Light question

[Cannacaps4U2]

Hey vegan what model of HLG QB?
What size space?

So here are two that I am looking at.

California lightworks solar extreme 250

Viparspectra dimmable 450w


Any others I should be looking at?
Any to stay away from?

 

[Old Salt]

Get the physically largest light, from a quality manufacturer, with the wattage required. The smaller the light, the higher it needs to be above your canopy so that you get the light needed at the outer edges of your cabinet. Light panels, like those offered by BudgetLED, Mars Hydro, and yes HLG would be the best options with your height restriction.

 

[Edzzed]

I built my own lights, Read up on my sig below if you have some time. On the second grow you can see in a few pics how close I have my lights. I am guessing 5 inches

 

[Vegan4life]

I had 2 fixtures in a 3' x 3' space, both hlg 260w qb kits, one of them has two 304 boards, 3500k. The other has two 288 boards 3000k. I just bought another fixture with two of the 288 3000k Rspec boards (black Friday deal). I am currently building a new grow space 3' x 5.5' which I will use all three fixtures in. I would stay away from the blurple lights (Viparspectra). Check out Budget LED @Budget LED quite a few members on this site are having great luck with their Quantum Boards and I read that they have great customer service (Also a USA company and They are also a 420 Magazine site sponsor).

I am all in on QUANTUM BOARDS. They will not disappoint...

 

[Cannacaps4U2]

Interesting little setup. The one concern I would have is heat.

Here is a great option. It is 120w and offers a great full cycle spectrum. The plant can also get closer because the intensity is lower than our other kits. It also runs very cool.

Series 2+ Heatsink Free Full Spec 120 Watt Grow Light

Our Series 2+ Heatsink Free Full Spec 120 Watt Indoor LED grow light is designed to be the ultimate full cycle light. Each kit utilizes 1 of our custom designed & truly full spectrum LED boards with Samsung LM301B, LG UV, Osram Blue 450nm, Osram Deep Red LED 660nm, and Osram Far Red 730nm. This...

www.budgetgrowlights.com

Here are two of these lights in action in a 3 x 3.

Does the setup pictured come complete?
I looked at the link to the series 2 +
So the price listed is a complete setup?
And I would want two of these correct?

Mike

 

[Big juice]

California lightworks is great! I would order directly from them. Alot of fakes online. you ofcourse get a great warranty if you're not happy in 90 days you can ship her back without questions. I'm currently running 3 400watt and 1 800 watt and 6 uvbs

 

[Silverfox125]

For that space I would think (1) 130 w full spectrum would be awesome.

I have it in my 2x2 veg tent and it would definitely be strong enough to flower that space.

good luck

 

[Old Salt]

California lightworks is great! I would order directly from them. Alot of fakes online. you ofcourse get a great warranty if you're not happy in 90 days you can ship her back without questions. I'm currently running 3 400watt and 1 800 watt and 6 uvbs

My current setup, home built cabinet, 48hx36wx20 deep (inches)

California Lightworks has a good name, and I'd consider them for a taller grow space.

Were you thinking of their SX-250? There's no PAR map on their website for this light. That light is 8" square and 4" tall, the COBs seem to occupy a 4" square in the light. Why is this important? For the light to produce a reasonable intensity at the edges of the grow, it will need to be at least (36"-4") /2 above the canopy. That's the width of the canopy less the width of the light generating area of the fixture divided by two, or 16" above the canopy. This will put 60-70% of the intensity under the center of the light at the edges of the cabinet. An absolute minimum of 20" available height would be taken, leaving 28" for the plant containers, and the plants. Two of those lights would reduce the requirement to a more acceptable 12".

I think two would be required for flowering, as the PAR rating at 16" of height will be below 700. At 8", PAR would be over 1000, These lights do not have an intensity adjustment. That makes their use with the height restriction problematic.

This is why I would not recommend any fixture with a small light producing footprint for this application. A flat panel with intensity control would take much less vertical space, give better coverage at the edges, and be good from seed to harvest.

 

[Dutchman1990]

I run a 120W Full Spec Kit in tm custom built GrowBox as well. It’s 32”x”30”x42” and the single 120W Kit is more than enough! In fact I usually keep the light dimmed to about 75% because it’s so strong for the area! I also keep it about 12-14” from the tops of seedlings/clones/small plants without any issues and using the dimming capabilities!

I would recommend 1x 120W KIT from @Budget LED to maximize that spaces potential.

E159F6DA-C6AA-49BB-A451-876C6C1669E5.jpeg

• Dutchman1990
• Dec 26, 2019

9C58011B-9F92-4734-9B96-07FBAA195D47.jpeg

• Dutchman1990
• Dec 14, 2019

88EF078E-FDF3-49C0-B820-1BC41DC8FEED.jpeg

• Dutchman1990
• Dec 13, 2019

7408D738-6276-4B7B-B074-9DBE616064B8.jpeg

• Dutchman1990
• Dec 13, 2019

9973FC32-9DA2-4976-BEC1-6F93E9BBC80B.jpeg

• Dutchman1990
• Oct 23, 2019

A2EFE2EF-5287-41F5-AD67-094A3A114E53.jpeg

• Dutchman1990
• Oct 23, 2019

I run multiple boards from Budget and would recommend them 1000%
My garden has improved drastically since implementing the upgraded LEDS !

If you need more pictures or info just ask or check out my journal for what they are capable of!

 

[Elevated Lighting Company]

Does the setup pictured come complete?
I looked at the link to the series 2 +
So the price listed is a complete setup?
And I would want two of these correct?

Mike

All our kits come complete. The light mentioned comes ready to hang. Yes you would really want two of them to maximize canopy coverage while also allowing you to dim slightly when the plants get close to it.

I got thinking about this and another option would be one of our standard 250w kits (driver mounted outside the cabinet). You then have optimal coverage for that space and also do not have the go full throttle with the light. Hence, producing less heat while giving you all the benefits you are looking for. You may not even need go adjust the light height once mounted. The dimmable can can your height adjustment. You would just need to rig a custom hanging rig in there. For eye bolts to attach to the light, four eye screws to go in the cabinet, then some chain to connect the to. You want at least four inches from the back of the heatsink to the roof of your space to allow air flow. The heatsink with the LED boards attached are under an 1" thick.

Series 2+ Red Spec 250 Watt Dimmable Grow Light

Our Series 2+ Red Spec 250 Watt Indoor LED grow light is designed to be the ultimate flowering unit. Each kit utilizes 2 of our custom designed & full spectrum LED boards with Samsung LM301B, Osram Deep Red LED 660nm, and Osram Far Red 730nm. This unit is dimmable, with wattage output from 25 to...

www.budgetgrowlights.com

I would reccomend it in 3500k for full cycle growing.

 

[Elevated Lighting Company]

I run a 120W Full Spec Kit in tm custom built GrowBox as well. It’s 32”x”30”x42” and the single 120W Kit is more than enough! In fact I usually keep the light dimmed to about 75% because it’s so strong for the area! I also keep it about 12-14” from the tops of seedlings/clones/small plants without any issues and using the dimming capabilities!

I would recommend 1x 120W KIT from @Budget LED to maximize that spaces potential.

E159F6DA-C6AA-49BB-A451-876C6C1669E5.jpeg

• Dutchman1990
• Dec 26, 2019

9C58011B-9F92-4734-9B96-07FBAA195D47.jpeg

• Dutchman1990
• Dec 14, 2019

88EF078E-FDF3-49C0-B820-1BC41DC8FEED.jpeg

• Dutchman1990
• Dec 13, 2019

7408D738-6276-4B7B-B074-9DBE616064B8.jpeg

• Dutchman1990
• Dec 13, 2019

9973FC32-9DA2-4976-BEC1-6F93E9BBC80B.jpeg

• Dutchman1990
• Oct 23, 2019

A2EFE2EF-5287-41F5-AD67-094A3A114E53.jpeg

• Dutchman1990
• Oct 23, 2019

I run multiple boards from Budget and would recommend them 1000%
My garden has improved drastically since implementing the upgraded LEDS !

If you need more pictures or info just ask or check out my journal for what they are capable of!

As you can see by the Dutchmans cabinet, you could start with one and then opt for two after your first grow. This light is proving to be a strong light unit.

 

[Big juice]

California Lightworks has a good name, and I'd consider them for a taller grow space.

Were you thinking of their SX-250? There's no PAR map on their website for this light. That light is 8" square and 4" tall, the COBs seem to occupy a 4" square in the light. Why is this important? For the light to produce a reasonable intensity at the edges of the grow, it will need to be at least (36"-4") /2 above the canopy. That's the width of the canopy less the width of the light generating area of the fixture divided by two, or 16" above the canopy. This will put 60-70% of the intensity under the center of the light at the edges of the cabinet. An absolute minimum of 20" available height would be taken, leaving 28" for the plant containers, and the plants. Two of those lights would reduce the requirement to a more acceptable 12".

I think two would be required for flowering, as the PAR rating at 16" of height will be below 700. At 8", PAR would be over 1000, These lights do not have an intensity adjustment. That makes their use with the height restriction problematic.

This is why I would not recommend any fixture with a small light producing footprint for this application. A flat panel with intensity control would take much less vertical space, give better coverage at the edges, and be good from seed to harvest.

I simply stated they are a quality light. I'm not trying to push something else down the guys throat like you all.. lmao

 

[Old Salt]

I simply stated they are a quality light. I'm not trying to push something else down the guys throat like you all.. lmao

I'm not trying to "push something else down the guys throat." I'm sharing what experience has taught me. I had a similar but dimmable light from another manufacturer, with six 300W COBs instead of four. It drew 315W from the wall at full intensity. That light was for a 2' x 4' x 5' grow tent. The results? Poor harvests of 5.1 and 7.4 oz. I had four plants in the tent. The two at the edges of the tent produced 40% less than those closer to the center of the light. I then won a panel style light, the TS-2000 from Mars Hydro. I also built an eight COB array to cover the area evenly. I saw the difference with both lights. I had a 15.7 oz harvest from my 2' x 4' tent, and the plants all had roughly the same yield per square foot. The yield was higher than the breeder's estimates.

Like I mentioned, California Lightworks produces what are from all accounts, good grow lights. That does not mean their product is the best option for this situation. Without a PAR map, I have to assume the figures given are taken directly under the light.

Now that you know how I came to my opinion, perhaps you'd like to share why you think the California Lightworks would be a better choice. I'm open to having my opinion changed.

 

[Nunyabiz]

First thing I'd suggest is try to find an area with taller than 48" ceiling.
Can you grow decently in a 4' ceiling?
Yes, but why make it harder on yourself unless theres absolutely no other option.
It's kinda like having an olympic runner made to compete wearing steel toed boots.

If you must grow with such a low ceiling you will need to heavily LST and SCROG to really even out the canopy.
Your plants can only grow about 24" tall, I had buds bigger than that last grow.
Need a dimmable LED thats large in physical dimensions or several smaller LEDs so that you can get them to within 6" of canopy in flower and get even coverage.

If you dont want to build your own then Budget LED is probably about your best bet for the price.
If you dont mind building your own then I'd suggest a strip light, they run cooler, can get within 6" of canopy, very even coverage, the light is only about 3" tall you can attach it right to the ceiling and only use 9" of that 48" space for light and distance to canopy.

I just did a PAR reading on my two lights just now.
I have two strip lights each light is 24x26" in size and my grow space is 2.5' x 5' x 9'
The entire canopy is pretty evenly covered, keep in mind that I grow in a bathtub and one side is totally open with zero reflection which you can see in my PAR readings below, the bottom line loses about 80-90 PAR because of zero reflective wall there.
But other than that the lights themselves produce very even lighting.

I have them dimmed to 200w each and hung them at 16" from my seedlings, the one on the right is 15 days from seed and left is 12 days from seed.
450-475 PAR at 16" just felt right and plants seem to be responding well to it.
In a couple days will dial it up to maybe 550-600 PAR, then at flip probably to 600-700 PAR and late flower probably hit it between 800- 1000 PAR if these cultivars can handle it.

Just looking at my PAR readings, I think I am going to spread my lights apart maybe another 2 to 3", I bet I can get my far left and right sides up to over 400PAR and center still about the same, should have seen that earlier.

 

[Cannacaps4U2]

Ok so I think I will go with the hlg 260w
Hlg 260w $229.00

260W QB V1 LED Kit

Ultra High Efficiency LED Boards for DIY. QB288 has 288pcs Samsung 301B or 561C LED

horticulturelightinggroup.com

Im thinking the 3500k
Any good reason not to go this way?

 

[Slicknick909]

Ok so I think I will go with the hlg 260w
Hlg 260w $229.00

260W QB V1 LED Kit

Ultra High Efficiency LED Boards for DIY. QB288 has 288pcs Samsung 301B or 561C LED

horticulturelightinggroup.com

Im thinking the 3500k
Any good reason not to go this way?

Not a bad light for the money, I'd personally spend the extra $70 and get a Budget LED series 2+ so you have the advantage in flower of the extra red spectrum that the HLG doesn't offer.