Best Lights, 4X8

Grow Cycle
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Need BEST new lights suggestion, please:

First time grower:

What is the strain? ILGM Mixpack, autos, ECSC, GG, BB

Indoor or Outdoor? Inodoor, 6 plants to start with, 18 eventually, with 6 flower, 6 veg, & 6 seedlings. (Seedlings may have to go into another space. So maybe only 6 for 6 veg, in tent, total 12.)

Size of space? Tent… either 4X8 or 5x5 or 6X6. About to order tent and lights, haven’t yet.

Soil or Hydro? Soil. Going with Fox Farms, 1/3 OF, almost 2/3 HF, and LW around seedlings.

So…

HLG? Chilled? How many?

Thanks so much.

Bel

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For a 4x8 I’d go ChilLED X6-600, will need 2 of them, so looking at $2500.

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5x5 theres so many options… what kinda growing you plan on doing natural growing lst scrogs sogs?

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@Hellraiser those chilLED are 1200 apiece huh what do you like about them and is the money justified to other quality brands? Cant be that much better the playing feild advances pretty evenly …well I guess a 650 diablo is like 1200 as well isn’t it?

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Well I looked up the x6 600 there 999.99 everywhere

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Negative. The kit is $1000 if you buy pieces and assemble yourself. The growcraft x6 fixture is $1259, pretty much just like Hellraiser said. I agree, it’s a nice light.

The ripoff’s of these and fluence lights are seemingly getting pretty good. If I was a gambling man on a budget, I would check out comparable options from growers choice, enlite, or handful of others.

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Gotcha…I see it say kit now… 250 saving for a kit that’s alot

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Okay… first, thank you all for the input. I’m just now reading everything and getting my research (and motivation) on for the day.

I have been looking into all of this throughout the night and morning hours. I’m down with DIY-ing it if need be, as far as the ChilLED goes (I believe I can manage handling a screwdriver and wire-stripper) to save some bucks, buuuutttt… (butt.) the thing is, it looks like if you go that route, the warranty isn’t there. (And I’d definitely want a warranty. I know that I’d be unhappy with myself if something went wrong there.)

These DO look like nice lights… if not very, very powerful. (Could they be too powerful? Is that even a thing?? It IS deep southern MO, so it does get hot here, especially upstairs.) So I’m pondering, and I may have to re-think my space, and start with something a touch smaller.

Maybe start with a 4X5 or 5X5 area instead, and work up to the space for the eighteen plants that I’m allowed, eventually, if I’m being perfectly realistic.

What about my going ahead and getting the 4X8 tent, and only using half of it, to begin with, using one light in there to start with, and then expanding the plants in the tent as I go, with another light? Would there be any issues with doing it that way, with extra space floating around in there?

Going to answer the other questions and posts here, and go from there. Thank you, Hellraiser.

Hope you raise some hell today. :smirk:

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Hey fano-man… thanks for the input.

Planning on doing it all as “naturally” as possible… and letting the plants just do what they do, but potentially doing a little scrogging and lst, if needed. Have seen some decent vids on doing all of this, (even with autos) but I grow by “feel,” mostly, (at least, with herbs and such at this point) and try to use my instincts as I go. I make tinctures and other things, Elderberry, wild lettuce, etc.

I’m sure this is probably an entirely different ballgame, though.

I like what I’ve seen with implementing the lst technique… for sure. Will probably throw a scrog net or two into my cart, when buying the other necessities (like temp/humidity devices) and so on.

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Hey, thank you so much for responding. I very much appreciate it!

So yes… I’m definitely a gambling woman, on a budget.

:wink:

I’m realizing here that the lights are the one thing not to scrimp on, if anything, but I’m also absolutely about saving some money. I’m willing to spend a grand or so on a light, if that’s what’s needed, and perhaps upgrade my space with an additional one, for veg & seedlings, in a little while, when that’s needed. (If that’s what I need to do.)

So I took your advice, and have been researching. A lot. Over the last few months I’ve read everything I can seem to find, including your writings on the ILGM site.

When asking a question like this on a FB group, though, it seems like I’ll get a thousand different answers from a hundred different people… sooooo… I’ve landed here now, instead.

I watched a great video last night, from a place called LED Grow Lights Depot, I believe it was, where they reviewed their choices for the best seven LED lights. (That said, the video was from July 2020, and I can see that things change in the market fairly quickly. So I’m not sure how outdated that is, by now.) They also had a great article on there about what the differences (actually) are in all of the energy output descriptions. Good stuff to know and learn.

Here is what they offered, as far as LED reviews went:

Crecer Lighting Panther X II
Enlite Series 780W
Scynce LED Raging Kush
Gavita Pro 1700e Gen 2
ChilLED Tech Growcraft X6
Grower’s Choice ROI-E 720
&
HLG 650 R

Most of these are kind of “up there” in price range, as well… but they all look nice to my eyes, except for maybe the HLG one. (I am leaning toward a bar-style, I think.)

As far as knockoffs, I’m not sure I’d really even know where to begin. I see so many things that LOOK like these lights, but if I’m investing this much time, money and effort into all of this, I certainly don’t want to settle on something half-a**ed. (Lol.) :thinking::grin:

My thoughts are this…

Start with one, really nice light, and try out others as I go.

And wow… yeah… there is so much out there to learn.

I’ve even looked at other lights… the HID and such… that come with grow “packages,” and they look good, too… a bit less expensive, but at the cost of replacing bulbs (right?) and a big chunk of my electric bill.

Do you mind of I ask what you use, or what your experiences are? I’ve been curious.

Thanks again, and I’m looking forward to the journey.

This is the best group. :+1::+1::+1:

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If your doing a natural style I’d say you want more of s cluster light with penetration then an even spread with less penetration I like the hlg 600 because its sources are closer together then say a scorpion… which is all spread out and about same wattage… efficent is less in a 600 but I feel it’s a higher density and untrained plants wont have as much airy larf just under the top of canopy… your gonna always want to direct energy to top but you wont have to do as extensive defoliation to avoid wasted energy… those strip lights with the 4 row leds seem really sweet tho I’m not sure on specs but I’m sure there latest and greatest for price

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I built this from scratch for about 1$ a wat for 408 watts of veg sweetnes… I love it… @dbrn32 helped me source the parts… I built 4 of them for a 10x 10

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and these are hlg 600 rspec I got 4 of them for 10x 10 flower area at 620 watts each they flower a 5x5 no problem all the way up to co2 supplementation capabilities… I couldn’t ask for more maybe a uv bar or 4 in the future but my light is more then I could ask for

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That’s a nice light!

@Beltana i prefer the hlg 260 xl , 1300$ for 4 if you part them out.

They’ll flower a 2x4 area, 4 in that tent will be plenty

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260 us a hlg 240 driver?

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Yes the 240h-c1400

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@dbrn32 the Growcraft Ultra is over the top expensive

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Nice build, @fano_man ! & Thank you, @PharmerBob So…

Now we’re talking four of these, :point_up::point_up::point_up::point_up: vs. two of the bar-style lights, instead? In a 10X10 space though, vs. a 4X8 space, yeah?

(Might have to expand my initial tent size idea… or just use my whole room up there… but sure…)

I’m wondering about the expense difference if you DON’T part it out… and just buy those lights outright, instead. HLG, right? Warranties? Shipping times?

Damn. I wish I could grow outside… Blessed enough to live on a 166 acre farm out here… but, rules and regulations, ya know. :pensive:

One day. Soon. :+1:

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Most states are playing catch up, hopefully yours does soon as well.

I’d go the whole room if you have the option, that would be your easiest option for just about everything

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How big are the 600’s? Specs says 26” x 21

The 260xl are 35” length.

If money isn’t a issue go for 320’s all the way and light it up like Christmas

If you swap it for a hlg320h-c1400 at digikey for 88.50 w shipping your about

410-430 per unit depending on how many you acquire .

Turning them into 260’s makes the price great since you get another 2 boards for every 2 you buy.

Don’t go over 1500 watts per breaker. If your going big consult and electrician for a sub panel or atleast a few dedicated outlets

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The older ones are different shape then then new ones new ones are more square v2s are rectangle 4 288 board close to eachother

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