Surprise, surprise! Looking to move to LED's!

[Chuckeye]

Greetings,

As many of you know I'm a die hard HID user !

But, my ballast has passed away and I'm due for two new tubes.

Thinking about investing that money into an appropriate sized bar light

And finally quenching my curiously

I don't Need a Mega Watt monster but would like to come somewhat close to what my 600w HID was producing.

Currently looking at (@VIVOSUN ) VS FD 6500 (~$600) and the (@Mars Hydro ) FC-E4800 (~$490)...

Sponsors Gladly Accepted !

FYI > I plan to continue growing Sativa's but am actually looking at training methods to Reduce my yields !

Still in SIP's and 4 strains per grow in a 4' x 4' enclosure that expands to +5' x 5' if needed.

Comments/advice appreciated !

Cheers

 

[bluter]

look into strip rigs. size matters. try get as much wall to wall as you can stuff into the space you have. don't give the plants anywhere to hide. watts still matter. i always try to get as much in a rig as i can.

i run 600w of led in a 4x4 and have a new rig i'm modding at 650w to go in there next. i use dimming and never run full up though. i normally push about 450 to 550 max depending on how the plants like it.

you want a lot of watts and a dimmer. learning to use a dimmer is crucial, and where a lot of the savings are. if your rig is sized correct you will never rail the dimmer.

other things to consider are emitter count and kelvin ratio to diode count. learn what the different k are and the sweet zones for veg and flower. "full spec" rigs are a bit of a fake. it's a compromise. i built my own rigs with a flower bias.

heat sinks and driver placement is important. far too many new rigs have poor or no heat sinks - leading to early emitter failure. look for beefy frames on a strip rig to transfer heat.

adding extra uv / ir etc is just a cheap way to empty your wallet. a good rig performs on its own and white light emitters carry it in the spectrum already.

removable drivers for remote placement also helps. especially if the heat sink capability is poor.

edit: i used to build and sell rigs locally. the tech is much better than when i was active but all the same things apply. if you really want to learn about it i recommend building your own in a diy. you'll never look at a commercial rig the same again.

there used to be a lot of savings in a diy rig. for most folk i now recommend buying a commercial light.

 

[Chuckeye]

Thanks very much @bluter !

Not sure I want to go down the rabbit hole of DIY

Already way behind on actual paying work !

I'm basically comparing light spectrums and par maps if everything else is similar....

Leaning towards the Vivoson, it has a built in driver but I'm used to handling heat and the size is right

Just wondering how much is enough and I think you have answered that !

Cheers

 

[Virgin Ground]

@Chuckeye

The Viparspectra KS5000 would be a good choice. I've had the KS3000 for a bit over a year now and have had really awesome results.

It has a $100 off click and save coupon on Amazon right now. $369 for a 500 watt light is really reasonable.

There are reviews for it in our review/sponsor section.

 

[Virgin Ground]

@bluter

Shhhh...it.

I don't know if you saw the town that I live in on the Amazon shipping but I'd rather keep it between the two of us.

 

[Chuckeye]

@bluter

Shhhh...it.

I don't know if you saw the town that I live in on the Amazon shipping but I'd rather keep it between the two of us.

LOL, no. You're good !

That light is $619.99 on the Cdn site, no discount.

Even $500 Cdn is going to be a stretch, sigh...

Cheers

 

[bluter]

@bluter

Shhhh...it.

I don't know if you saw the town that I live in on the Amazon shipping but I'd rather keep it between the two of us.

lol .... i'm still dropping by for dinner on short notice ...

 

[Virgin Ground]

LOL, no. You're good !

That light is $619.99 on the Cdn site, no discount.

Even $500 Cdn is going to be a stretch, sigh...

Cheers

Sorry.

I didn't see where you are located.

My bad.

lol .... i'm still dropping by for dinner on short notice ...

Lmao.

If you can find me, you're welcome to stop by.

 

[bluter]

Lmao.

If you can find me, you're welcome to stop by.

it's not that big a place .. trying to get the google street view ...

edit: i like what you've done with the hedge ...