Hey mtntrogger, don’t buy a mars hydro light. They’re junk, especially for the price. No offense to the people who have done OK with them.
If you have even a single DIY bone in your body, build a light for less than half the price, with no chance of electrocuting yourself or burning down the house and with much much more output for the money.
There are a ton of DIY builds for dummies like me out there, with the exact parts list you need, and all the details spelled out. It’s really as simple as drilling a few small holes in aluminum angle and securing the frame together, applying some thermal tape, attaching strips to tape & then pluggin in a few wires, attaching a power cord, and flipping it on. It’s really, really easy and straightforward.
I’d be happy to discuss further if you’re interested.
Another option is getting 2 of the sf 2000’s. It looks like I could get them for about 100 each ! What do you guys think ? Would I be getting the same output as with the 4000 ? @nube- Im not sure I want to mess with putting one together, but havent ruled it out yet
It’s pretty dang easy. It’s basically paint by numbers at this point, and you get so much more for your buck, plus a sense of satisfaction for doing it yourself. Much like growing your own.
But if you can get 2 new SF-2000 for $100 each and they actually work, that’s hard to pass up. Used it’s not as good of a deal because it’s about what you would pay for a DIY setup in your space, plus what version are they - current or old, and if old, how old - and you lose the warranty, which you will need at some point.
That’s another great part about DIY is that the individual components have longer warranties than your retail lights typically do. 7 years for the drivers, which are the likely failure point for any light, retail or DIY.
If you do end up getting them, 2x of those SF-2000 lights will be far too much in your 3x3. And that’s something to consider, too. There’s no benefit to running too much light for your space, only drawbacks. The drivers usually become less efficient when you dim them. Pick the right tool for the job.
Also, watts are watts no matter the source, so your cooling needs are the same for 400w, whether it comes from HPS or from LED.
I am curious what light you would recommend ? Most people on here were pointing me towards the sf4000 or similar. But I would certainly rather spend 200 on 2 of the sf2000 rather than 550 on 1 sf4000. That extra 350 would pay for the new tent and then some. Im not certain but it appears that the $100 sf2000’s are the previous generation. The only difference I can tell is that the dimmer is a screw instead of a knob.
I hear ya about saving money, but don’t throw good money after bad by buying used equipment that craps out on you, leaving you back at square 1.
I’d recommend you build one. Plan on no more than 35w/sqft absolute max output or about 300w. Color temp for the diodes would be dependent on what you’re using it for, but that’s not a big deal. Read this thread where I go into detail responding to similar questions:
As for the used SF-2000, I guess there’s a lotta ifs about used equipment. If you go that route, make sure you plug them in and let them run for 20+ minutes before you buy them. And try the dimming on both to make sure it works. And make sure there ain’t no dead diodes. And ask for proof of their date of purchase so you can figure out how long they’ve been used.
There is no SF-2000 for $100. It was listed for $100 on a scam site. You know, one of those fake foreign sites that makes a big splash on Facebook and others sites by advertising super deeply discounted stuff, but you never actually get your product, or they ask you to wait for delivery until after you can no longer dispute it with Paypal, or it’s nothing like the product you ordered, or it’s counterfeit fake junk. And then poof three months later the site is gone and replaced by another scam site with similar layout and claims.
Remember the old adage, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Don’t fall for it. You get what you pay for, either by paying with your money or your time & effort or both. Please don’t lose a dollar by trying to save a nickel.
not sure if anyone is still tracking this thread but my sf4000 was waiting on the porch when I got home from work and I just hung it in one of my 4x4 tents. I used the rachets it came with and hung it from the outside poles. the actual frame and not the cross bars that just rest on the frame. anywho my question is, being the heaviest light ive hung in a tent, how comfortable is everyone with the wires that come with it for hanging? any issues? should I look for something sturdier to use?
my concern is how much heavier the spiderfarmer is than the hps lamps ive hung before. im going to put secondary rachets up just for peace of mind. better safe than sorry
