What kind of GROW lights are you using?

I’m running 3x Xs4000 viparspectra in my flower tent 480 true watts each. In my veg tent I’m running a mix of 100 true watt boards from Spiderfarm, gixxer, and viparspectra. Also using the good Ole sun

Check out the Vipar “P” series. They seem to be phasing them out to make room for the XS series, and they are probably the cheapest respectable budget light going right now. Better build that the Mars TS.

I’m looking at bars not boards, biggest light viparspectra has is only 480w, math puts its flowering footprint at 15sqft max. Not knocking viparspectra, just need more than what they have.

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I hear you but for the sake of argument you accidentally make a mistake be it in sizing your meanwell drivers or assembly or anything you could cost yourself $$.
I have no problem putting together an already specked kit with an engineer has specked for compatibility. I have made mistakes buying things that I didn’t know enough about and had to spend good money after bad. Just a thought.

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The mars fc series is pretty reasonable 650w for $600 is pretty hard to beat. I’m also looking at the volt 650 which is around the same price and spec.

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Build your own led with Mr.Sparkle

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Take a look at spider-farmer se series… they are the newer bar style LEDs.

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I use the Mars Hydro TSL-2000 QB lights. 2 in a 5x5 and I have been very happy with them. The lack of blues is probably giving me a bit more stretch at flip time. I would have gone with DIY strip lights though if sourcing parts wasn’t impossible last year. If you want to lose a day going down tht rabbit hole check out : https://ledgardener.com/ Tons of information from reliable folks. Real math happens there.

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It’s Christmas in my grow tent as I just ordered a Fluence Vypr 3P yesterday! Just doing my patriotic duty to spend every dollar of stimulus money on grow lights :smile:

Efficiency is 2.7 umol/J and I prefer Fluence “Greenhouse” spectrum which is the closest match to daylight - basically 5000K w/ extra red diodes. The 3P is 42 inches long, the light and power supply are only 7 pounds each, it’s the lightest fixture I could find…only costs slightly more than Chinese lights or HLG stuff

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That’s beautiful looking plants

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Nice tidy work area👍🏾

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@Insearchofsunlightnz Thanks, I appreciate that. I do my best to keep everything clean and neat. My ladies deserve it hah.

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The Fluence Vypr 3P has arrived - it’s beautiful, but damn, Fluence (Osram) has moved their factory to Mexico. That is massively disappointing to me.

The funny thing is that the manufacturing quality appears to be higher than it was when they were made in Texas. But I don’t like corporations moving shit offshore so they can pollute more.

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To be fair, the AMLO administration has made some moves to increase environmental regulations.

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I can assure you that Texas is “polluting” plenty. Probably a good deal more than all of Mexico combined.

If the light that was manufactured in Mexico seems higher-quality to you than the lights you’ve previously purchased that were manufactured in the US, what does that tell you? It tells me that the light that was made in Mexico is higher-quality than the ones made in Texas; if it came from Mexico, so be it. I’ll take that one. I’d love to buy only “USA-made” stuff, but if I can get a better product for cheaper, made elsewhere, I’m gonna do it. That’s capitalism, right?

Corporations are moving their operations “offshore” because they can pay people lower wages and thus make more money for the corporate fat-cat CEO’s who reside right here in the US. They also don’t have to deal with as many regulations as they do in the US (regulations are a good thing if what you’re concerned about is “polluting”). Don’t be mad at Mexico; be mad at the people who moved their shit there. They live right here in the good ol’ U S of A.

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Mexico’s daily minimum wage is around $7

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These are the ones I use, had one set for a year now, still working great.

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I got no beef with Mexicans! I’m cracking jokes all the time about increasing immigration b/c I like the people coming in better than native Americans. I’m happy the people in Mexico made me a light w/o the scratches & dirt I found on the Fluence lights I had from Texas.

So the AMLO is the Mexican govt? Good point, they might control pollution better than Texas. I have friends who moved to Mexico, near San Diego, because my friend could no longer get opiate medication for her chronic pain in medieval USA. The meds and health care are cheaper in Mexico too. I’d probably be there now if I didn’t hate hot weather so much.

I noticed during Gold Cup that pretty Mexican girls like to go the games & cheer while in England and USA it’s a total sausage-hang up in the stands - almost no women. What does that say about us? We’re no fun anymore.

Will post some pics of the Vypr 3P when I get my new 5X5 tent up & running. I think I"m going w/ Secret Jardin again. This fixture is pretty amazing, only 7 pounds each for the light bar and power supply - 630 watts, 1700+ PAR, by far the lightest fixture in that range

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Okay, well… You’ve really got it figured out, then. Sounds good. I’m gonna be in the market for a new light myself in a year or two; I’m eager to see how your new Mexico-built light performs.

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all international diplomacy concerns aside, this light is awesome, I would go w/ Fluence all the way if you want a pro-quality fixture. These guys are focused on big commercial operations, I’m glad they started selling them through retailers so little guys like me can run them - hydrobuilder.com is pretty much Fluence’s consumer retailer now.

The L90 on the Vypr is 50,000+ hours, at 12 hours per day it will still be over 90% luminosity after 12 years of use, that’s amazing, this is probably the last one I will buy. You get to pick the spectrum too

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