Lighting Opinions for 4x4 tent lighting

[WildBill]

Geek out on this!

 

[DogterB]

@Arthur did you get a chance to check out my short-list? After even more reading, I've come to the conclusion that I will avoid the added IR & UV, as many say that they reduce the life of the light and use more energy. Later on I will probably supplement. I'd love to hear your thoughts and appreciate any input. As of now, I'm thinking of going with 3 x 240w

 

[Jpkindbud]

Just me commenting... i have decided no more cheap lights! No alibaba, no wish, no china. The hollandstar i had was good for a little while until my cob units started failing. I’ve decided to pay up and get a timber redwood vs. 640 true watt 6 cob fixture, dimmable vero 29 cobs i think. 3 year warranty. $800 check em out. Same kinda light as rapidled cob fixtures... checked out same size for 4x4 and rapid is more expensive and you have to buy the frame separately.

 

[Jpkindbud]

Just me commenting... i have decided no more cheap lights! No alibaba, no wish, no china. The hollandstar i had was good for a little while until my cob units started failing. I’ve decided to pay up and get a timber redwood vs. 640 true watt 6 cob fixture, dimmable vero 29 cobs i think. 3 year warranty. $800 check em out. Same kinda light as rapidled cob fixtures... checked out same size for 4x4 and rapid is more expensive and you have to buy the frame separately.

If i did go a little cheaper i would get the covert led x500, 500 true watts 4 bar fixture... around $500

 

[Arthur]

@Arthur did you get a chance to check out my short-list? After even more reading, I've come to the conclusion that I will avoid the added IR & UV, as many say that they reduce the life of the light and use more energy. Later on I will probably supplement. I'd love to hear your thoughts and appreciate any input. As of now, I'm thinking of going with 3 x 240w

Been down this road... have grown under just about every light source tried for canna.... the light is the heart of your grow, don't skimp. Get the best you can afford. As apposed to buying a number of questionable quality lights to cover the 4x4, I would recommend a single, higher end light that only covers a section of the tent, and then add later. I moved over to LED from hps about 3 yrs ago, and had watched for many years prior the poor performance of leds. When I dumped the hps, I built a 200w Cob system. 4 lights. It covered about a 3rd of my tent. Ran me about 200$ at the time. About a year later I added a 250w kit with 5. This is the current setup. (Excuse the mess, 5 plants just came out.) The 4 black heat sinks are my original 200w. With the new photo seedlings just moved in, I have them dialed all the way back, pulling right at 200w in total.


Genetics, medium/nutrition & lighting. There are a lot of things you can do to cut costs in a grow, if you want a good product at the end, these 3 things aren't those.

I see good stuff coming from some of the guys running mars, cobshop is another to look at. DIY is another possibility, there's a section here on that I think... also most of the suppliers offer kits as well, most are plug and play. My last was a kit from timber.
And... if you are going to use a cheaper light, check YouTube and see someone grow under it...all the way thru to chop, with results shown... many of these cheap lights will do you right in veg, but when it's time to flower, come up lacking.

 

[DogterB]

Been down this road... have grown under just about every light source tried for canna.... the light is the heart of your grow, don't skimp. Get the best you can afford. As apposed to buying a number of questionable quality lights to cover the 4x4, I would recommend a single, higher end light that only covers a section of the tent, and then add later. I moved over to LED from hps about 3 yrs ago, and had watched for many years prior the poor performance of leds. When I dumped the hps, I built a 200w Cob system. 4 lights. It covered about a 3rd of my tent. Ran me about 200$ at the time. About a year later I added a 250w kit with 5. This is the current setup. (Excuse the mess, 5 plants just came out.) The 4 black heat sinks are my original 200w. With the new photo seedlings just moved in, I have them dialed all the way back, pulling right at 200w in total.


Genetics, medium/nutrition & lighting. There are a lot of things you can do to cut costs in a grow, if you want a good product at the end, these 3 things aren't those.

I see good stuff coming from some of the guys running mars, cobshop is another to look at. DIY is another possibility, there's a section here on that I think... also most of the suppliers offer kits as well, most are plug and play. My last was a kit from timber.
And... if you are going to use a cheaper light, check YouTube and see someone grow under it...all the way thru to chop, with results shown... many of these cheap lights will do you right in veg, but when it's time to flower, come up lacking.
View attachment 1221660View attachment 1221661

Appreciate the insight Arthur! I will be looking into what you recommended, and will have to figure out how to budget for one. Thanks!

 

[Steppa]

I've been following the thread... as once I move I wanna set up a modest tent etc... and the Migro Aray bar leds have peaked my interest!.. fair prices not too sure how they compare spec wise but within my budget, long warranty and upgradable if tech changes!... just my 2p!.. easy now...

 

[Olderfart]

Been down this road... have grown under just about every light source tried for canna.... the light is the heart of your grow, don't skimp. Get the best you can afford. As apposed to buying a number of questionable quality lights to cover the 4x4, I would recommend a single, higher end light that only covers a section of the tent, and then add later. I moved over to LED from hps about 3 yrs ago, and had watched for many years prior the poor performance of leds. When I dumped the hps, I built a 200w Cob system. 4 lights. It covered about a 3rd of my tent. Ran me about 200$ at the time. About a year later I added a 250w kit with 5. This is the current setup. (Excuse the mess, 5 plants just came out.) The 4 black heat sinks are my original 200w. With the new photo seedlings just moved in, I have them dialed all the way back, pulling right at 200w in total.


Genetics, medium/nutrition & lighting. There are a lot of things you can do to cut costs in a grow, if you want a good product at the end, these 3 things aren't those.

I see good stuff coming from some of the guys running mars, cobshop is another to look at. DIY is another possibility, there's a section here on that I think... also most of the suppliers offer kits as well, most are plug and play. My last was a kit from timber.
And... if you are going to use a cheaper light, check YouTube and see someone grow under it...all the way thru to chop, with results shown... many of these cheap lights will do you right in veg, but when it's time to flower, come up lacking.
View attachment 1221660View attachment 1221661

A thing of beauty! Very nice light setup. I looked carefully at those, but ended up going with a DIY screwin setup. My rig isn't the fanciest, but it covers perfectly in my 2x4, and I got over a gram/watt of really nice bud in the first grow in spite of my noob screwups. I am sure that it is not the most efficient or effective rig out there, but it works well for my home grow, and with the screwin bulbs, if one dies, I just head for the hardware store. I figure this is pretty much as good as a lifetime warranty for this old bugger.