I was kinda flirting with the thought of trying to do something with 80/20 extrusions. Maybe worth checking out if you want to do your own.
@Grum, here’s the thread. Do ask questions. This is a great time to look at the long term and you can figure out what will work best for you.
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thanks. Will be following
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I guess I’ll just buy the 5x5 chilLed light for $960. I’ll get more lights than I would building my own. It just won’t be as adjustable. I have a feeling that from what @TDubWilly is saying about the brightness, the light will be up high all the time. Just wondering what you think about it.
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@OldSkunk i think there is a general cost savings in diy strip leds, but if you have the money and wanna go that way. why not?
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They’re gonna be bright, and height you can run them at higher power level, or you’ll have room to lower and dim with that many of them. I think it would be plenty flexible anyway.
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I would like to build it but the kit is cheaper than I can buy the components and do it myself and I’ll get $96 dollars off because I’m a first time buyer. With the money I’m saving, I can build 1 more diy light to fill out the veg room. I’m going to move the current diy lights to there. Maybe quantum boards next time.
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Sounds like pretty good deal to me
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Well here it is, Gavita’s LED with Gavita prices. I dont like it. IMO its a step back. 2.6 umol/j but I was reading the driver is only around 88% efficient. And who knows if that is after driver losses ect.
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Ya, I expected a little more in fit and finish from them. Especially for the price. Numbers are reasonable but that’s nothing we couldn’t build for $800 or less.
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Hey they copied my design I’m gonna sue lol. Ok but really apparently I was onto something lol.
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@dbrn32 can i build a better light for my 2x2 grow space than the hlg 135 v2 for the same money? im only curious and really im hoping you say no to reduce my risk of having buyers remorse
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You could’ve saved a little and maybe be a little more efficient than it. But at the cost of time to find, buy, ship, then assemble all the parts. Plus needing some tools to build it with. So not all people would see that as a savings. It’s all about perspective. The QB are a good deal in my opinion and I built my light. I just wanted something that fit my space perfectly. And I didn’t need my light right at that moment when I started planning it.
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ok. i keep thinking about the sun and how light is a very important component to yield. the hlg 135 v2 has a small footprint i could probably fit 4 of them in my tent.
now that im in the middle of my first grow and there are some key things i want to differently. like i really needed a larger tent, and with a larger tent comes a larger light… and the wheels keep spinning
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Yeah I’m limited to what I have now for space. So expansion for me is not in the immediate future. That may change the outlook. But the good news is even if you expand there’s always going to be a use for a good light. Be it a veg or cloning station or just adding it to a larger tent.
Probably. It’s not going to be a ton better or a ton cheaper, but you can usually get more light for the money building.
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@dbrn32 @Aolelon I was wandering through Lowe’s the other night and saw these work lights. The cheapest one is only $20. I’m half tempted to buy one just to dismantle it. But I’ll look it up online first to get a better idea of what’s in it. It’s super thin so I’m assuming most the body is heatsink.
Tag says it is UT portable work light.
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Get the specs on them and I’ll take a look. Chances are it’s probably not worth doing, but won’t hurt to look.
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fuk that bridgelux strips are the sh$t!!!
Yeah I have Samsung strips in my light. But i like to mess with stuff. If it’s a solid led it could be used for a germination light. I don’t have a extra light yet and I’ll be on the search for something to use for starting new seeds during the end of my grow. I know cfls would work but it’s worth looking at.
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