New grow light

[Cali]

just wanted your guys opinion or recommendations on which light I should buy on amazon. I’m looking to get either a 400 watt hps or a600watt hps well mh/hps combos for both.. I have an extra bedroom and I’m thinking should I get the 400 and put it in my 2x4 tent or just go bigger and use the room without the tent being that the difference in $ is not much from the 400 to the 600. Also which brand do you guys use or recommend off amazon preferably but if you have other suggestions please let me know?? I’m currently using two 150 watt hps side to side in my 2x4 tent..

[Smokesteve]

I can only speak to what I know Mars hydro reflector and 2 both worked amazing for my first grow . LED

[Speedygreen]

I've been using Apollo 600s can't complain

[RosettaStoned]

I've heard 600 is the most efficient

[gbauto]

I think that I'd have to go with the 600.

[Chefbjy]

600 watt dimmable. More light = more bud.

[Cronk]

My limited experience puts my reply into question but isn't 315 CMH a most efficient light for a small tent? less heat, less power, equiv output to a 400 watt? better buds?

This is what I was sold, anyway

[Cali]

I think it’s better but I’ve read somewhere that they get really hot so I want a light that I can connect an air duct to exhaust the heat.. that’s why I want either a 400 in my tent or 600 out the tent but still with a real exhaust system. Anyone out here know for sure if a 315 cmh gets hotter or runs cooler than a 400 watt me/hps?

[Cali]

What I really want to know I guess is if anyone have experience growing with the lights offered on amazon? Is it worth the $? The quality I guess??

[DrPhoton]

CMH has an efficiency identical to HPS. However not all HPS are created equally and as such different wattages have different levels of efficiency because of heat and chemistry. 600 watt has the best efficiency and is identical if not slightly superior to CMH. However if you can justify the initial cost of CMH then i would recommend it because of the added simplicity and practicality.

[DingusKhan]

For my LEC315 in my 2x4 tent, I got the Sun System Neutron reflector with the external ballast so it would live outside the tent, cooler that way. With a cheap 6" fan stuck right into the top vent sock, and a 6 inch floor fan sitting outside the tent, blowing into the open flap vent, my tent stays about 80F, 30% humidity, which is even cooler than 2 GalaxyHydro 300 watt LEDs (current draw about 240 watts, together).

So for me, I'm drawing less power, cooler tent (even though I've really got some half-ass ventilation going on), more and better light, and my plants really do seem to be getting fatter, and maturing faster. I've never used HPS, only cheaper LEDs. I LOVE my LEC, and I think you will love it more than HPS.

[PuravidaC]

Hey DK, is your 6" exhaust fan running full speed? My grow space is about the size of yours (2.5 X 3.5 X 6.5) and I am having heat issues with new 315. I just upgraded to a 6" exhaust fan with a speed controller but at full speed it is pretty loud. Not very stealthy in my illegal state!!

[DingusKhan]

Yes, it is. It's a cheap, inline fan, and I just stuck it right in the vent sock on top with a bent piece of duct tube to keep light from shining in. No speed control, I tried one and it killed the fan motor. Unfortunately, yes, it's pretty loud. It sounds like a helicopter hovering in my back bedroom.

Also make sure you have some vent flaps open to let fresh, cool air in while extracting the hot air from the top of your tent. I cut up some old smart pots and used the black fabric to cover the screens of my flaps to keep it dark, but it lets enough air in. You might need a second, 4"fan blowing into one of the smaller vent socks down low on the tent. That will increase your air exchange, and be less loud than turning up your big fan on top.

You may also be able to dampen some of the noise from the fan by covering it with 2 empty boxes, with baffles facing in different directions to let the air out, but block the noise.

If you like, I will post some pictures of what I've done tonight when the lights come on.