I called Fluence and got alot of information from them. Felt like sharing some of it..
1. THEY USE A 2.5 METER SPHERE... They have one in shop. If you live in Texas, you may walk in and look at it if you like.. Their specs are based on the sphere. Hopefully that clears things up with those who think they dont.
2. Some of the reasons why they're twice the price.. Warranty.. 2 extra years vs
HLG and PLC.
Cost of manufacturing.. Unlike everyone that uses fixed sizes, they have spreadable, bendable, detachable bars for user preference. The cost is far greater on their end to build. Their light spectrum has more blues and reds and has higher intensity overall for all bands compared to HLG550s and plc 6.2.. They are more efficient then
HLG 550s and the plc 6.2. I don't remember how much more he said but it wasnt that much for me to be impressed. There were alot more reasons, but they have to do with catering then quality and efficiency of the actual lights.
3. They upgrade their light every 6 months. This year it was water proofing connectors.. End of this year, a more programmable dimmer. They dont expect anything new anytime soon. Just improvements for the near future so dont expect to have the same effect as one would with a cell phone.
From everything I gather, their price has nothing to do with stupid consumers like some here have claimed. It's all about their marketing and who they market. They target mostly big professional grow shops. Their pitch is, Save thousands a year on electric with the most efficient and superb quality LEDs on the market hands down. Which really is THOUSANDS if you think about how much electric goes for using non led lights with a massive grow.
They're really good lights. Better then anything else on the market. But they're meant for specific growers who's benefits would far exceed that of a hobbyist. Their price is perfectly fine if thats the market your in and has nothing to do with consumer stupidity keeping them afloat.
Just felt like I owed ya'll some information after bugging everyone about it..
If you think I should have asked something specific, let me know. I'll call back later and ask. I'm still probably going to purchase them so I'll be calling them anyways.