Finding a Good LED Grow Light
If you do decide to go with an LED grow light, then let’s talk about some of the things you’ll want to look at, before deciding which light to purchase.
For some items, like food or Levis, it’s okay to purchase a generic (no-name) brand. You’ll still get a decent loaf of bread even if you don’t recognize the name brand. With new technology (like LED lights) purchasing a no-name brand is a bad idea.
With new technology there is always an over-zealous group of people who know that they can produce the technology at an extremely low cost by lowering the quality of the materials. This leads to an extremely low-quality product that doesn’t last for long. Now, please don’t get me wrong. I’m all for getting the cheapest lights as long as they last. The thing is you have to wait for the technology to mature. In twenty years, I’ll be recommending that you purchase the cheapest LED lights you can find because in twenty years the technology will have matured enough that it won’t matter.
Brands I Recommend: Philips, CREE, and BridgeLux
Now the problem here is that Philips, Cree, and Bridgelux don’t actually make the grow lights. They only make the actual diodes that go into the lights. This means that when you are searching for your grow light you need to make sure that the company you are dealing with is using one of these brands in their light.
Companies I Trust:
This is still a work in progress, but here are some of the well-known companies in the market that you can trust. These companies build high-quality products and offer warranties.
- Kessil
- Advanced LED Lights
- Sunshine Systems
- Hydro Grow LED (The owner of this site is rumored to be a bit crazy but the lights work just fine)
- HTGSupply
- http://growledhydro.com/ (The website looks bad, but I’ve heard good things about the Spectra lights).
- http://www.prosourceworldwide.com/
As you now know, most LED companies promise that your lights are going to last at least 50,000 years (cough, I mean hours). People get really frustrated (I’m talking extremely angry) when their lights don’t last that long. So what’s going on here? Are the LED companies just filling us full of, well you know what?
Most LED companies aren’t out to trick you. What happens is the LED lights get too hot and break.
What???? I thought that LED lights didn’t produce that much heat and that is what makes them better than traditional growing lights.
It’s time to learn about heating for traditional lights versus LEDs.
What is a Heat Sink?
So traditional lights don’t need a heat sink because the heat escapes out of the bulb, but we just learned that isn’t the case with LEDs. LEDs don’t produce much heat, but they still need a way to release what little heat they generate (see how it is done in the image below).
Small amounts of heat build up in the LED Chips. This heat needs to go somewhere or else the chips will break (this is why some LED lights don’t last for years like they should). By some scientific miracle aluminum can suck this heat out (it acts as a conductor) of the LED chips. The good LED lights have fins that hold some of this heat. This way cold air can come through and keep the whole system cool. This is all built into the LED light, no special equipment required.
Some of the cheap LED lights out there will have a heat sink that doesn’t have fins. These lights don’t last as long. These fins go a long way in keeping the light cool. You’ll want to make sure your LED grow light’s heat sink has fins.
3. Let’s Talk Wattage
A 90 Watt LED light is actually made up of lots of little LED lights placed together (for example, it could be 90X1 watt LED lights placed on a panel).
Some people insist that you need each individual LED to be at least 3 watts. This isn’t necessary. Three watt lights have their advantages (deeper penetration into the plant), but so do 1 watt lights (more efficient). My suggestion is not to worry about it.
Conclusion
The two main things you want to look for when purchasing an LED grow light are a quality brand name and a good heat sink. If you take this advice, then chances are you are going to have a much better experience with your first light. Remember, not to over-analyze. At a certain point, you just need to get out there and start growing. In the next section, I’ll provide my recommendations and reviews.
Sources for the Beginner’s Series:
“PHOTOSYNTHESIS -PART I: THE SUN AND LIGHT,”
http://www.biology4kids.com/files/plants_photosynthesis.html
“PHYSIOLOGY: PLANT GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT”
http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/mg/botany/physiology.html
“Solutions for Bright Light and Heat Emission Combined,” http://www.fun-led-light.com/light-and-heat.html
“The Midlands Dahlia Society” http://www.dahlia-mds.co.uk/Topics/Propagation_2011_6.htm
”Grow Lights by All LED” http://growlightsbyallled.com/resources.html
“Philips Lighting CEO: LED Prices to Drop in Half,” http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-20063664-54.html
“LED Prices to Drop Tenfold in 3 Years, But Will the U.S. Lead the Industry?”
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/leds-to-drop-10x-in-price-in-3-years-but-will-the-u.s.-lead-the-industry/
“LED Prices go Down by Half,”
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-07-19/hardware/29790369_1_lamps-lighting-market-import-duty
Any idea when your “recommendations and reviews” section will be completed? Thanks for the overview and comparisons between the lighting. Made it easier to understand than any other site I’ve visited!
Hey Trevor,
Thanks a ton for your comment. Hearing you say that you appreciate my site made my day. Creating a resource that people understand is my goal (and hopefully I can get a few laughs out of you along the way).
I’m working furiously on the reviews and recommendations. I want to make sure I get everything right before I post them.
Great Info. Very Helpful. You helped me make up my mind on what to look for in the led’s system I will look to buy. TANKK’s FOR THE GREAT INFO..
Hey R.F.
Glad I could help, seriously.
finally answers, not juz reading…. i dont leave commentz eva, but ur site pointed me in the right direction with my lighting situation and it was appreciated. I also wanted to ask a quick question, what would be the reason Ledz dont yield as much as hidz? maybe the heat energy from the light is somewhat useful? but shid i rather lose the extra cordz and a lil yield then my crib…………
Ace, great question and comments. I have several theories as to why LEDs aren’t yielding as much as HID’s currently do.
1. HID technology has been around for longer. This means that manufacturers have had more time to perfect the lights.
2. People are used to growing with HID lights (they aren’t used to growing with LEDs). Anytime you make a major switch in your growing method you are going to see a reduction at first. As you get used to the amount of water, nutrients, and light the plants need with LEDs your yield will increase. I imagine when people first switched to growing plants with hydroponics there was a drop off in yield. Now some people swear by hydroponics.
3. Power. When LEDs were first introduced, the experts were a bit over-optimistic about the amount of power these lights were putting out. They thought that a dinky 90w ufo that only drew 70 watts of power could compete with a 400 watt HID light. LED experts are now realizing that more power is needed.
4. Your theory on heat energy seems sound to me. Sometimes a little heat can help the plant.
5. Spectrum. HID lights shoot out the entire spectrum. LED lights can shoot out the entire spectrum of light to, but the idea is to be efficient and simply shoot out what the plant needs. LED experts are getting closer and closer to finding the right spectrum, but the first LED lights were a bit off.
Anyways, thanks for stopping by. I loved your comment about not losing your crib. Gave me a good chuckle.
Best,
Nate
You make some interesting points in your article. However; I think you have overlooked the fact that there are other heat sinking methods without fins that work very well.
I am a manufacturer of LED lighting and we manufacture very cool running LED fixtures. We use a copper cylinder filled with basalt and as the led heats up the basalt turns into a liquid and cools the LED junction. This works much better than any of the “finned” methods we have tried. I think your comment that if it don’t have fins it won’t last is an unfair statement to the other methods that work just as well if not better. Proper heatsinking is the heart of a good LED light and fins are not always the best method of removing the unwanted heat.
At the present time we do not make a “grow light” , but are considering it as a future product. If and when we decide to make “grow light” I would be more than happy to send you a sample so you can test it for yourself.
Hey George,
Thanks for stopping by and leaving that excellent comment. Do you think you could send me some pictures of your heat sinks and heat sinking methods? I’d love to post about it on the website. I’ve heard about liquid heat sinks before but I hadn’t heard about a basalt heatsink being used with an LED light.
The main message I’m trying to get across on this page is that heatsinks are extremely important in LED lights. People get really angry when they pay big bucks for a light that doesn’t last long. Lights with proper heat sinking last a lot longer all things considered.
I’ll be watching your developments closely and hope to see you around.
Nate
Nate,
I just emailed you a couple of pictures of the basalt filled heatsink installed on our 24 watt LED light bar used on our sign lighting fixture. For higher wattage lights we just add more light bars. I hope this is sufficient for you.
George
Thanks a lot George. I’ll make sure to get some pictures posted when I get back from Thanksgiving.
Just wanted to say thanks for the clear and concise info. Will be growing lush vegetable in a inhospitable climate soon. Can you elaborate on a hybrid situation using LED’s and HID’s? I would like to primarily depend on LED’s 100% during vegetative growth but maybe add High Pressure Sodium (HID) light when its time for fruiting/flowering. Is this logical?
T
Hey Tad,
Glad the website helped you out a bit (that’s my goal). Your idea to use an LED during the vegetative stage and then an HPS light during the fruiting/flowering stage is very logical. A lot of people have had great success using this method. Even the most harsh critic of LEDs will admit that they are amazing during the vegetative stage (their attacks are always geared towards the flowering phase).
I think the right LED lights (see my LED grow light reviews and recommendations section) can match an HPS even during the flowering phase, but you’ll need to spend a fair bit of money and you’ll also need to get used to growing with LEDs (it’s a bit different than growing with HPS light). The coverage areas, watering, and nutrient needs can be different with LEDs than with HIDs.
Well now I’m rambling, I tend to ramble about the things I find fascinating.
To answer your question: Your approach is perfectly logical and quite frequently used in the growing world.
Good luck with your grows and hope to see you around.
Nate
Thanks Nate, that is clarifying. I may not have made myself clear though. I’m not suggesting substituting HPS for LEDs during fruiting. I’m interested in ADDING HPS to my LED’s during the fruiting stage. Would that be helpful? Or overwhelm the plants somehow?
Hey Tad,
I see what you’re saying now. Most of the time people present it to me the other way around. They ask me if it will hurt if they add an LED light to their HPS light during the fruiting stage. It will not hurt the plant and in many cases it will actually provide better fruiting. You are safe to add an HPS to your LED during the fruiting phase. It won’t cause any harm except for driving up your electricity bill a bit. 🙂 It might not benefit your plant much depending on your LED grow light, but it can’t hurt to give it a try and see if you get better results. In the minds of most of the experts I talk to HPS still has a slight advantage over LEDs during the fruiting stage.
Keep us posted on how everything goes.
Nate
One more thing. It would be nice if you could give some form of measurement for how much space an LED can cover. I’ve read that LED’s are equal to or superior to HID’s if you double the recommended space recommendation. Instead of 4×4 coverage use 2×2 coverage and you will have bounteous fruit/flowers. Do you agree with this?
Hey Tad,
That’s another great question and comment. The coverage areas that the LED companies were initially advertising (a few years back) were, for lack of a better word, ridiculous. They were saying that these puny 90 watt UFOs could cover 12 to 14 square feet. You might have been able to cast light over 12 square feet with one of those lights if you hung it twenty feet above your plant! haha
I agree with your assessment above. My general recommendation is about 180-200 watts (actual watts drawn) for a four square foot area during the flowering phase with LEDs. During the vegetation phase you could probably cover close to nine square feet with 200 watts, but as soon as those plants get taller than a foot or so you have really got to reduce the coverage area of your LED grow light. Otherwise the taller plants will be blocking the light.
This conversations brings me to another point. It’s really important with LEDs (and all lights) to have some good reflection going on in your grow area. Make sure that you have mylar sheets (or something like it) hanging in your grow area. This allows the light to reach the lower levels and sides of your plant.
Happy growing,
Nate
Hi Nate,
Excellent information, thank you- I recently purchased a 900w Blackstar and curious if you’ve any info on these? From all I have seen and read this one appears as though it will be a winner. Personally, I am brand new to growing with LED’s but based on all I have read think the extra output will be a big plus. Any thoughts on this? Many thanks!
Frank
Hey Frank,
You definitely went big my friend. haha. I don’t have much info on the 900 watt Blackstar but I have done in-depth reviews on its two baby sisters (same model, lower amount of watts). Here are my reviews:
240W Blackstar Review
500W Blackstar Review
There really is a bit of overlap in the reviews. Most LED manufacturers have a line of lights that are identical except for the amount of watts being drawn.
How large of a growing area are you looking at?
I think you’ve got a great light. The Blackstars have really put out some great grows. I do have one area of concern with them though: longevity. I think some of the other lights on the market like the Penetrator, the Magnum, and the Spectra for example are put together a little better (I’ve got reviews for all three of those lights on my site if you dig around a bit). In other words I think that some of the other lights on the market might have a longer useful life.
All that being said, it’s really hard to beat the amount of bang for your buck you get with Blackstar.
Come back and let me know what type of grow your looking at as well as your coverage area. You’ve got a good light I’d just like to chat it up some more about your setup to see if we can learn something (or maybe help someone else with a similar question).
Best,
Nate
Thanks for the quick reply, Nate!
I am starting a small soil grow in about 3x3x3 area from seed. I currently have sprouts under 200w CFL and they are taking off nicely. When they get stronger, I will switch to 900w Blackstar, veg for a bit, then 12/12. I anticipate 4-6 mature plants when done.
I have 220v available in my small space, I will modify the plug on the Blackstar to accomodate the 220v receptacle configuration. My very non-professional opinion is that 220v input might create a more ‘balanced’ condition which would lead to greater longevity. Just guessing, as I have no idea or experience with this kind of lighting system.
My overall feeling was to balance intensity, manufacturer and price. I understand the LED’s in the Blackstar are Cree 3w, although as you mentioned, the actual manufacture of the light could be lacking quite a bit, hopefully not.
I picked the light up from private sale for under 600.00, so the price was right. The 900w Blackstar is extremely bright. The manufacturer appears to have a short but fair reputation.
I’d like to post here with updates, also very interested in your feedback. Your forum is great, very easy to understand and help decision making process.
Thanks again for an awesome forum!
Best,
Frank
Hi Nate,
I thought my original reply had taken, but it appears not, so I’ll try again. I am looking at around a 3x3x3 grow area, 4-6 small plants in a soil grow. As there is not much space, the LED seemed to make the most sense, and from what I’ve looked at the most ‘intense’ bang for the buck light is the best.
The Blackstar is definitely an intense light, and I am hoping that the purchase for just under 600.00 from a private seller works out well. I will be able to run it on 240v which might provide better ‘balancing’ of the incoming voltage to some minor extent, but not sure about that.
Other than that, I’d like to keep you posted on how things are going, and I really appreciate your forum, great reading and easy to understand !!
Lets keep in touch…keep up the good work-
Best,
Frank
Hey Frank,
Your first comment did come through. I have set up my website so that I have to approve the comments that come through because I was getting so much spam. I approve all the non-spam comments every day or so.
Sounds like you got a great deal on that light. I think your 900W Blackstar should work great for a 3X3 area (you have plenty of power and the proper beam angle for that type of area).
Keep us posted on how your grow goes and on how your light performs. I’ll be interested to see if the light lasts the full 50,000 hours.
Best,
Nate
Thank you for such a clear , honest and detailed site without the b/s you find on other sites. I thought i would be truthful with you too. I suffer from HIV and that’s all I will say. I went through all the sites you liked and one product really caught my attention. It is from Sunshine System, glow panel 45s, 28w consumption,112 mixed blue and red bulbs (I guess 1w bulb). They claim 5sq ft coverage and course the famous 50,000 hours durability..lol…(let’s hope). Nowhere does it mention the characteristics of the LED bulb itself, no mention of any fins. What do you think?? Is this a good choice for my first LED panel? Do you know if the bulbs have these fins you talk about?? They have a Holiday Special 3 panels for the price of 2 for $300.
Thank you Nate.
Hey Gerard,
What are you trying to grow? I’m guessing from your comments that you are considering growing medical cannabis. I only ask because those Glow Panels don’t pack enough punch to grow taller/larger plants that fruit or flower. They are okay for very small plants and flowers, but they weren’t designed to grow plants like tomatoes, medical marijuana, etc.
I would definitely recommend against using that Sunshine light for a medical cannabis grow. It might work as a supplemental light, but it definitely wouldn’t work as your primary light source (it doesn’t have enough power).
Shoot me an email on the contact page if you want to share more details (grow area, budget, etc.) and I can give you my recommendation.
Good Luck,
Nate
Thanks for the good info. If it wasn’t for cost I’d be all in for an LED grow light, but currently on a fairly tight budget. The window placement in our house is poor for indoor growing and I’m just looking for something to give a few plants enough light during the winter months. So two questions
Do you have experience with GrowSpot LED light (http://shop.sunshine-systems.com/product.sc?productId=11)?
Also, while I know this is an LED site, do you have any experience with CFL bulbs, specifically these type: http://www.htgsupply.com/Category-Compact-Fluorescent-CFL.asp? Are these just higher wattage standard home CFL bulbs? Also, or would you have a good link for this type bulb?
Thanks
Great website thanks for caring enough to inform and educate.
I too am interested on information regarding Sunshine-Systems GrowSpot LED. I am currently using a CFL array of (4) 42w 2700K & (2) 23w 5600K CFL lamps in a 2’X2’X5′ grow tent.
My thought was to use the (6) CFL’s for vegging then switch over to the (6) GrowSpots for flowering using the one light array. Does this sound plausible, or should I consider just taking the plunge and buy an LED fixture for both vegging & growing?
Thanks JB
So, bottom line if I want to replace a 1000watt HPS light without loosing yield what would it take?
I usually get .8grams/watt with HPS but I’d be willing to accept .5grams/watt.
Because most LED users are hobbyist and often don’t even fill their light footprint I can never get a good idea of what grams/watt a LED unit can produce.
also my room is wired for 240volt, are any LED unit capable of using 240?
Hey Anom,
Great question. I wish I could give you a straight forward answer. I’ve seen guys claim they can get more than a gram a watt with their LEDs (but their grow journals were suspect to say the least). I’m positive that you could get .5grams/watt with an LED. I’ve seen very legitimate grows (from experienced growers, not hobbyists) where the grower gets .8 grams/watt.
With the help of some dispensaries, I’m running some pretty cool comparisons right now (HPS vs LED vs Induction lighting). More on this in the future.
There are quite a few of these LEDs wired for 240 volts. I need to go through my notes but I’m pretty sure you can get the Penetrator and the SolarStorm in 240v. I’m super swamped today, but I’m going to make a note of this and I’ll come back and give you a better answer in the near future.
Best,
Nate
Was wondering if you have ever looked at dorm grow LEDs. Was wanting the 450 but was wondering if you knew anything about them first.
Hey Kylet,
I’ve had some interaction with Dorm Grow. They were about to send me one of their lights for testing when they suddenly changed their minds and said they weren’t certain about the future of their business. Kind of made me think they won’t be in business for long.