DGP
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I have only been using LEDs in a grow for a short time and am still learning (spent years designing commercial LED high powered lighting so I have a solid background) but Good Gawd I am sick of seeing people getting ripped of from these garbage companies that produce total junk and import them into the US. Not talking about Fluence or Timber etc but the typical all in one enclosure/reflector type stuff you see on Ebay and Amazon etc.
They are often specified at 1200 watts and really draw like 200-300 or even less. The specs are out and out lies and the reliability seems questionable and color accuracy is a absolute joke. Often the COB spacing is inappropriate and the coverage area is another part of the total lies. In addition they contain the drivers so the heat the drivers produce is in the grow space whether it be a closet, tent or room. The smaller the grow area the worse the additional heat is an issue. However, regardless of room size it all costs in A/C eventually as well as compromised water temperatures for hydro folks.
Pleeeease everybody that is considering switching to LEDs, read the stickies here in this section BEFORE buying anything at least you'll know what you are getting regardless of your decision.
Cree, Luminous, Samsung and Citizen all make good LEDs. Even Citizen as many people joke about are making some pretty fine COBs if I just do a spec comparison. Quantum boards are awesome when you can get them (an indicator of the quality is they are frequently out of stock!) The Cree's in my opinion are overpriced....they had a clear lead for a while but with others catching up now it is not so much of a lead. They all have good color accuracy (CRI 90 and up) and are fairly close in efficiency (lumens/watt).
So DONT go to the greasy guys on Ebay or even Amazon.
OK, so if anyone has anything to add like:
1. Reliability of some of the commercial "junky" stuff you have had and been disappointed in.
2. Suppliers, kit manufacturers or parts vendors you have used and really like.
3. References to other builds, DIY sites or whatever.
4. References to the stickies and the builds shown there.
5. Specs of lights and components that are great!
6. Spec discussions on lights that are pure ripoffs & whatever else might help
How many times have we seen a new thread posted such as: "I am comparing the following lights: Mars, Morsen........What should I buy?" or "New to LED, what is a cheap system?". I don't think anyone minds helping out with those questions but I sure am sick of seeing people getting ripped off & separated from their hard earned money on something that is not a real value and a quality product :)
Even though I have designed COBs for other commercial applications, I used the 2 stickies in this forum and read through all of the posts before deciding what to buy and what to build.
Thanks to those authors/builders who did the hard work and posted the results!
I really wonder how many of these crap lights come out of Ebay, Amazon etc. each year that people get duped into buying.......Sorry Amazon usually your reviews and products are good quality but not so much in the case of LED grow lights.....well Ebay, yeah you get what you get there.
Dee