LED COB lighting question

I think the problem with that light is it's too focused in the center of your tent. Looking at the par map it shows almost none between 3 and 4 feet from center, especially on the short sides of the light. That light would be best for growing one large plant or used in a 2'x4' tent perhaps, or 3'x3' so it gets those photons bouncing back onto the plants.
So to answer your question, in a 4'x4' you'd probably get far more yield out of a light that covers the entire surface area like the 600w Vero light from Timber. Less wattage compared to the Optic 6 LED but better efficiency and coverage = win.

You can't go wrong with a Timber light... I've had my 300 watt Cree setup almost a year and am truly impressed with
Led tech... Their customer service is the best.. Just checked out the optic 6... Don't waste your money..Too hot in the middle.. no coverage..

You're on the right path man. COBs are worth the investment.

Thanks for the replies guys. I definitely think Timber is where it's at. The materials and craftsmanship looks top-notch. I'm honestly just so glad I found out about them before I wasted my money on a bullshit Viparspectra lol. Now in terms of color spectrum, would you recommend 3500k straight up or a mix of 3k & 4k evenly mixed??

3500k and a mix of 3k and 4k is basically the same thing. Guys use 3k from veg to flower and also 3500k, both with great results. Don't worry too much about the spectrum, 3k or 3500k are both great.

Nick1987 said:

Thanks for the replies guys. I definitely think Timber is where it's at. The materials and craftsmanship looks top-notch. I'm honestly just so glad I found out about them before I wasted my money on a bullshit Viparspectra lol. Now in terms of color spectrum, would you recommend 3500k straight up or a mix of 3k & 4k evenly mixed??

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Go with 3000k 90 CRI

GrowGorilla said:

Go with 3000k 90 CRI

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this is my go-to for flower only but if your strain is super stretchy it might cause greater internode spacing. they usually fill in with huge buds though

Is there a huge difference between Cree 3590's & the Vero 29's?

Nick1987 said:

Is there a huge difference between Cree 3590's & the Vero 29's?

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Yes. Price. Go Vero

DIY a build AND SPREAD the cobs out.

Nick1987 said:

1. Hey guys how's it going? Long story short I am planning my first indoor grow after a few successful harvest outdoors. After weeks of research, and quite frankly being quite overwhelmed, I have learned that COB lights are where it's at. I know the cheap blurple lights kinda suck but I am curious as to what you guys think of a hybrid grow light with COBs & 5w diodes in one panel? Is something from Timberlights still going to just blow the doors off of it?
   
   The hybrid light I speak of is the Optic 6 LED with CREE COBs & blurple lights. Thoughts?
   

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The current trend is Samsung LM561C diodes on boards like chilledled QB, wavyboards, Foton GrowGreen etc. I used COB's for a couple of years but I have retired the cobs, too hot, and moved to chilled boards and designed my own board, as well. I should have a COB yard sale and sell all my COB's. I have CXA3590 never used, cxb3590 3500K/5000K, work great but too hot. Now I run only Samsung diode boards for all operations, much lower heat, COB's are OUT and Samsung diode is in. Cree is partnering with OSRAM, Phillips diodes to create thier own mid power diode, like Samsung the industry leader. Check out LEDMagazine.com to keep up with the industry. Meanwell has moved operations to US shores, under the TRCelectronics lowest prices, best delivery and meanwell direct with newest drivers. I just got a 185H-C500B newest model. A changing world faster than folks realize.

as far as quality and efficiency of light both cobs and the individual diode boards are similar. Both can get you there and have their advantages and disadvantages. currently the best models of both are right there at the top in terms of performance in usable light per watt. Either will be substantially better than any HID youve used in the past, hard to go wrong, even the Crees are great chips but as some people said above, they just cost more (right now) so people ahve moved away from them. People are still throwing down amazing grows with 2 and 3 year old cob tech like cree 3050/3070, vero 29 gen 6, citizen clu046, etc. LEDs have a really long life (10 yrs+ at the way we run them soft), and the older cobs dont really become 'obsolete' because newer models are generally only 5-10% more efficient year over year and just about any of them could be run at current efficiency standards just by cutting current in half.Or if you go the cob route later on you have an easy upgrade because chips are relatively cheap and falling all the time, and heat management and good drivers are a wise long-term investment (current top-shelf drivers are 93-96% efficient with little room for improvement - people liek the Mean Well drivers because they are pretty bombproof, super efficent, 7 year warranty, and come in all differnt sizes and options- for about $0.25/watt - a true bargain)

At any given time one chip mfr could be delivering better value than another. Currently as far as cobs citizen vero and luminus are all near the tiop in terms of value, DIY with respectable efficiency under $1/watt. Prebuilts probably $1.50/watt. as far as discrete chips samsung S561C are some of the best but manufacturers are fighting tooth and nail to eek out more efficiencyat lower costs- a race we all win in the end.

if buying a prebuilt fixture or a board assembly its best to buy from a mfr who can provide actual photometric data for their assembly, usually expressed in umol/J. if that doesnt make sense feel free to ask.