Looking for advice on lights

[Sean Winchester]

iPower GLSETX400DHMCT6 400-Watt Light Digital Dimmable System for Plants - Air Cooled Tube Set

HTG Supply Air Cooled 400-Watt Ceramic Metal Halide (CMH) Complete Grow Light, Bulb Included - 120v

Anyone use these type of lights my room is 60"wideX60"highX80"long right now I have 4-
VIPARSPECTRA Reflector-Series 300W LED Grow Light Full Spectrum for Indoor Plants Veg and Flower and a lot of people are saying my lights are cheap and are junk

[ramjet8302]

The I power light is a dual hid light that you can use hps or mh in. As for the other ballast you mentioned it seems to be mh only. The choice is yours really. The dim able factor is good for small plants that don't need much light yet. I actually just ordered the ipower light you mentions and am currently waiting for it to show up. I'll let you know more about it when I get it.

[Sean Winchester]

The other one is a cmh the guy at the store says it runs cooler and is just as efficient i'm just trying to get as many opinions as possible before I make a large purchase and I greatly appreciate anyone's opinions

[Weed Pharma]

Most LED's now list the amount of btu's (along with PAR) the light gives off for easy comparison. (I use this to adjust temps in the winter and summer.)
For example MarsHydro reflector 48 is around 400 btu's/hour- yet the Marshydro reflector 96 (twice as much light) is only 460 btu's/hour.
If you use one larger light in place of two smaller ones- you cut the amount of heat almost in half or vice-versa.

Just have your guy provide the btu's the light he is recommending for comparison to others.

FYI, LEC 315 puts out about 1,250 btu's/hr

[Obi-Wan]

Ceramic Metal Halide lights are very popular right now and there are a number of growers here using them with success. That said, I don't believe your lights are junk, I use the 600w model myself and it has worked well and my plants are thriving since I added it. Given the size of your grow space and the optimal foot print of the lights you are using you really should have 2 more in your space, however if you follow the manufactures recommendations for distance you may run out of space if your plants grow to be 2 feet tall. 12" grow bucket+24" plant+24" distance to canopy, would have your lights pressed against the top of your tent, this wouldn't be ideal for creating the air circulation needed to keep your lights cool, so they would probably burn out quickly.

[Weed Pharma]

It's all about balance when it comes to light.
While the inexpensive LEDs provide enough PAR for a small footprint- the more expensive ARE more powerful, so you have to keep them much further away for optimal growth, but may be used for the resultant larger footprint it gives at a greater distance.

here is a PAR review video, that has me interested in the Viparspectra 300w: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypvrlLjg9dE

[Sean Winchester]

Thank you that was helpful. Looks like there good for 16x16 at 18" high

[LuckyAcres]

My 1200w viperspectra are great but the lec315 I bought recently seem to be just as good...about the same amount of heat generated for quite a big difference in watt output. I'm gonna run a closer comparison on my next grow between them 2 but I think there's more lec lights in my future...side note viperspectra in flower can be as close as 15" from the canopy. same with lec.

[Sean Winchester]

I talked to the person I bought my led lights from he said I can exchange 2 lights for the next size up so I'll have 2 Viparspectra 600 watt that will cover a 2x2 and 2 Viparspectra 300 watt 16x16 the only thing I'm trying to find out is the 2-300 watt lights are full spectrum lights and the 2-600 have a switch to run veg or bloom so should I run the 2-600 with both switches on so they will match the 2-300.
I greatly appreciate everyones advice thank you

[Obi-Wan]

I run my 600w with both switches on all the time. I would say that good consistent light across the canopy is best.

[Sean Winchester]

Thank you

[007]

I run the HTG light you mentioned. Can't say enough good things about it. Plants are exploding under it, temps stay good, lights a 4x4 space easy, don't hesitate to give it a whirl

[Sean Winchester]

How tall is your room. I would but the only thing that makes me hesitate is I only have 60 inches for a hight in my room

[007]

It's a 7 ft high tent, yeah that would have to be a consideration.