. I say to just go with what works, no denying the tried and true MH/HPS setup works but I think we are to the point in LED that we can now say the same for it.
4 Likes
I just purchased a Growers Choice 680. Apparently it pulls 710 w at the wall. It’s awesome, and the plants love it so far.
2 Likes
Just had a buddy pick up 4 of these this week, pretty crazy deal for a killer light, they retail for 1500$ at my local hydro store
2 Likes
But why? Incredibly over priced without any feature value.
1 Like
Can’t speak for him, however I went with different Fluence spydyrs for a few reasons. The quality of the product, the warranty, customer service, and made in US. I get that there are less expensive lights out that claim similar specs, but those things were worth the extra $$ to me.
4 Likes