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Advantage of using old-school HPS/MH over LED

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Advantage of using old-school HPS/MH over LED

ninjadip 157 Replies 28,883 Views
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ninjadip

ninjadip

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#1
I'm very curious as to why current growers use old-school light tech that is allegedly much more inefficient than LEDs.
Is it purely based on spectrum?

Can anyone give me some insight?
 
#2
ninjadip said:
I'm very curious as to why current growers use old-school light tech that is allegedly much more inefficient than LEDs.
Is it purely based on spectrum?

Can anyone give me some insight?
Click to expand...
Familiarity, source of heat, initial cost. The transition can be frustrating to an experienced grower having to redial everything in again in most cases

Growing under HID and LED require very different environments and even changes in nutrients. Imo most atick with HID because if it aint broke don’t fix it.
 
#3
Aqua Man said:
Familiarity, source of heat, initial cost. The transition can be frustrating to an experienced grower having to redial everything in again in most cases

Growing under HID and LED require very different environments and even changes in nutrients. Imo most atick with HID because if it aint broke don’t fix it.
Click to expand...
I guess it can be familiarity, but i'm seeing new growers starting off with HID, and I don't get it. Seems too many pros with LEDs, lower initial cost, efficiency, lower heat, longer life time.
I'm a new grower and didn't once consider using HID. Just curious why new people start with it.
 
#4
I switched last year after over a decade of hps and really like the led in flower. But I'm still using my MH for veg. as for my 250 hlg in veg my plants don't seem to like it as much, the tops would get all discoloured and would have big mag deficiencies. Could have been my temps too as it wasn't always over 80 degrees.Tried tinkering with watts and ppfd but just couldn't get them to look good so I switched back to mh
 
#5
ninjadip said:
I guess it can be familiarity, but i'm seeing new growers starting off with HID, and I don't get it. Seems too many pros with LEDs, lower initial cost, efficiency, lower heat, longer life time.
I'm a new grower and didn't once consider using HID. Just curious why new people start with it.
Click to expand...
HID is much cheaper per watt initial cost. I mean HID has been a time tested proven light source for many years…. Id say maybe 5 yrs and not all LED are the same. Still many cheap LEDs that suck ass and are marketed cleverly to for lack of a better term rip ppl off
 
#6
ninjadip said:
I guess it can be familiarity, but i'm seeing new growers starting off with HID, and I don't get it. Seems too many pros with LEDs, lower initial cost, efficiency, lower heat, longer life time.
I'm a new grower and didn't once consider using HID. Just curious why new people start with it.
Click to expand...
When I started growing indoors, every penny of up-front cost was important. An incremental increase in my electric bill was much less important.

After my first run with LEDs, I toyed with going back to HIDs. If you were a newbie and your buddy, who was growing for years, did that, wouldn't you take note?
 
#7
mysticepipedon said:
When I started growing indoors, every penny of up-front cost was important. An incremental increase in my electric bill was much less important.

After my first run with LEDs, I toyed with going back to HIDs. If you were a newbie and your buddy, who was growing for years, did that, wouldn't you take note?
Click to expand...
I might take note, but I don't agree with the up front costs. I did sooo much homework determining what LED to buy. I never go name brand anything usually, I look for the company that uses the same components with a decent build but half the cost.

I got these 2 100watt LEDs for only $50 each. They use Samsung LEDs, a meanwell driver, and had a 3rd party PPFD rating done to prove it. I find the price very very hard to beat vs any other LED or HID.I know there are tons of cheap Chinese LEDs out there, but there are some real gems if you know how to read the numbers.

I think my cheap LEDs are kicking ass IMO
 

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#8
ninjadip said:
I might take note, but I don't agree with the up front costs. I did sooo much homework determining what LED to buy. I never go name brand anything usually, I look for the company that uses the same components with a decent build but half the cost.

I got these 2 100watt LEDs for only $50 each. They use Samsung LEDs, a meanwell driver, and had a 3rd party PPFD rating done to prove it. I find the price very very hard to beat vs any other LED or HID.I know there are tons of cheap Chinese LEDs out there, but there are some real gems if you know how to read the numbers.

I think my cheap LEDs are kicking ass IMO
Click to expand...
The ppfd requirement is far different in flower than veg due to the change in hours of light. Thats a good price for what ya got.
 
#9
Aqua Man said:
HID is much cheaper per watt initial cost. I mean HID has been a time tested proven light source for many years…. Id say maybe 5 yrs and not all LED are the same. Still many cheap LEDs that suck ass and are marketed cleverly to for lack of a better term rip ppl off
Click to expand...
So leds can actually compete toe to toe with HID? But all these el cheapo all in 1 "grow light" kits give them a bad name.
 
#14
Aqua Man said:
They can exceed HID in all areas. But quality and marketing are what gives LED a bad name.
Click to expand...
i 100% concur with that statement. The market is flooded between good and bad LEDs. I had a friend who bought an LED purely based on the claimed coverage area alone, that was the only research. The light sucked ass and now he's bitter.

I think one must go by an actual Apogee (the only brand meter i've seen used in reviews) reading, the spectrum analysis, the brand name of LEDs, etc... There are a lot of factors if one chooses to go off-brand. But IMO while HTG might have a very good line, it is way overpriced, as well as blackDog. I think SpiderFarmer, BestVA, and Mars Hydro offer some great mid-line items without having to worry about research into quality.

and yes, the LEDs i got, I got specifically for flower, as they have a great red/far red spectrum for the price.

I might come to the same conclusion for Veg about MH, but I haven't gotten there yet.
 
#17
Aqua Man said:
Familiarity, source of heat, initial cost. The transition can be frustrating to an experienced grower having to redial everything in again in most cases

Growing under HID and LED require very different environments and even changes in nutrients. Imo most atick with HID because if it aint broke don’t fix it.
Click to expand...
I put enviroment as the most important factor along with all the 1% ers why i was successful straight away with led..i found it very easy.but i built a room and bought good gear...no fucking around lol.. only john west rejects the best 😁
 
#18
Madmax said:
I put enviroment as the most important factor along with all the 1% ers why i was successful straight away with led..i found it very easy.but i built a room and bought good gear...no fucking around lol.. only john west rejects the best 😁
Click to expand...
Yeah its quite different needs between them
 
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