HELP! EBay/Amazon LED lights?

[Homegrownnewbie]

Hey there,

Newbie indoor grower here...haven’t even started yet but trying to figure out my light set up. I’ve been looking at LED lights on amazon and eBay. Some of them are fairly cheap in terms of cost but how good are they actually?

Has anyone tried the cheaper 800-1200watt LED’s?

Ill provide pictures for the lights I’m talking about. Any input is appreciated. I am prepared to spend more on lights, but just curious because why spend the money if I don’t have to, to get started anyways.

Thanks!

[Toker1]

Performance is ok. Will work. But efficiency is slacking. These lights are not efficient.

[Gingerbeard]

Whatever you get, make sure there is a brand name with a warranty. And check reviews of the brand. Try not to look at reviews on the product page. Lots of those are fake to hype the product.
The link is GWE recommendations. GWE is never wrong. Hail GWE!

https://www.growweedeasy.com/led-grow-lights

[happyday]

they are not real 800W or 1000W,only 100W or less

[Toker1]

Another great point. You need to look at the actual draw from the wall....Not the par rating like in the reference.

[happyday]

the tent size is also important. ensure leds offer at least 32W /sq ft.

[gbauto]

Hey there,

Newbie indoor grower here...haven’t even started yet but trying to figure out my light set up. I’ve been looking at LED lights on amazon and eBay. Some of them are fairly cheap in terms of cost but how good are they actually?

Has anyone tried the cheaper 800-1200watt LED’s?

Ill provide pictures for the lights I’m talking about. Any input is appreciated. I am prepared to spend more on lights, but just curious because why spend the money if I don’t have to, to get started anyways.

Thanks!

I've found that it's easier to work backward. Indoor lighting is all about spreading out enough photons of energy over the canopy. Most HID and entry-level LEDs need 50 watts of actual power for each square foot of canopy. Find out the actual power consumption of the fixture you are looking at and divide that number by 50. That will give you a rough idea of how large a footprint it should illuminate.
I started growing 4 years ago with blurple fixtures. They can grow decent weed but all of my fixtures have had repeated component failures, so be prepared to fix things. Biggest advantage using current tech diodes is the efficiency gain, sometimes it can be almost 100% gain in photon output per watt, so less overall energy needed to light the space. That also means less heat load to deal with.

[Ichibaniles81]

I'd be wary of those ads you've shown. I did a fair bit if research on LEDs before deciding on Viparspectra lights. To be fair, even they are a cheap option but at least they have a solid reputation and warranty etc. My 300w puts out 150-ish true watts and my 450w draws about 200w from memory. So exactly what the other poster said, check 'actual' Power consumption for true picture. In some ways I wish I had splashed out on Quantum boards or COB light from the get go. Extra $300 - 400 up front, but delivers better light spectrum which probably means better yield and density.
otherwise I can vouch for Viparspectra. Runs pretty cool and quiet and my plants love it so far. Here is a photo or two. Mine have just switched to flower a week ago. Good luck my friend!

[starramus]

Yes Viparspectra has the majority of GWE's votes. I have two of the 600 watters, and have had not a problem. Of course if you want to break the bank go for the high end LEDs. The law of diminishing returns does get ugly though.

[Lucky13]

While those are amazing prices to start at, if your new, and just getting into it, those are some super cheap options! I am currently using a Phlizon 600W (108W draw) and it nets me a few ounces every 3.5-4 months. But before you click buy, think about how much you wanna get into this hobby. You may be initially happy that your pursuing your goals, but those type of lights will only pile up in the corner with each new grow. Think about your ROI (return on investment) ..how much weed costs at the store/ how much you smoke personally/ 3-4 month grow windows.. With one of the blurple 1200 W lights youll pull a few more ounces than me, if you do things well. And that first light will have been paid for, so why not buy another light thats just a bit stronger.. lol eventually youll be passing them out at the next family function.. "here, put this in your trunk!"

As most others have noted, going with the newer way of lighting is wayyyy more efficient, and soon, Ill be "upgrading" again.

https://thegreensunshineco.com/product/electric-sky-es300-grow-light/?_vsrefdom=googleads&wickedsource=google&wickedid=349105264046&wtm_term=&wtm_campaign=1903533281&wtm_content=68474061097&wickedplacement=&wickedkeyword=&gclid=Cj0KCQjwhJrqBRDZARIsALhp1WRNpHGNhKs7CaUoRSgt-Y283pBpooWEN3l5CAWPEm5JkWBojDPv8psaAg9oEALw_wcB

plus they plant 5 trees when you go through the website!
My ROI (I boldly assume) on this light should pay for it completely in my 2X4 in one grow. electricity and nutes and broken fans along the way included. The ROI on my Phlizon (plus grow tent, exhaust fan , carbon filter, nutes, the kitchen sink..) was all paid for in about two grows, and that was a few grows ago.

[Cloud]

Did you see the V2? I just noticed their up for pre order

[Lucky13]

Yeah, late August! Just in time for another paycheck to come through lol

[Homegrownnewbie]

Thank you everyone for your input. I’m definitely going to put a little more $ into this to get started. The point is for it to be profitable... and by that I just mean not paying for weed lol

Im thinking about the 1000w King Plus LED or the 1000w Bestva. Anyone have first hand experience?

[Ichibaniles81]

You’re looking at about 185w of true power draw. What size is your space? That’s the next question .. if you are planning on growing no more than 3 medium plants in a small space it COULD suffice, or up to 6 plants kept pretty small in SoG. However more than that or a grow floorspace of more than about 2x4 feet and you need more. As gbauto said, your grow space will determine your needs.. so for e.g. 2x4 is 8 square feet of canopy. Then you multiply 8 by 50w per square foot. You would theoretically or ideally need 400w of true power. Having said that, I’ve got that exact size space with only 300 -ish, and it’s going ok.. Plus I think in such a small space the blurple lights might be too intense at 400w true power. You’d need a 6 foot plus height to hang them from. That’s just my 2 cents worth