Hey guys I am new to this forum and I want to let everyone know that I am in the business of selling LED lights, including LED grow lights. I have read all the complaints about people getting ripped off, especially by those 225 LED panels that sell for $20-50. The people that sell those panels are really misleading you because even though the panel has 225 diodes assembled in 15 rows by 15 columns, the diodes themselves are 0.06watts each for a total wattage of 13.8watts. You will not grow anything under 13.8watts.
LED lights have many cost saving advantages and are an extremely efficient way to grow indoors, but you have to get the right ones. Costs should be $2-3/watt and you should have a total of 300watts or more with either 1 light assembly or a combination of 90watt, 120watt and so on. If you get about 300-400watts of LED lighting, you can replace a 1000watt HPS or MH system. You will not need a ballast and you will not need to vent the heat from the light as LEDs emit a near zero heat signature.
The reason 300-400watts of LED lighting can replace 1000watts of HPS/MH is because LEDs grow lights are concentrated on the light spectrums needed for vegetating and flowering, the blues and reds. An HPS/MH light is white light and has ALL the light spectrums, so all the extra colors that the plant does not need are wasted electricity and heat. LED technology allows you to dissect white light into the wavelengths that are needed and only use those for photosynthesis.
Cheers,
Ethan