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First grow, 4x4 tent can’t decide which LEDs to get

I

iGrow420710

New member
As already mentioned I can’t decide what LEDs to go for. Looking at kind led, advanced platinum led or optics led.. also thinking if I should go with 1 big one or 2 smaller ones

Any help would be high appreciated
 
Hey buddy,i was recently bombed with gum-flapping about using 2 lower sources to achieve the wanted wattage from my bro in law.He has never done indoor nor decent outdoors otger than a couple autos every may on the balcony but he was really trying to get me split my 600w hps into 2x 300 mars hydro or 2x 250 hps.Me myself and I, are not really into that since i velieve lower watts = lower lumens per source = doesn't seem right. Im not sure if its the same if you have XXX lumens or X times 3 lumens..

Did you check Viparspectra 1200w? It's legendary fir it's price! I would go for a 900w(not hps equivalent,real wattage) in the 4x4 though i have read 1200w with good venting and cooling.
 
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I use the Platinum LED p4-xml2 for a 3x3 tent and love it. I have two of them. I'd check out the big brother made for a 4x4, the p9-xml2.
 
Watts and lumens are just about useless when looking at LEDs. The numbers that matter are ppfd and foot print.
Im not a fan of kind LEDs at all. They say that ppfd numbers can be messed with by manufacturers, but offer 0 hint at thier ppfd numbers or any measure of how good their lights perform anywhere I've seen, beside "trust us". Saying something isn't a good measure, but giving nothing but thier word doesn't go far with me personally. Sure they work, but without a metric to judge output, I'm not dropping $1000 on some marketing teams word.
I use a bloomspect 600 and a viparspectra 600 in a 3x3 tent and I'm leaning towards the bloomspect being the better light. It's also much cheaper than the viparspectra.
 
First time im reading the brand!Also Viparspectra is out of stock on every possible seller near me(within a weeks shipping frame) And what are you venting with the 3x3 with 1200w leds in there? Im keeping my 140x140x140cm @ 26C with 250w HPS.Have it 50cm from pots/germination dome and venting with 180m3/hour (aircooled hood). i had great trouble keeping the 600w HPS on last year in 150x150x200cm tent venting 400m3/hour without reaching 28-30C!
 
Check out the bloomspect, you won't be sorry. It's a great light.
For venting both my 3'x3' flower tents I'm using a c.a.p. 435 cfm fan through 4" ducting into a 4"x4"-6" T connection Into 3' carbon filter. My temps are always under 76°f . I do run a small AC in the room constantly though.
If you're having issues with heat, is there any hope of you running a small window rattler, or portable R2D2 AC in your room? I just use an 8000k btu unit and it says beautiful in the tents.
 
Aah,im trying to keeo power cost at minimum,an AC would not assist in any way with that 😂️ I think i will have to wait and see until next year,atm my 250w is working well with me and i believe i will make it just around time for harvest in May before they hit 78-80 :o
 
It definitely does not help with the power usage, my AC averages 600w an hour. It doesn't break the bank, but does add to the rooms draw. But the added benefit of being able to run higher wattage lights, in my mind negates the extra money spent cooling. Pulling 1lb a month from a 3x3 tent I don't think can be done without adding an ac unless you live in Siberia.
 
iGrow420710 said:
As already mentioned I can’t decide what LEDs to go for. Looking at kind led, advanced platinum led or optics led.. also thinking if I should go with 1 big one or 2 smaller ones

Any help would be high appreciated
Click to expand...

As a relative newcomer compared to alot of others, here's my experience on using/buying led fixtures.
It helps to work backwards-with the footprint of your tent space you will need at least 600 actual watts of power consumption to effectively illuminate that space. The advantage of using the best technology you can afford is that less of that 600W is converted to heat and more into usable photons that the plant can use to grow. Currently, the most economical is Samsung LM561c. It is available on light strips and Quantum Boards so a DIY fixture will be the best bang for the buck. If you are not comfortable building your own rig, at least do a little research on the different technologies-it will help to prevent throwing away an investment on equipment that isn't suited to what you want to achieve.
 
gbauto said:
As a relative newcomer compared to alot of others, here's my experience on using/buying led fixtures.
It helps to work backwards-with the footprint of your tent space you will need at least 600 actual watts of power consumption to effectively illuminate that space. The advantage of using the best technology you can afford is that less of that 600W is converted to heat and more into usable photons that the plant can use to grow. Currently, the most economical is Samsung LM561c. It is available on light strips and Quantum Boards so a DIY fixture will be the best bang for the buck. If you are not comfortable building your own rig, at least do a little research on the different technologies-it will help to prevent throwing away an investment on equipment that isn't suited to what you want to achieve.
Click to expand...

What do you think about starting with a HLG 550
 
I like quality over high numbers. I use two platinum P150s and a 300 watt cheapo hydro with a lot of red for flower. Im doing a 3x4 area right now with 5 plants and there all smoking. The platinum 150's only draw 80 watts apiece so again I think you cant always go by that whole wattage thing when there quality lights.
 

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Dutchman1 said:
I like quality over high numbers. I use two platinum P150s and a 300 watt cheapo hydro with a lot of red for flower. Im doing a 3x4 area right now with 5 plants and there all smoking. The platinum 150's only draw 80 watts apiece so again I think you cant always go by that whole wattage thing when there quality lights.
Click to expand...

Looks awesome!!
 
PPFD is not the best metric for quantifying light sources, especially with smaller sample rates. PPF or band limited radiometry quantities such as radiant flux are best. Some manufacturers are now starting to supply these values. If values are not available it becomes difficult to quantify a lights capability. PPFD can vary quite a bit depending on the parameters used by the manufactures during testing. Although PPFD maps provide valuable information such as uniformity and light intensity. It cannot tell you accurately the full capacity of a light source and unless interpreted correctly, it can be misleading.
 
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