Old Reviews BadBoy T5 vs LED

[lykaboss]

Ok guys want peoples input on this, tons of talk about lighting on this site. I know some of you use T5's are sup. Lighting when using LED's. But if you could only rock 1 of them T5 Badboy or a blackstar LED which would you choose.

My knowledge of lighting is limited compared to others on here so i would like to see what people think

Lets say... How would 1 t5 16 bulb badboy stack up to say two 240 watt blackstars?

 

[astronomy420a]

what is the wattage on 16 t5's? two 240w blackstars will draw around 375watts. i wish my led's did pull 240 watts... they dont.

 

[slightlystoopid]

I think they are 54w bulbs so 864 watts I think you will get tighter node spacing with the t5 I just bought a badboy 8 bulb yesterday and can't wait to try I will probably try LEDs in the future

 

[Muddy]

I've been researching the Bad Boys as that is what I'll be using in my new hydro setup. A 16 bulb fixture draws 980 watts, 9 amps at 120 volts and 4.5 amps at 220 volts. When I talked to Quantum they told me that the coverage on their lights is the same size as the fixture, meaning that they don't throw much light to the sides. A 16 bulb fixture measures 46.5" x 46", almost 16 sq. ft. My outdoor grow box is 14 sq. ft. I'm using two Blackstar 240s in there now. While they are doing a good job, they aren't quite enough and I'll probably add a third one in the near future. So IMO the real comparison is more like three Blackstars to one 16 bulb Bad Boy. When you compare prices, the Bad Boy, with bulbs, is about 40% cheaper than 3 Blackstars. As far as their performance from what I've seen of Jackal's setup and grows, the Bad Boys perform exceedingly well.

 

[astronomy420a]

well then big advantage in wattage, but tailored light spectrum from led's may make up some of the difference. what is the spectrum of t5's? in nm. or kelvin?. both are not the best terms to use a nanometer is 1/billionth of a meter when using the electomagnetic spectrum it should be measured in
angstroms 1/10 billionth of a meter. View attachment 58233

 

[lykaboss]

ok so just for sake of an estimate 1 t5 bad boy 16 bulb would be almost equal to or equivant to 3 blackstar 240's...

So now theres a few things that come to mind, it seems that 3 black stars would give you more coverage since the T5 only coveres the area of the fixture. Also i would imagine the 1 t5 16 bulb will hit the electric bill a bit more then 3 blackstars

Again the statement i made above is not fact i am grasping here

 

[astronomy420a]

your missing one thing boss, percentege of light being used from each type led's are rated about using 85%. i dont know what percentage t5's use?
hid lighting only uses 15 to 20% the rest is in the spectrum that is not benifical to photosynthesis mostly in the infrared witch is whay they throw so much heat............................man i wish i could spell!

 

[akito]

Would you be referring to PAR? All I know is that my blackstars give me yields that seem to be on point to what everybody else is getting. For me to increase my yields I am working on my techniques so that I can hang with the big boys. I like that the blackstars do not hit my electric bill and they get to sit high above the plant. Easier for me to see into my tent faster. Cons for me would be the loudness of the led and the pink light looks more unnatural for being stealth

 

[BuddyLove]

well, they got a really spiffy looking design to em, that's for sure. all that aluminum and stuff. i know what just one LED will do. i wonder how the penetration will lack on the badboy??? one other factor to consider...those bulbs cost decent cash by themselves. the average T5 life is 12 months...then they start to lose their beneficial spectrum for plants...4 foot long x 16 bulbs....every year....ouch.

 

[lykaboss]

To OP: if you can afford 3 Blackstars - go for it, if not the BadBoys are a hella great fixture. What's the size of your grow space?

Thanks for the input guys, Thai i have six 240 watt blackstars so far. I love them blackstars. i am just seeing how the Badboy T5 stack up to the Blackstar