Good 'budget' LEDs for 4x4?

Cloudz2021

Cloudz2021

Member
Hey guys,

I'm a fairly 'new' grower. I grew two autos with CFLs once about 5 years ago (with fairly good success) and until recently haven't been in a financial or environment position to do so again. While I'm not under a strict budget I am trying to keep this as cheap as possible. Shipping has been either through Amazon Prime or free through eBay so these are the actual prices (excluding the seeds). The idea is for this to be a 3 plant grow.

Here's what I've ordered and spent so far:
-Vivosun 48"x48"x80" grow tent - $109
-Vivosun 4" (203 CFM) inline fan + ducting - $68
-iPower 4" carbon filter - $37
-Fox Farm Ocean Forest 1.5 cu - $18
-Perlite 8 quarts - $12.50
-(5) 3 gallon air pots - $12
-Fox Farm Liquid Nutrient Soil Trio - $29
-(3) White Widow fem autos - $15
-(5) Northern Light fem auto - $22

Here's where I need help. I'd like to get into LEDs, but between all the "full spectrum" (when in reality it's heavily red or blue) Chinese LEDs and the 'expensive' professional models I'm really not sure what to look at. I'm ok with the lights not lasting 2-3+ years, but I'd like enough lights to cover a 4x4 area. Is there an LED that at the very least has a balanced spectrum for veg and flower or will something like Meizhi do the job? Preferably I'd rather not go over $250 total.

A second consideration: T5's for veg and a red heavy cheapo LED for flowering (or vice versa)
 
nfhiggs

nfhiggs

Well-Known Member
Cloudz2021 said:
Hey guys,

I'm a fairly 'new' grower. I grew two autos with CFLs once about 5 years ago (with fairly good success) and until recently haven't been in a financial or environment position to do so again. While I'm not under a strict budget I am trying to keep this as cheap as possible. Shipping has been either through Amazon Prime or free through eBay so these are the actual prices (excluding the seeds). The idea is for this to be a 3 plant grow.

Here's what I've ordered and spent so far:
-Vivosun 48"x48"x80" grow tent - $109
-Vivosun 4" (203 CFM) inline fan + ducting - $68
-iPower 4" carbon filter - $37
-Fox Farm Ocean Forest 1.5 cu - $18
-Perlite 8 quarts - $12.50
-(5) 3 gallon air pots - $12
-Fox Farm Liquid Nutrient Soil Trio - $29
-(3) White Widow fem autos - $15
-(5) Northern Light fem auto - $22

Here's where I need help. I'd like to get into LEDs, but between all the "full spectrum" (when in reality it's heavily red or blue) Chinese LEDs and the 'expensive' professional models I'm really not sure what to look at. I'm ok with the lights not lasting 2-3+ years, but I'd like enough lights to cover a 4x4 area. Is there an LED that at the very least has a balanced spectrum for veg and flower or will something like Meizhi do the job? Preferably I'd rather not go over $250 total.

A second consideration: T5's for veg and a red heavy cheapo LED for flowering (or vice versa)
Click to expand...
I'd suggest a DIY light, if you're handy with tools. A couple of 10 packs of these strip lights:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/262916650691
Some aluminum angle or u channel to mount them on and a couple of 200-300W drivers and you've got yourself a light capable of covering a 4x4.
 
Cloudz2021

Cloudz2021

Member
Honestly I'm really only good at building PCs. The most DIY I've done is making a plastic tub grow box with 120mm fans. I'm sure there's a guide out there for it, but all I've got is a screwdriver and scissors.
 
nfhiggs

nfhiggs

Well-Known Member
Cloudz2021 said:
Hey guys,

I'm a fairly 'new' grower. I grew two autos with CFLs once about 5 years ago (with fairly good success) and until recently haven't been in a financial or environment position to do so again. While I'm not under a strict budget I am trying to keep this as cheap as possible. Shipping has been either through Amazon Prime or free through eBay so these are the actual prices (excluding the seeds). The idea is for this to be a 3 plant grow.

Here's what I've ordered and spent so far:
-Vivosun 48"x48"x80" grow tent - $109
-Vivosun 4" (203 CFM) inline fan + ducting - $68
-iPower 4" carbon filter - $37
-Fox Farm Ocean Forest 1.5 cu - $18
-Perlite 8 quarts - $12.50
-(5) 3 gallon air pots - $12
-Fox Farm Liquid Nutrient Soil Trio - $29
-(3) White Widow fem autos - $15
-(5) Northern Light fem auto - $22

Here's where I need help. I'd like to get into LEDs, but between all the "full spectrum" (when in reality it's heavily red or blue) Chinese LEDs and the 'expensive' professional models I'm really not sure what to look at. I'm ok with the lights not lasting 2-3+ years, but I'd like enough lights to cover a 4x4 area. Is there an LED that at the very least has a balanced spectrum for veg and flower or will something like Meizhi do the job? Preferably I'd rather not go over $250 total.

A second consideration: T5's for veg and a red heavy cheapo LED for flowering (or vice versa)
Click to expand...
For a 4x4 space, decent LEDs for under $250 is really only possible with a DIY setup, IMHO. If that's not a viable option, then 600W HID would be my suggestion.
 
blake9999

blake9999

Well-Known Member
If you go Chinese Blurple then you WILL have lights lasting 2-3 years. If you go quality DIY COB's then you will have lights lasting 8 to 10+ years, only you will have to double your light budget. If not then 600W HPS is the way to go as @nfhiggs suggested.
 
C

chakup

Well-Known Member
Do it right the first time. I ended up with Timber and now have a $100 blurple light just taking up room. In the long run I spent $100 more than I should have trying to budget early.
 
horribleherk

horribleherk

Well-Known Member
timber not the cheapest but good the 400w. 4 cob vero is good bang for the buck if on a lower budget than that there is the 315 cmh to consider & last but not least is hps/mh I use a galaxy switchable 250-400 that will run me as well as hps they make them in 250-400-600 or they did I have a dimmable one but I don't like it you could go hps/mh get a few harvests under your belt & upgrade to led & box up the hps for a spare if done right you can run 2 - 3x3 tents using led for real close to the same cost of operating a 600 hps
 
P

Photon Flinger

Well-Known Member
Surprised no one has brought up using box store A19 LED bulbs. For $250 you can get quite a few with the rebates now and they have been proven to work. Once up and going the op can decide how much further they want to invest in growing lights, if at all, and reuse those A19s throughout the home.

Best return on investment for sure.
 
Stephenj37826

Stephenj37826

Well-Known Member
Photon Flinger said:
Surprised no one has brought up using box store A19 LED bulbs. For $250 you can get quite a few with the rebates now and they have been proven to work. Once up and going the op can decide how much further they want to invest in growing lights, if at all, and reuse those A19s throughout the home.

Best return on investment for sure.
Click to expand...

if you look around you can find the generic ones for 2-3 a piece for 800 lumens.... for a 4x4 I recommend at least 50k lumens of 3000k. so if you can find some junk fixtures for sockets you could pull it off for 300-400..... just a few more dollars though and you can have something much more efficient and built for growing.
 
CobKits

CobKits

Well-Known Member
Photon Flinger said:
Surprised no one has brought up using box store A19 LED bulbs. For $250 you can get quite a few with the rebates now and they have been proven to work. Once up and going the op can decide how much further they want to invest in growing lights, if at all, and reuse those A19s throughout the home.

Best return on investment for sure.
Click to expand...
fo sho pull those covers off and ~120 lm/watt for <$0.50/W

anybody using CFLs needs to jump on that
 
MasterpieceNutes

MasterpieceNutes

Well-Known Member
You're gonna need a thermo-hygro controller for your tent.. to run that fan..
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01J1E5LWM

For your 4x4 you want 8x cxm22 or vero22 (NOT 29). Mix 3000k and 4000k chips. 4 each on (2) hlg-185h-48a.. You'll probably dim a bit until late flower. -544 odd watts.. Nets 600grams easy in a 4x4. (not counting popcorn).

Get big heatsinks for ease of build. -Too scared to build?/ too expensive? Buy a cmh 350. Still too expensive? I'd save some more then.. HPS is lol for tents.. Cuz then you got a hood, and venting, and timers and exhaust fans.. and bulbs.. and extra heat..
 
frica

frica

Well-Known Member
Generic a19 bulbs are great for the price.

For best results you remove the plastic globe.

Every modern bulb that's even halfway decent will be able to do 1g/w with a decent strain
 
Go go n chill

Go go n chill

Well-Known Member
This looks like a good thread to ask this question. I built a homemade reflector box that houses 10 CFL bulbs . If I removed the CFL bulbs and replace those with LED bulbs would it help my grow. 3x2 space
 
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