Best LED Setup for 3'X2' Box

Danielson999 said:

Majikoopa says: so here's the question, was I out of my mind for grabbing two of these lamps or will the extra 300W benefit me enough to justify the expense?

To answer your question, the 300w light you refer to is actually drawing 140w so it's likely less powerful than you might think, especially if you're comparing it to a 300w cob system which is much more efficient. Using 2 of those lights to get 280 watts in 6sq ft gives you over 40w per sq ft which is excellent although the Mars lights don't have quite the penetration cobs do it will still give you excellent coverage in that space. Don't forget that you will have over 300 heat watts dissipating into your small tent so ventilation is likely going to be something you should keep an eye on. Having seen this exact light at work in a 2'x3' tent I can definitely say that having 2 is basically necessary if you want to get coverage across your grow area since they have a fairly small footprint just as Mars states when they tell you it's got a 1.5'x1.5ft footprint during flowering. Mars definitely aren't the best quality lights to use but they are cheap. Make sure you come back and post some pics of your grow so others can learn from it...good or bad.

See how easy that was?

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Majikoopa said:

Hey man!

So this was a perfect answer and I really appreciate it. To clear the air, I wasn't looking for a "pat on the back". BUT... JESUS I wasn't looking for the flame war that MrTwist1 brought to the table lol... that guy needs to smoke a bowl of his, no doubt, perfect weed that is God's gift to man apparently... big genius!

Really I was looking for more of a "OK so I bought this, I am aware that it is cheap... but will it work and produce buds without killing my batch?" The feedback I got from you and Tim Fox answered my questions, alerted me to some challenges in my setup, and gave me some info for the future. Will definitely consider a different brand... *when I can actually afford it, which is not now*. I'm new to LEDs so I'm reading up more on COBs, but a lot of people have said a lot about "bang for your buck" with regard to the Mars Hydro 300W, so I thought "what the hell, for $60 I should try it". And I am. And I will post pictures.

When I have a new place with a bigger closet footprint, I'll upgrade, but I didn't see the point investing like crazy in what I see as a temporary situation with a, frankly, sub par floorplan to spend a lot on since I'll be limited in space anyway. If I get even one ounce, these puppies have paid for themselves. If I get 2 ounces, all the better! I've grown a lot under fluoros and HPS though, when I had a bigger closet, so all should be fine.

Namaste all. Special thanks to Tim and Danielson999. You gave me the info I needed.

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Seriousbuds said:

On the bright side, when your light blows 10 diodes


I thought it was more expensive than $60, that is not that bad. I have seen people spend thousands on the same tech that you just bought only to have diodes blow within months, so my response was more due to PTSD from watching people get swindled by these sketchy companies.

When you plan to upgrade you can do a conversion like this:

So you have an upgrade path and surprisingly you will save like $30 that you would have needed to spend on aluminum framing... and your light will look more professional than most DIYs.

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Ilikesnacks said:

Anyone have opinions on what the best option is these days?

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PopAndSonGrows said:

The new Vipar Spectra XS1500 should cover that. It's a 2x2 light but the lenses over the LEDs help cast the light a bit further, should rock a 2x3.

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Ilikesnacks said:

I’m growing photos but space is limited so hanging heights are important too I guess.

Looking at -

Mini sun 2 240w
Vipaspecta p2000
Hlg 200 respec
Hlg 300L repec

The p2000 seems to have better coverage than the mini sun 2 but I don’t understand the colour spectrums and which is best, from googling the deep red seems to be important for healing?

The hlg 200 seems like it would do the trick, but the 300L might be better. The price difference is negligible due to them having refurbished units, they say the 200 is for 2x2 or 2x3 - I guess it depends on hanging height, and with height restrictions I might be better off with the 300L as it’s made for a larger space and I can dial it back instead of needing to hang it higher.

Seems like 2x3 is just an awkward home grower problem to have.

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