Chinese LED Grow Lights – 5 Best Options. Pros and Cons
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Let There Be Light!
It’s been more than a few years since the dawn of mankind, but ever since we made our debut on this planet, there have been those among us who are never quite satisfied with what the creator gave us. These are the types that are always trying to improve on the original. God love ’em!
Chinese LED Grow Lights
It’s a well-known fact that our neighbors and competitors on the other side of the globe are masters when it comes to mass-producing products at lower prices.
As a result, they offer a long list of items we here in the States desire for a lot less. That list includes LED grow lights.
It bears noting that a lower priced item can sometimes mean accepting lower quality, but that isn’t always the case. The key to getting the best quality item for the price is having a good understanding about what you need and how much you’re willing to spend.
Here are five top Chinese LED grow lights and the pros and cons behind them:
Phlizon 2020 Newest 1000W Plant LED Grow Light
This dimmable, full spectrum grow light is used with Samsung LM301B diodes. It provides generous area coverage with a higher light intensity, and it comes standard with a temperature and humidity monitor.
Pros: This grow light has no reflector and generates little heat. With no fans, it is noiseless and has a waterproof function.
Cons: More expensive with fewer features than some other LED grow lights.
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VIPARSPECTRA P1500 Full Spectrum LED
This high-quality, full spectrum LED grow light features high PAR output, a 100,000-hour lifespan and energy efficiency with a dimmer knob to dial down light intensity.
Pros: Has a sleep-friendly grow light with a silent, fanless design, and built in areas of solid aluminum heat sinks.
Cons: The coverage area runs on the smaller side.
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Xinhaohui High Yield LED Grow Light
This full-spectrum LED grow light features a lightweight body, high energy efficiency with a 3 by 4 foot veg footprint and 2 by 4 foot flower footprint. It has a fanless design and a 240 watt power draw. No assembly required.
Pros: Claim to fame is better canopy light penetration resulting in 40 percent higher yields with less energy expended. Excellent mounting height.
Cons: Instructions are not included in the package.
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BESTVA DC Series 3000W LED
This LED grow lamp features full-spectrum light, dual-chip technology, and a veg and bloom switch. It runs cool and is a great choice for hydroponic indoor plants, vegetative and flower growth.
Pros: Has a strong cooling system and is more efficient than conventional 3 and 5-watt LEDs.
Cons: Burning out bulbs is a common complaint. It’s also not the best for Daisy Chain.
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Advanced Platinum High Output Light
This full-spectrum LED grow light includes switches to select between veg or flower settings, a quiet fan and compares to 1000w HPS with a 6 foot by 4.5 foot grow area at 18″ height. It is sold with a 5-year warranty plus a 90-day satisfaction guarantee.
Pros: Claim to fame is the platinum LED lights which have the highest PAR/Lumen output per watt than any other grow light. Purports to produce higher yields.
Cons: The hanger must be purchased separately.
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Natural vs. Artificial Light
Take the sun, for example. We all know sunlight is essential for healthy plant growth.
And when it comes to cannabis plants, we also know that they are greedy devils requiring a good deal more sunlight than many other plants. In the right climate and environment cannabis plants can thrive outdoors, but, then again, that leaves them subject to unexpected weather events like excessive rain, wind or drought.
With indoor plants, you have much better control over the environment. That includes being able to grow weed year round.
It’s a safe bet that God didn’t have cannabis cultivation on his mind when he unveiled the sun, and Thomas Edison sure didn’t have cannabis cultivation on his mind either when he introduced his “improvement,” the light bulb. But somewhere down the line–way, way down the line–Edison’s invention led to the invention of light emitting diodes (aka LEDs).
And those LEDs led to LED grow lights, which like most inventions over years of time, were improved upon several times over.
Are LEDs the Best Artificial Light Option?
The sun is free for everyone to enjoy, but artificial lights come with a price tag. So when you buy artificial light, you want to get the best bang for your buck.
As opposed to LED grow lights from even just a few years ago, today’s new and improved LED grow lights allow the user to adjust the spectrum and intensity of light. This function helps produce stronger, healthier cannabis plants with higher yields.
Compare that to compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), which can’t seem to produce the yield or quality product that LED lights do. CFLs also require the investment in and changing out of ballasts, which LEDs don’t have to contend with.
As for energy consumption, LED grow lights don’t jack up electric bills nearly as much as high pressure sodium (HPS) lights. HPS lights, aka high intensity discharge (HID) lights are also prone to creating a lot more heat than LEDs.
As a result, with an HPS system you’ll have to add to your budget an energy-sucking cooling system as well.
Beyond energy consumption, LED lights last longer, are more convenient to use and are more durable than their counterparts, so in the long run, they’re the more economical choice. However, it bears noting the upfront costs for an LED system can be a good deal higher than CFLs and HPS systems.
So where does this all lead us?
LED Grow Lights Buying Guide
Things You Should Consider Before Buying LED Grow Lights
- LED grow lights are designed to emit the right colors of light at the intensity you need during the various stages of plant growth. When making your selection, be sure to choose an LED grow light that makes it simple to switch between various wavelengths and intensities of light.
- Consider purchasing LED grow lights with dimmer switches so you can lower the light intensity when the situation requires it.
- Consider purchasing LED grow lights that provide full spectrum lights as these are most similar to natural sunlight. While your plants will rely most heavily on blue and red light, they do benefit from other portions of the spectrum.
- Choose a LED grow light with a semi-conductor chip with at least 3 watts. They are longer lasting and will provide a more adequate quantity of light.
Grow Space
It’s important to know how much grow space an LED grow light can cover so you purchase an adequate size or number of lights for your operation. Additionally, some grow lights come equipped with two semi-conductor chips per LED instead of the standard single chip allowing them to be twice as bright without adding to the bulk of the unit.
These double-chip (DC) models are great for large growing spaces, but aren’t necessary for small growing spaces.
Plants
Are you purchasing LED grow lights just for cannabis cultivation? Or might you try growing other plants? Different plants require different amounts of light, so if your menu includes a few high-light demanding tomatoes, low-light demanding lettuces, flowers or herbs, you’ll want to be sure to purchase an LED grow light that provides a full spectrum of light and a switch that allows you to control the wavelength and intensity of light.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do LED Grow Lights Yield More Than HPS?
Many growers find that LED grow lights produce similar yields to HPS grow lights, and with improved efficiency some even argue that LED grow lights surpass HPS yields. When it comes to the better lighting spectrum, however, HPS lights still have the upper hand.
For this reason, HPS grow lights might be the preferable choice for larger grow rooms and LEDs for small, sizeable grow tents.
How Many LED Grow Lights Do I Need?
To figure out the answer to this question, you’ll need to gather a bit of information. First, measure the length and width of your plant canopy to get the square footage.
Caution: Measure the actual canopy rather than the size of the grow room, which could be larger. Flowering plants need on average about 20 to 30 watts of light per square foot, so once you have the square footage, multiply that figure by the needed wattage.
For example, a plant canopy that measures 6 feet by 5 feet results in 30 square feet. Multiply that by 20 to 30 and the wattage range you will need is 600 to 900 watts.
You’ll then need to choose a number of LED grow lights that individually or together meet that actual wattage.
Do LED Grow Lights Use a Lot of Electricity?
With all the hype about LED grow lights and how they cost less to use than HPS grow lights, new growers might be forgiven if they thought their LED grow lights won’t hike their electric bill. But they’ll soon learn they were wrong.
In fact, depending on the size of your grow room and the number and wattage of your lights, you might end up with a very high electric bill. LED lights are simply more efficient than other light choices.
Your bill might be high, but at least you can take comfort in the fact that it would be a lot more with an HPS system.
Conclusion
Getting the perfect lighting for your plants can be a tricky thing and hopefully, you found this article illuminating. As mentioned at the start, there’s something to be said for innovators who don’t stand for the status quo and continue to find new ways to improve on the original.
Don’t be afraid to experiment – that next innovator could be you!
