(Leafy buds) is it worth upgrading from a Mars-Hydro ECO 300

Indoor Growing Lighting
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…and if yes to what light ?
I have a DYI 16” deep x 24” long ( 6ft high) tent with a mars-hydro eco 300 led.
I just finished my 3rd grow (all autos from ILGM) in hydro with Foxfarm ferts.
ALL of my grows (WW, blueberry, AmnesiaH) have leafy buds.

I thought it was the heat during summer but the Amnesia grew in fall/winter and the buds are a bit better then the blueberry and WW, but I was wondering if the problem is the light i’m using.
For the space I have ( I grow one plant at the time) is it worth upgrading the light and what would be your recommendation?

Budget wise I do not want to spend more than ~$200/250, and should not be a DYI project.

thanks for your opinions and advice !

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After using the HLG lights, my plants have never been the same. Better the light, the better the harvest. Cheaper the light…well crappy yields.

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@persitidc the DIY lights by hlg are more like assemble yourself. They are very easy to assemble and well worth it. Just screw together and put wires in place. Simple stuff.

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The newer Mars Hydro TS 1000 and TS 2000 are worth looking at. They’re a good value. The 1000 is within your budget and will work well for your tent.

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yep, I see both the hlg 100 and the mh ts1000…both below $150.
HLG has 3k and 4k models. The question is if any of those 3 will be better than the one i already have…

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I can’t find any info on your current light.

I look at it like this: you only need so much light, so really it’s about how efficiently you get there. The HLG is probably the most efficient option, and it might be much better than your current light. It also might be dimmable. The TS 1000 is less efficient than the HLG (if memory serves me) but it’s still a powerful light that will probably outperform your current kit.

You can see plenty of journals in here where people used the TS 1000 all the way through. The HLG 100 seems less common, but I’ve seen people using it.

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I use the hlg 100 and 65. I have had great results. Also a lot more $ saved in electricity too. It’s noticable. I used to use Mars hydro lights. The only light I found similar to what you posted was a Mars Eco 49 300w. Not sure?

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It seems the light I have is no longer manufactured:
MarsHydro LED Grow Light 300W

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Ultimately this is a question you have to answer.

Now for a recommendation I agree with everyone so far that a more efficient light is necessary to produce the tight buds you are looking to harvest. I built a HLG-135 for my 2x2 tent, I’ve grown on plant in it and had a good harvest. So my recommendation would be the HLG-135 Rspec.

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Anything HLG will blow anything else away, for the most part.

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@Bubblehead : I’m trying to find the hlg-135 dimensions. On the HLG site they only say it’s a 340mm slate. Do you have the dimension of the board by any chance ?
I want to make sure it fits in my tent.

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This is the size of the heat sink from the website “Length:340mm Width:205mm”.

This is the size of the board from the website “Dimensions 6.833" x 11.25”

The heat sinks are drilled and tapped to allow the mounting for the board.

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Thanks @Bubblehead ! Just ordered one.
One question: I want to mount the driver outside the tent.
Is that OK, or the driver must seat on the heatsink slab ?
Does the driver need also to be cooled ?
-stoppa

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Driver can be mounted to the outside without additional heatsink (I think the power dissipation/loss is around 7 watts). You will need to order some 300 volt solid core hookup wire, (18 gauge?) @dbrn32 may know off the top of his head.

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18g is correct. I put mine on a heatsink still and have a fan blowing on it.

Maybe for a single one try just the fan blowing on it

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Looks like you got the answer you were looking for, you and you plants will love the light. I would introduce them slowly to the girls the improvement will be that much.

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Yes,I have plenty of spare computer case fans and cpu coolers to adapt!
Will start using the new light with a Northern Light auto, from seed in next week or so.

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You are correct about the wire, driver losses on meanwell hlg’s are about 7%

No need for heatsink or fan on drivers. Just keep them in open air or better.

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