Wondering about the Super Grow Led's advertised here ---->

[Kebz]

Hope the info was helpful and really glad if it was useful in anyway.

I changed over my veg space to LED bulbs to see if they they worked and they work great. Bulbs over 7 watts seem a bit too intense and start to burn foliage at under 10 inches, i've got a 10watt bulb in the array in there and the girls aren't that keen, okay for smaller clones but when they grow closer to the bulb its a bit too intense. Plants need to 'harden off' against greater and greater intensity from the LED diodes.

The quality 1 watt and upwards diode bulbs have a greater self life. The quality LED's have been going for a couple of years when I switched (initially on 24/0 and then 18/6), while maybe 3 of the cheaper multi diode bulbs are on the 1st set of replacements.

I try to keep it basic, when not growing outdoors all we're doing is trying to find the best artificial lighting for our hobby. LED's specifically built for growing are extortionate, however LED's built for other applications (especially in veg) can be used in place, saving money, as well as allowing for individual bulbs to be replaced as opposed to having to replace panels, especially when some seem to have quite short live. Quality LED's also seem to outlast CFL's which blacken quite quickly with use and loose intensity of output.

I hope the info was useful, i realise its perhaps a little unconventional, but as resources available to us change it seems logical to take advantage where possible and where beneficial.

 

[Swany]

Good thoughts. When installing efficient LED or CFL lights for regular lighting I try to avoid new fangled bulb types and fixtures for similar reasons. With the standard screw base you know you will always be able to change the bulb to the newest stuff 'cause there are so many lamps out there that take the standard bulb you know manufactures will always make that style. Makes sense to keep it simple so you can always try new stuff or change out what's not working. I think the LEDT8 kinda falls into this category.

 

[Kebz]

I think your right. I've been watching the 'buildmyled.com' thread and tags420 has posted some really useful info on them. The pricing is way less than a lot of LED grow bulbs, muchos affordable, with lots of positives. They look mighty interesting.

 

[Swany]

I'm going to get 4 of the Apache LEDT8's to try them. I'm emailing back and forth with them right now. They seem to have two styles according to a picture they sent. $50 a piece. I'll post what else I learn.

Thanks for all the info All. I'm excited to try LEDs. I would love to do all my growing under them but baby steps is best for me I think, and way cheaper ;-}

 

[Swany]

All right - bought (4) Apache T8 style replacement LED tubes and they cost right about $50 a piece with shipping to WA. I should have them on Tuesday when I get back home. I'm going to swap out my new T5 fixture for my old T8 fixture reconfigured with LED's for the Mom Squad and use the new T5 for a clone table. A note if you're just reading this - At this time Apache does not yet have the T8LED's on the web site. Contact them direct if you want 'em now. Stats are posted above (or was that another post...) but they put out 220 or so umol each presumably in the right spectrum at the right height. The current moms I have are not doing that great. They came to me as small plants in beer cups and have never really shown vigor. We'll see if this helps them. I'll be more concerned about the Blue City Diesel and Cnx moms i'm about to start.

Interesting fact on the Super Grow LED's I started this thread about. I just read something on the web page titled LED vs. HPS that claimed the LED's they sell can produce 1gm per watt. I'm still on my first grow but I hear a good setup with HPS can do 1 gm per watt. Super Grow also shows a graph comparing (8) of their lights output to a 1000w HPS as similar peak but much broader range. OK - if you compare stats then you find that 8 of the LED's they sell produce 200 watts of LED light. If you get 1 gram per watt under their lights you get less than 1/2 a pound using $3680 worth of light. If you managed the same with a single 1k HPS it would cost a lot less - I paid about $400 a piece for lg. Awing + Quantum ballast + Hortalux HPS + (some brand) MH bulb. I'm running 4 lights with 16 plants and the way they look 3.5 weeks into flower I'm thinking I will get maybe a half pound a piece to hit that magical 1gm per watt (please - no body burst my bubble yet). I gotta play with the math more but that doesn't sound great on the face of it. $14,000 dollars to get equivalent Super Grows to my (4) HPS and I would get less yield. I'm going to look at other LED's

 

[Kushwick]

All right - bought (4) Apache T8 style replacement LED tubes and they cost right about $50 a piece with shipping to WA. I should have them on Tuesday when I get back home. I'm going to swap out my new T5 fixture for my old T8 fixture reconfigured with LED's for the Mom Squad and use the new T5 for a clone table. A note if you're just reading this - At this time Apache does not yet have the T8LED's on the web site. Contact them direct if you want 'em now. Stats are posted above (or was that another post...) but they put out 220 or so umol each presumably in the right spectrum at the right height. The current moms I have are not doing that great. They came to me as small plants in beer cups and have never really shown vigor. We'll see if this helps them. I'll be more concerned about the Blue City Diesel and Cnx moms i'm about to start.

Interesting fact on the Super Grow LED's I started this thread about. I just read something on the web page titled LED vs. HPS that claimed the LED's they sell can produce 1gm per watt. I'm still on my first grow but I hear a good setup with HPS can do 1 gm per watt. Super Grow also shows a graph comparing (8) of their lights output to a 1000w HPS as similar peak but much broader range. OK - if you compare stats then you find that 8 of the LED's they sell produce 200 watts of LED light. If you get 1 gram per watt under their lights you get less than 1/2 a pound using $3680 worth of light. If you managed the same with a single 1k HPS it would cost a lot less - I paid about $400 a piece for lg. Awing + Quantum ballast + Hortalux HPS + (some brand) MH bulb. I'm running 4 lights with 16 plants and the way they look 3.5 weeks into flower I'm thinking I will get maybe a half pound a piece to hit that magical 1gm per watt (please - no body burst my bubble yet). I gotta play with the math more but that doesn't sound great on the face of it. $14,000 dollars to get equivalent Super Grows to my (4) HPS and I would get less yield. I'm going to look at other LED's

Basically every led light compared to a 1k will have you feeling the same way. IMO LEDs are good for tent and closet grows but cmon $1,000+ to try and compare to a 1k setup and I doubt the yield would even come close.

 

[Swany]

Basically every led light compared to a 1k will have you feeling the same way. IMO LEDs are good for tent and closet grows but cmon $1,000+ to try and compare to a 1k setup and I doubt the yield would even come close.

Yea - seems that way. I'm gonna do a serious test but it won't be for another 4 or 5 months. I'll pull my first run in August and start another while I market the first run. By the time the second run is done I should (hope to) have profit from the first. Then I'll expand my room and run a side by side with eight of the UFO's or Apaches with 8 plants each. The UFOs have a 90 day money back guarantee that certainly sounds supportive... I don't know of another solid side by side. If anyone does please link it here so I/we can read it.

 

[Kebz]

I'm about to purchase another 380watt panel, eventually I'd like to do a room as i'm convinced from my small scale attempts that LED's are competitive. I'd like to run 2000 watts of LED lighting, if all works out, i should be stepping up to about 1250watts in the next week (from the current 850'ish watts in 36sq feet approx). I'll report results and and see what that much LED lighting produces.

Re the Super grow LED's, as far as I can see they are 25watts, full spectrum so miss the targeted aspect of using LED and cost 229 dollars. They don't seem value for money, I think the 200 dollar mark should be buying 100watts of LED lighting (power draw at the wall, not the rating of the diodes). I'm dubious about the comparative, Its a bit like claiming the very small space I use for veg (250watts) could compare to !000watt HPS if I flicked it to 12/12!

I like LEDs and I'm not convinced, I'd rather flick me 600watts of HPS back on than go to 200watts of LED for flower, reminds me of the claims from the old days of LED. Good move on the Apache T8 tubes, me thinks.

 

[tags420]

Awesome move going for the AT T8led's. They are so good as side lighting for flower. And obviously vegging anything.
The code RBK331 should get you a discount on the Apache T8led's next time...just tell them you have a code when you call. Or online it makes the at120's $750.
That code will be an active discount for all the new models too once they drop.

 

[Swany]

Awesome move going for the AT T8led's. They are so good as side lighting for flower. And obviously vegging anything.
The code RBK331 should get you a discount on the Apache T8led's next time...just tell them you have a code when you call. Or online it makes the at120's $750.
That code will be an active discount for all the new models too once they drop.

Growl - could have used that code two days ago ;-} I'm going to use them for Moms and Clones. For the rest of my current run I'm going with lizard lights to augment the HPS and hit 'em with UVB.

 

[tags420]

I gave you the heads up if you wanted them and you were on top of your shit. You had them called and bought, before I even thought of it. Next time...assuming they work well you may want more.

 

[Kebz]

Yep, 'I said with unashamed cheapness'! I guess convention is something that I like to test out ;-) If it works, I'm in favour. The spots guarantee penetration while the flood fills in the less well lit areas, a strange but effective combination, mixing angles, spectrums and different combinations of lighting.