Fluence Vs Bios Lighting

[Limber pine]

Hello!

I am looking for some information on either of these brands. With regards to using them in a commercial grow situation. Full disclosure, I am not looking to get into the commercial grow scene, I am looking to rep one of these companies, but before I dive in, I would like constructive feedback on either of these products. Or maybe there are other LED setups that are better than either of these? Also, a picture is worth a thousand words, so if you have used either of these lights to do a full run. I would love to see it!

A little about me: I have sought information from fellow members on here about outdoor growing. I have done 2 years of outdoor growing for personal use, but am very interested in getting in and adding to the industry. I think there are huge upshots to growing with LED's where power consumption is concerned, but I would also like to represent a product that has a reputation and proven results with commercial or even residential growers. I will most likely do my own LED indoor grow this winter if I have time as well.

I thank you in advance for any information you may provide and I look forward to our conversation. Additionally, I will be looking through the LED thread here to further my education on LED systems.

 

[Limber pine]

Does anybody have an opinion in either of these products? Or Grow diaries using either of them that I could view? I've searched on the site and not see anythin. This is why I'm asking about it. There seems to be a bunch of adventurous growers on here trying to find the best LED's. Or does no one want to respond because I said I wanted to"rep" one of these companies?

 

[Homesteader]

I think both are top shelf from what I have read and heard. The 660w Bios comes highly rated esp in flower from a farmer here and has the 4x4 footprint .
I would be curious about the Spyder (sp?) from Fluence and the 4-5" above the canopy.....that may be a pain in the ass....but maybe not.

Seen any of these?

 

[NightsWatch]

Personally with so many light coming out , who the hell knows anymore right .
A person needs a degree these days to figure out which one is better or for which stage ..
I mean seriously LED is LED DE is DE CMH is CMH everyone has good points and bad points and most of all some have better diodes or bulbs then others or outputs ..

It comes down to what you can afford , if your willing to take a chance right ..
At the end of the day its still 100 or 1000 watts coming out of the wall as in expense ..
Performance and longevity are another thing all together ..

In the mean time i think i am going to start a journal germinate and grow plants with different types of Flashlights haha because you know what ...

That will even grow a plant

 

[Limber pine]

Cool. Well here is another video I just found:

Also, that Illumitex company looks pretty cool. Thanks!

 

[Limber pine]

Personally with so many light coming out , who the hell knows anymore right .
A person needs a degree these days to figure out which one is better or for which stage ..
I mean seriously LED is LED DE is DE CMH is CMH everyone has good points and bad points and most of all some have better diodes or bulbs then others or outputs ..=QUOTE]

It does seem like there is a ton of information out there on LED's. I sell bulbs to residential customers right now and that is super easy, nobody is worried about the nitty grity. They want nice, bright light, mainly. So there has definitely been a learning curve to researching these lights. It also seems like it's a highly technical thing to sell. Which is very interesting to me on both fronts! Not to mention the energy savings that will come along with it.

My god, you should totally do that! A side by side comparison of different flashlights!

 

[Homesteader]

I think many of these manufactures have a great amount of information on their websites, and also a book that came highly recommend to me was " THe LED grow book" by Christopher Sloper.
I use the Blackdog phytomax which I think is may be slightly more geared toward cannabis because they use Far red/ near infrared and UV-A compared to some of the others.

 

[PhatNuggz]

2.5 years ago I approached BML (now Fluence) with my idea to create one SPYDR 600 that would function well for both veg and flower: it would consist of ~ 90% mix of cool white, neutral white and warm white, PLUS, a blend of 450 and 625. He built it and sent it to me. I have done 4-6 grows using it, it works quite well, but is a bit cumbersome for my tents

If anyone is interested PM me with an offer I can't refuse

 

[Limber pine]

I use the Blackdog phytomax which I think is may be slightly more geared toward cannabis because they use Far red/ near infrared and UV-A compared to some of the others.

I will definitely check that book out. Thanks!

What are you thoughts on the Black Dog LED? Are you using it for personal growing or commercial growing?

 

[Limber pine]

bit cumbersome for my tents

Can you elaborate on what makes it cumbersome for your tents? What size tents are you using? Personal or commercial grow? Also what is the 450 and 625 blend you speak of?

 

[Homesteader]

Just a personal grow. I like a lot and my only complaints are weight and cost. I run CO2 so it gets my temps up. Runs the 5w diodes (cree? I believe) but havent opened it up yet. Going to build my own using 3w cree xp-g3s and osram Golden Dragons in the near future. The unit is heavy as shit but I assume its heat sink is quite large.

Lots of free knowledge on their website as well
https://www.blackdogled.com/faq

 

[Limber pine]

complaints are weight and cost.

Lots of free knowledge on their website as well
https://www.blackdogled.com/faq

How much does it weigh? Does that make it harder to hang in your tent?

I have read their site a bit, but I will definitely read more. Do you think that Black dog is more of a personal grow type light? Or do you see or have heard of people using them for commercial ops?

 

[Homesteader]

I don't think Blackdog is efficient enough to be considered by commercial ops because of the 5w diodes. I would think the same could be achieved using Cree 3w or Osram 1w's.

 

[Homesteader]

Not sure I would hang this up in a tent because of the weight and cost. I think it weighs around 50lbs. I'm sure you could, just I wouldn't.

 

[PhatNuggz]

Can you elaborate on what makes it cumbersome for your tents? What size tents are you using? Personal or commercial grow? Also what is the 450 and 625 blend you speak of?

I responded in a pM

 

[mandalaman]

I responded in a pM

Would you mind sending me a PM also - I may be interested.

 

[PhatNuggz]

How much does it weigh? Does that make it harder to hang in your tent?

I have read their site a bit, but I will definitely read more. Do you think that Black dog is more of a personal grow type light? Or do you see or have heard of people using them for commercial ops?

Sorry, I missed this. wish this site provided reply info

Weight is not an issue, maybe 20 pounds. If you put it up open (4 x 4) it's either a 2 man job or as I did, lay it flat, attach the yo-yos and begin to raise a little on each side

 

[PhatNuggz]

I responded in a pM

It has both 450 and 625 diodes in addition to the whites. This to bump/enhance those spectrums. Amare does the same thing, but I did it before he started his business

 

[Limber pine]

In your experience with the Fluence LED. Does it manage the spectrums to mimic natural light itself? Or is that something you have to setup and control on your own? I'm just wondering if it has some kind of built in setting for Veg and flowering that the user toggles?

 

[PhatNuggz]

In your experience with the Fluence LED. Does it manage the spectrums to mimic natural light itself? Or is that something you have to setup and control on your own? I'm just wondering if it has some kind of built in setting for Veg and flowering that the user toggles?

Is this directed at me?