Led lighting suggestions please

[starramus]

Whoaaa! Great avatar. I love the scene where he is writing a check for 69 cents. Haven't we all been the Dude at one time or another?

[FunkyButtLovin]

SP-250 is Mars-Hydro's 250w long rectangular (strip-like) led. Here's a link - https://www.mars-hydro.com/led-grow-...s-for-for-sale

[JohnEmad]

I am ordering 2 sp250's next time Marshydro has a sale on them which is typically near Christmas. Many people report great grow results with them and the price per watt is very good even without the sale price.

[JDU]

I'm tellin ya..... The only thing better'n a Mars Hydro is the DIY stuff Farmall & Obi-Wan do & Mars has been around since the days of blurple. They continue to evolve n improve & i never heard of a grow room fire caused by a Mars Hydro either. Regardless of what any viproraspectra salesmen might try to lead you to believe. You enjoy your new lights & the ensuing harvest. You made a good choice.

[smoorman]

2 of the TSW2000 will do nicely. I have 1 covering more than half of a 4x4 area and the plants are flowering great. But, I'm pretty sure you'll be hard pressed to go out and buy 1 for $175. More like $275 w/tax. As for the Wyze cam, great cam. You can even speak to whomever is in cam range through the cam. Spoke to my son in MI from CA through the cam. Kind of startled him. Got mine at Lowes.

[Obi-Wan]

JDU Thanks I really like my fixture and for those that can and want to DIY the Samsung LM301B chips can’t be beat right now when you factor in efficacy, spread, and long term ownership. The choice of strips vs. boards is really personal preference and grow room variability. The low cost of an HID setup loses its value when you’re spending $100 to replace your bulb every 12 months and their intensity is always more focused in the center under the bulb. A 1000 watt double ended bulb can compete with the Samsung LM301B setups if you focus only on PPFD but the Samsung LM301B will generally give you comparable PPFD at lower wattage which translates to lower electric bills.

Mars and Viparspectra both have SMD boards on the market now and they are very serviceable lights for anyone looking for a value priced fixture. My personal decision was made when I looked at their wattage draw vs. the number of chips they use and comparing that with their price point.

I run 4-HLG 132 V2 boards for a total of 528 chips at 300 watts max, that’s .568 watts per chip at a little more than $300 for my 12” x 48” fixture. I get an even 700 PPFD at 200 watts with my light at 24”. That’s actual measurements, not averaged.

Viparspectra’s PS1500 runs 450 chips at 150 watts for .333 watts per chip at $150 for the fixture.

Mars TS1000 runs 342 chips at 150 watts for .438 watts per chip at $140 per fixture

I suspect that both of these companies are running their chips a little conservative because they’re knock-off Samsung LM301B chips and they just can’t take the higher wattage, either that or they want you to buy 2 lights to cover the same space my 300 watt fixture will cover. If you’re spending $300 you might as well get the real deal IMO.

[Dude]

Obi Wan,

Thank you for the informative breakdown, if I had more money I would be running the Samsung chips and driver, but the largely inflated price difference from Mars to Spider is a jump I can't afford right now. I use to build computers so I have some tech knowledge but to be honest, with everything else going on in my life at my age I'm just going to buy versus build a light setup. I'm going to take all the good information you've all given and go with two of the TSW2000 and in a few months add the SP250.


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[Obi-Wan]

I totally understand, building fixtures isn’t fun for everyone. I know it’s probably more than you want to spend but 3 of those TSW2000’s evenly spread would rock your space.

[Rwise]

I guess I got a hell of a deal on the TSW 2000 for under 175, the sales person said they are not making anything on them (which I let go in one ear and out the other)

[Eliot Pryor]

I'll bet you can't get another one for that price. Nice !! I've been wondering , is there much heat on top of those ? How close to tent can you get ? Thanks.

[Rwise]

Mine is in a closet, I can lay my hands on the top of the fixture, warm but not hot. I mounted the drivers remote in the top of the closet, they are warmer, still not hot.
The sales dude told me he tried to get one on his employ discount and it cost more.

[MJTECH]

I contacted Mars Hydro when i was looking for a good LED panel and after numerous emails regarding safety testing they simply stopped responding...nobody would confirm or deny government safety testing.

For what it is worth the government doesn't do safety testing on electrical appliances such as lighting, test is done by National Recognized Testing Laboratories (NRTL) such as Underwriters Laboratory (U.L), or Intertek (ETL).

MJT

[dilvish]

What I meant was government standards. Every country state and province has electrical safety standards that are required for the sale of electronic items the plug into an electrical outlet. Many Insurance companies will use lack of safety certification as a way out of paying a policy where a fire was caused by a non certified electrical item.. Amazon for example has a specific policy regarding electrical safety too...unfortunately the owness is on the seller to abide by the policy. When the policy is violated Amazon takes no responsibility and any lawsuits/penalties are the sole responsibility of the third party seller.

[Dude]

Proper ventilation, good air movement, smoke and carbon detection and motion sensing camera should keep things in order. Things happen, all your can do is your best to prevent and be ready. Last week on the news there was an article about a specific insulin pump that was not calibrated properly and was overdosing patients at home that had no idea. It's a minefield out there anymore, do your best and proceed with caution. Three of the TSW2000 you say. How many plants could I grow under three of the 2000?


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[JDU]

As many as you can fit.

[dilvish]

why should you need motion sensors? or for that matter carbon detectors? Especially if you get a light system that has been thoroughly tested? Anyway using what if scenarios may help you justify fire safety but ultimately its up to you. Personally I would rather go with lights that are properly tested, meet government safety standards and have good reviews from many seasoned growers including the founder...Nebula Haze.

[SoOrbudgal]

Nute I would buy one of those sp250 if I needed new lights.

[HarryBonanza]

Great info! I’ve been bouncing from Viparspectra to Mars to Spider. I have limited wattage in my room right now. I was about to pull the trigger on the Viparspectra 1200W after being ready to pull the trigger on the Spider Farmer SF2000. Then I saw the Mars. Without going back to confine exact numbers I realized the Spider Farmer draws half the wattage from the wall by using the Samsung diodes. Two vipar’s would have me at nearly 800watts. For $60 difference in lights I think I’m back to the spider farmer while all along dreaming of the Electric Sky 300 v2

[Dude]

Thanks everyone, I'm going to go with the TSW2000 X2. I'll see how it works and go from there. The extra 80.00 I'll save by doing the tsw2000 over the spider farm will help to purchase one of the two ac infinity fans for my ventilation system. If I'm only going to be using half the tent would it be okay to switch from a 6" to a 4" on the ventilation setup?

[FunkyButtLovin]

Why not use 1 large fan, Dude? Are you going to be using a carbon filter?

[stump]

Go with the six and grab the t series. Best fan i ever had is this infinity fan. Super quiet and efficient. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Dude]

Yes Funky, was planning on filtering air going in with a filter and dirty air out with a good carbon filter. Stump, the AC INFINITY is one of the quietest fans that I know of, it also has inline air temp if you go that option. My thoughts were to keep fresh air running through on a timer or figure what flow works, then have one floor mount oscillating fan and one or two clip on oscillating fans.



Carbon filter

TerraBloom Air Carbon Filter, 6" x 24", Activated Charcoal Scrubber for Inline Duct Fans Up to 550 CFM. for Grow Tent Ventilation Kits, Hydroponics, Odor Removal https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06X6GDHQ2..._no6yEb58D086K



Cloudline AC Infinity Fan


AC Infinity CLOUDLINE T6, Quiet 6" Inline Duct Fan with Temperature Humidity Controller - Ventilation Exhaust Fan for Heating Cooling Booster, Grow Tents, Hydroponics https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074XBXFPD..._bp6yEbGQ63VZX


I'm not trying to spend money I don't have, but I've always figured buy once cry once when it comes to tools for any reason. Everyone is different and I respect all mindsets that are kind and caring. Better to have more than not enough, can always turn it down. My big question to this day is this. I'll be bringing in fresh air from outside that will be filtered, but here in Michigan the air is still cold, think I'll be growing through the winter as well at least for a while. Problem for me is how do I warm the cold outside air before it goes into my how tent. I was originally going to go with the 6" airflow but thought I could save some money going to a four inch if I was not going to be using the whole tent. We figured that with the two TSW2000 lights I could easily run a 5 x 5 area, so that's why I was going to downsize the airflow. But to be honest I need to just stick with the six"it's the smarter move if I'm going to bed growing up... Lol any suggestions on warning the air would be greatly appreciated. And if you want to know anything else I'm getting just ask and I'll be happy to link for you.

[Nute]

Good choice a four isn't enough for a 5x5 tent or space. Six is perfect and you can tune it down if needed

[stump]

I have the 4 inch for my fresh air and let the hose hang out the window. The 4 inch is on a inkbird set for 75 degrees. I am also in cold country and love tapping into mother natures air conditioning.