LED decision

[Charley]

Hi guys
Thanks for accepting my join request.
Please advise me on two questions.
I have two lights as per photos
I am trying the Tolys for the first time.
when in flower as per photo is it
correct to use the flower selection only ?
or should I use both the veg and flower together for more light? She looks happy.
secondly
perhaps advise which light is better Tolys or quantum from the photos?
Thanks so much

[Gingerbeard]

If you have a choice, drop the Made in China brand. If you're stuck with the MiC, drop it and call for a loss. There are no safety ratings on those products and no or difficult backup if you have a problem. The only thing you can trust on that label is that it is, in fact, branded and Made in China.
I won't swear because I've never used one, but I believe Honeywell to be good stuff. Notice all the little icons and initials? All sorts of people have made sure it is good stuff.
The veg/flower switches are older technology. I have not met a person who does not use both, throughout grow. Dimmer switches are better because you can keep all the light, all the time, just at different intensities.
If you keep using the LED that close to the light. whatever switches you switch, you will burn your plants.
Otherwise, good looking plants. Fuzzy, for me. But I get the gist.

[Charley]

Thanks for your reply GB I have had moderate success with the quantum in photo but with an open grow. Enough for personal use and a little bit to give to some friends ( but I was in a warm climate now I am in a cold area and this is my first grow in a tent. The Tolys came with the tent so I gave it a try with Durban poison (I come from Durban)😁
Next test will be Tangerine with the quantum 🤔

[Rootsruler]

IMO, Chinese goods get a bad rap. Most all the LED's on the market are either made in China or have components that were made in China so I see no difference in buying "American Made" vs "Made in China".

To me it boils down to the performance. As long as the manufacturer, american or chinese, uses good quality components and understands the light spectrum needed that's all you need. There's a reason we have a chip shortage in this country. Local chip manufacturing is almost non existent versus China and Taiwan who dominate the market in, not only chips, but most electrical components. Those Samsung LM-301H's in the high end "American" LED's? Where do you think they came from? Those coveted Meanwell drivers that separate the good from the great lights? Meanwell's corporate offices are located in Taiwan and their main manufacturing facility is in Guandong, China.

Perfect example is this light:

Amazon.com : BESTVA Dimmable Pro2000 LED Grow Light Built in Samsung LM301H Diodes and MeanWell Driver Full Spectrum Grow Lamp for 4x4ft Coverage Greenhouse Hydroponic Indoor Plants Veg and Flower : Patio, Lawn & Garden

Chinese made. The company has been making LED grow lights for over a decade. It has all the boxes checked as far as quality components and is less than half the cost of other higher end lights with the same components. I bet a few name brand LED lighting companies use them to manufacture their lights.

[Gingerbeard]

That an item has neither brand nor testing means no one takes responsibility for the product. Brands have standards to follow. That's why companies like Honeywell have good reputations.
Chinese can be great. Name brands can be duds. I'd rather deal with American standards. Doesn't have to be made in America. Just has to be quality.

[DaGreenBlazer]

The main reason why MiC equipment isn't highly regarded is because the output quality is unreliable - they're coming to market with a devastatingly killer price point yet all the established manufacturers have remained in business fine - if MiC could produce consistently reliable quality then established brands would be screwed.

And It is this guarantee of consistently reliable quality that you are buying when you purchase an established brand - MiC might well sometimes output a few thousand batches of something good, but established brands will guarantee output of the exact same quality for billions of units in a row. Also, established brands tend to be more dedicated to the field they're producing for & will potentially operate their own R&D department - a high percentage of the MiC items are made by factories whose owner is just very astute at spotting gaps in a market & they'll potentially output a random variety of whatever tech is currently trending on Amazon.

I'm all for saving money where possible, though I also think lights are the main thing you need to get right, so spending that bit extra for the guarantee from an established manufacturer will generally offer better value over the long term.

To add in the only personal recommendation i can give for anyone UK based - my housemate just got the Maxibright LED 660W Pro for about £600 - I've never used LED's before though i have been well Impressed with it's performance and I've always found Maxibright good value quality for being a non-premium brand.

[Rootsruler]

I used to manufacture tools in China for a few brands out here. Won't mention any names. China produces what they are instructed to produce at the quality level the client approves. No more. No less. The Chinese aren't stupid. They realize making shitty product outside of client spec is the fastest way to bankruptcy. I remember one client in particular that was complaining of the quality of a batch of tools he had requested. He was making all sorts of noise about how lousy the product was and how he was going to sue the manufacturer and me. I tried to reason with the owner but to no avail.

When we got to court it was a quick judgement. I showed the court the spec sheets the clients engineering department had submitted to me. I also showed the final approval their engineering department had signed off on. I showed the court the independent laboratory test I had done to test that all the specs were within the spec sheet submitted by engineering. Owner just stood there like a dumbass realizing all those papers I was showing him when I was trying to get him to understand were actually relevant and would have saved him an embarrassing trip to the court house along with the hefty fee his attorney hit him with for wasting his time.

Honestly the manufacturing facilities I used outclassed anything I saw here in the States since these factories use the latest technology to increase their efficiency and volume.

Much like in the 60's and 70's when Japan was maligned in very much the same way China is today but after people woke up Japanese manufacturing came to be known as high quality.