LEC vs HPS

[Ovi]

What's up everyone
I've been reading multiple reviews how the quality/yield of a 315watt LEC is equivalent to a 400 or maybe even a 600 watt HPS. Does anyone have experience with LEC? Currently running a 400watt HPS

[BR2K]

I love my 315W LEC light. That said, I would find it hard to believe it is the equivalent of a 400W or 600W HPS.

I'm sure more experienced people will be along shortly. I just started my second grow, so all I can go by is my limited adventure. I will say that, for me, four plants was my comfort limit.

I absolutely love the trichomes it produces though!!!!!

[Toker1]

CMH bulbs (like in LEC) are way less efficient than HPS bulbs are.
with that being said... It’s important to realize in claims such as these, not every HPS bulb reaches that high efficiency level. So a brand new top grade CMH bulb in a 315 LEC could potentially out perform a used low grade HPS.
The only way to properly judge light output capabilities is to find the initial lumens the bulb puts out and divide that number by the watts It takes to run the bulb (or by Finding the Joules per second rating). These benchmarks allow for more accurate comparison between bulbs. Never trust the guy selling the bulb who tells you his is better than the rest. Most of the things you read like this have an agenda.
In short, a Brand new Hortilux eye HPS bulb (most growers choice HPS bulb) will outperform the best Brand new CMH bulb in an LEC light by far.
there is a reason most commercial growers use HPS. Efficiency is Very close to a quantum board LED & the initial costs for purchasing and maintaining is very low when compared to LED.
LEC lights are good for home grows, UV spectrum, and uniform light spreads. But will never be as efficient as a good HPS bulb.

[Organic357]

I had a 315 LEC that I used in a 5' x 5' grow tent. I think that the bulb that came with it was for flower but I purchased a second bulb for veg or visa versa. I was very satisfied with it and would still be using it had I not moved to my Electric Sky 300 LED's. Pulled an average of 4 ounces per plant.

If you are growing in a room instead of a tent I would seriously consider the 630 if you plan on using HIDs, have multiple plants and the room is large enough or has an easy way for you to dissipate the heat. I believe that they pull less power than an equivalent HPS or MH which has two advantages. First of all, if I am right, you will save money on your electricity bill. Secondly, again if I am correct, your utility company shouldn't be reporting you for an abnormal increase in power consumption.

Having said that I think that Toker1 gave you some very good information. I do wonder if HPS bulbs put out more heat. I don't know the answer to this but Toker1 or another member might be able to answer that for you.

[Toker1]

Watts is a direct measurement of heat. 1w = 3.412142 BTU/hr
So no matter what the source is, heat is based on how many watts are being consumed.

[rdvideo]

I stand behind the CMH grow lights because they are better than HPS and uses less electricity and way less heat then HPS. I have been growing pot since the 70's using all methods of growing and starting over 7 years ago using CMH lights that I built after reading an article that High Times had which light is better to use to grow pot and the CMH won out over any other light at that time just behind the sun. HT mentions the best light is white light, like the sun. I do not know who says you have to use HPS lights was a nut. The CMH lights I made use a Phillips CMH bulb that looks like a MH bulb with a 2'x2' hood for better light distribution. I use two lights in my 4'x4'x7' tent for plenty of light and a third one, if I want, to simulate the sun at high noon. I will never use a HPS light again or a MH because they use too much electricity and heat. I only add about $40/month with two lights to my electric bill @16 hours/day and get at least 1lb per grow. Because of that, I only do a couple grows per year now and I only grow autoflower plants!!! And I have seeds to last for years in the freezer and keep buying more at 420 sales.

In Nebula's recent newsletter she forgot to mention Northern Lights Xtrem from AMS as a high yielding plant and high THC. I guess she has to grow it herself to see what I say and seeing the pictures of it does nothing. I have posted before about my last grow and my home made CMH lights. I also only use bubbleponics to grow my plants in the tent because it is easier to maintain then soil or such and plants grow bigger too.

[Toker1]

HPS hands down is more efficient. Do the research on those specs and find out for yourself. Look up the lumens on each bulb and divide it by the watts It consumes, you might be surprised.
And way less heat is not true either. A watt is a watt is a watt. This unit (watts) is a scientific measurement of heat. See my post above. Watts consumed = heat output. This is not dependent on the bulb type or the source of light.

[Tersky]

So i have a 315 CMH and a 250 HPS. I prefer the 315 for a few reasons but HPS is still good IMO. My reasoning for liking the LEC more is because of a few factors.
1) Hood has no glass and bulb puts out uv-b which helps with resin production. I noticed immediately that the LEC had way stickier buds.
2) The type of light it produces with the bulb i used creates a shorter plant with less stretching than the HPS which makes it easier to control height.

As for a 315 equaling a 400? i read that too and that was one of the reasons i got the one i did but have found those to be exaggerated. My advice is measure the room and get the sq/ft then divide the wattage of the light by the sq/ft of tent and if it is lower than 40 then you need more light or need to focus your grow in the middle and not crowd the edges of the tent as they won't get enough light.

For example:
I have my 315 in a 3x3 tent.
3x3 =9
315/9=35

In my case i have noticed that any plants on the edge stretch and are not as dense and have been thinking of finding a supplemental light just for the edges but if i center the grow and dont let it go to the edge of the tent i have dense frosty nugs.

[Toker1]

Hmmmm.
HPS should only be used 2-3 weeks into flower. You use MH for veg and first few weeks of flower, other wises yes you get stretching.
Stretching is due to increased speed of growth, MH and CMH growth is substantially slower. it’s the growers technique that is the most important factor there.
Well, as for spectrum, I find it’s best to supplement uv light through bare bulb t5’s. That way you can take advantage of the Hood’s air cooling technology, but still get those frosty buds we all desire. You can use HPS bare bulb if you don’t want to take advantage of the cooling technology. Plenty of professional growers do this and cool with ac instead.

[Tersky]

Hmmmm... Toker1 I have not had that experience. My experience has been a greater stretch with hps (in flower yes MH for veg) than cmh. The nodes are more tightly packed together on LEC than HPS.

MH/HPS


LEC

[Toker1]

Try running the mh for the first 2-3 weeks of flower, then switch to HPS. The initial 12-12 stretch and HPS will cause that for sure.