Who is the go to LED guy?

  • Thread starter SkunkyDunk
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MIGrampaUSA

MIGrampaUSA

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The idea is finding a good deal and not finding out they want 300 to ship it too ya. I understand the whole China to the US but it's hardly a deal sometimes.
Shipping right now is causing that. When I made my purchases (2 boards per purchase, and 3 purchases), I saved about $100 per board with the shipping included. Fortunately my purchases were all before shipping problems began to occur.
 
Tomkins2010

Tomkins2010

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At $156.00 a board delivered i cant complain.
No you are absolutely right I'll order two right now if I could find that deal. Best I could do week or so ago was like 220 shipped and just didn't have the 450.
 
Rootbound

Rootbound

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Kingbrite is a factory distributor (but I don't know if Kingbrite supplies HLG.) Kingbrite boards are unbranded but with an order of 100 or more, they will put your brand name on the light. HLG does business with one of these type of suppliers to have their lights built to their specs. As long as there's no mis-advertising going on, the top bin LM301 diode used for the HLG would also be the same top bin LM301 diode in the Kingbrite boards. They both use Meanwell drivers. They are the same board in more ways than they are different. One company is in the USA. The other is in China. People on this board who have bought Kingbrite Quantum boards have been very happy with them ... and have purchased more since they made their first. I've purchased from them 3 times now.
HLG does not have their boards made by kingbrite or any other company. They build their own Quantum boards here in the USA. Kingbrite simply copies anything HLG or fluence etc researches and develops.
 
MIGrampaUSA

MIGrampaUSA

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HLG does not have their boards made by kingbrite or any other company. They build their own Quantum boards here in the USA. Kingbrite simply copies anything HLG or fluence etc researches and develops.
But the components all come from the same place. HLG assembles purchased components. The same components that Kingbrite uses. This really is the point here. An LM 301 diode is an Lm301 diode and the difference between top bin and regular bin LEDs is so small the argument becomes almost irrelevant due to the cost of the Kingbrite boards.
 
MIMedGrower

MIMedGrower

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HLG does not have their boards made by kingbrite or any other company. They build their own Quantum boards here in the USA. Kingbrite simply copies anything HLG or fluence etc researches and develops.


And for as cheap as they possibly can.

Also I believe the new “diablo” boards are coming straight from samsung in korea. Still assembled in america and made to hlg specs.

Lots of talk still of kingbrite and meiju boards dimming or strips of diodes failing due to poor manufacturing or unmatched low bin diodes in the first year and warranty complaints.
 
MIMedGrower

MIMedGrower

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But the components all come from the same place. HLG assembles purchased components. The same components that Kingbrite uses. This really is the point here. An LM 301 diode is an Lm301 diode and the difference between top bin and regular bin LEDs is so small the argument becomes almost irrelevant due to the cost of the Kingbrite boards.


You have no proof they use the same components. They dont stick to any quality control. You can get lucky or unlucky. They have had big runs of defective lights. With all the research you have done how come you dont know the negative facts?
 
MIGrampaUSA

MIGrampaUSA

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You have no proof they use the same components. They dont stick to any quality control. You can get lucky or unlucky. They have had big runs of defective lights. With all the research you have done how come you dont know the negative facts?
Actually, I do. The PCB says Samsung right on it. You can trace the serials if you choose. I traced the meanwell driver serials and they are legit. So yes, I do feel mine are legit boards performing as they should. It seems that those who question whether or not the Kingbrite boards are legit are the people who don't own them.
 
Tomkins2010

Tomkins2010

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Actually, I do. The PCB says Samsung right on it. You can trace the serials if you choose. I traced the meanwell driver serials and they are legit. So yes, I do feel mine are legit boards performing as they should. It seems that those who question whether or not the Kingbrite boards are legit are the people who don't own them.
I'm fixing to order one right now. Trying to decide what Kelvin to use. Only gonna use for Veg.
 
MIMedGrower

MIMedGrower

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Actually, I do. The PCB says Samsung right on it. You can trace the serials if you choose. I traced the meanwell driver serials and they are legit. So yes, I do feel mine are legit boards performing as they should. It seems that those who question whether or not the Kingbrite boards are legit are the people who don't own them.


Not true at all. Everything i have said has come from owners or builders that bought them to check them out.

I suggest highly you check out some other forum threads. Diy with quantum boards and chinese knock off builds.


The industry guys post often as well as small builders and a lot of customers.

I have been considering buying the chinese boards for years now. If there was little doubt i would already be an owner. But money is tight for me now and i cant risk inferior quality.

Murphy’s law you know.


And just to counter your comment. The growers recommending chinese knock offs have not had them for very long. You are only vouching for the price.
 
Rootbound

Rootbound

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I got an answer back from sixstring on why he only buys from HLG.

"The knockoffs generally use lower bin diodes which tend to be 50-70% cheaper because they dont meet the same efficiency # as the top bins,and top bins always go to the big players first, hlg,fluence ect. Those guys buy hundreds of thousands of diodes at a time so of I was to call Samsung and say I want 20k 301h diodes they would say minimum order for that chip is 100k but they will sell the lower quality LEDs all day and 99% of the users would never know the difference. Then you have the pcb boards,another way to make cheap boards is use thinner boards or lower quality aluminum plus thinner."
 
MIMedGrower

MIMedGrower

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I got an answer back from sixstring on why he only buys from HLG.

"The knockoffs generally use lower bin diodes which tend to be 50-70% cheaper because they dont meet the same efficiency # as the top bins,and top bins always go to the big players first, hlg,fluence ect. Those guys buy hundreds of thousands of diodes at a time so of I was to call Samsung and say I want 20k 301h diodes they would say minimum order for that chip is 100k but they will sell the lower quality LEDs all day and 99% of the users would never know the difference. Then you have the pcb boards,another way to make cheap boards is use thinner boards or lower quality aluminum plus thinner."


This matches what i have read from the owners of hlg and other companies and the big led customers like six string.

What i am seeing lately is bad strings of diodes on the v2 chinese boards. They are saying when pushed the unmatched diodes can fail and one can dim the whole string rendering the board permanently damaged.

So a customer that runs at 80% may never have a problem but push them to 100% and in time they can fail.

Thats what i have seen posted with pics lately.

And i was considering a v2 board. Lol.
 
Migrower

Migrower

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I own 5 kingbrite 240w boards and haven't had a one major issue. A short in a pointiometer is all which I just took off and run at full in flower room. Mine are over a year old and are great,no issues. Albiet I've never ppfd tested them, they hermied a run over to much light so I know they provide enough light. So......my two cents. Worth every penny.
 
SkunkyDunk

SkunkyDunk

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I own 5 kingbrite 240w boards and haven't had a one major issue. A short in a pointiometer is all which I just took off and run at full in flower room. Mine are over a year old and are great,no issues. Albiet I've never ppfd tested them, they hermied a run over to much light so I know they provide enough light. So......my two cents. Worth every penny.

Im on board as well, as an unprofessional grower i have a unprofessional budget.
These fit the bill nicley.
The crop you had issue with hermies, you grow in a tent right? I can see how these panels could overpower and or overheat a enclosed space easily.
 
Migrower

Migrower

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Im on board as well, as an unprofessional grower i have a unprofessional budget.
These fit the bill nicley.
The crop you had issue with hermies, you grow in a tent right? I can see how these panels could overpower and or overheat a enclosed space easily.
No it was 3 240W spaced 24in apart over a 5x9 canopy in a small room with white walls
IMG 20200226 113646220 HDR
 
jibs

jibs

127
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The idea is finding a good deal and not finding out they want 300 to ship it too ya. I understand the whole China to the US but it's hardly a deal sometimes.
True and it's hard to decipher for me which ones are legit I'm on three different sites and each one I have lights in the cart ready to buy but something keeps telling me to research more and I am on a budget but with what I have it's pretty fair and I think I could find something decent I found the HLG 550 V2 But I've heard a lot of great things about but when I research it I find the same model but one of them has some green little latch things or something on it one doesn't
 
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